The final frontier

Las Vegas Space Conference attendees explore lunar manifest destiny

BY EMMILY BRISTOL

Will people be living on the moon in our lifetime? Better yet, can Americans do what they do best -- exploit a resource for all its money-making potential -- on the moon? If those at last week's Las Vegas Space Conference have their way, the answers to those questions is a resounding yes.

Don't let the topic throw you. These folks aren't sporting aluminum helmets and drinking Tang between discussions of Star Trek episodes (although the television program did occasionally come up in casual conversation). These are hardcore geeks who are united in realizing the full potential of the moon. This conference is the sixth annual on the topic and the first ever to bring in NASA officials as panelists and participants.

"They are listening to innovators in the community, which, frankly, up until now they've been hesitant to do," said conference organizer Jeff Feige of the Washington, DC-based Space Frontier Foundation. He credits last year's successful privately funded space flight for the Ansari X Prize with the momentum between public and private sectors.

The Ansari X Prize was a $10 million reward for the first manned, privately funded flight into space. In October SpaceShipOne cashed in the prize, which was put up by a variety of private donors from anonymous to famous, including author Tom Clancy. Likewise, Budget Suites of America millionaire and Las Vegan Robert Bigelow's space module technology was often mentioned as important to legitimizing this new race to capitalize on and tame space.

"What it always takes is a lot of capital," said Dennis Wingo, founder of Skycorp Inc. and a former engineering researcher at the University of Alabama, who spoke at the conference.

While many of us look to a full moon and wax romantic, the assembled scientists, engineers and "space entrepreneurs" at the conference see dollar signs and a dream within reach. Attendees of the event -- many of whom have a crystallized memory of the Apollo 9 mission -- have spent decades working in research on technology and its application in outer space exploration and industrialization.

"I was 9 years old when the Apollo moon landing happened. As children we were going, 'Yeah! Yeah!' We are unwilling to give that up," said Wingo.

Even the lanky Feige, younger than many of the gray-haired conference participants, had to give up his dream of being an astronaut because he exceeds the height requirement. This turned his attention to work in the private sector and he is nearly breathless with excitement when talking about what could be a near-future moon tourism industry. "I'm going to go up there. It's going to happen."

In fact, lunar tourism was one of the hottest topics. Wingo predicts that the average (albeit wealthy) individual could be taking space rides around the moon in 25 to 30 years.

"The resources are there," Wingo said after he spoke in a panel about the mining resources of the moon. "We have the potential for a lunar industrial economy."

And time is running out, Wingo said. Since earth resources are diminishing, the window of opportunity to utilize space resources is ever smaller. The irony is, in Wingo's opinion, that the moon offers more than enough resources to help the whole world -- if we can just get them before ours run out.

"Space has the ability to bring everyone on Earth into an affluent lifestyle," he said. "Right now the only barrier to space is money."

Brant Sponberg, of NASA's non-traditional office, announced some of the dozen or so projects the agency is looking outside for help with, including processes to produce oxygen on the moon and better fuel propulsion systems. A project team who successfully find answers to these problems would be awarded cash prizes.

Many at the conference said the government's purely science-driven missions to the moon has led to antiquated shuttle technology and delays in capitalizing on lunar possibilities.

"If the purpose of going to the moon is just science, it doesn't necessarily justify the government expenditure," Feige said.

Charles E. Miller, chief executive officer of Constellation Services International, Inc., puts it more directly. "The only resource not yet used in space is capitalism. In space we've let government be the administrators. It's basically a socialist model. We need to change that."

Miller's company focuses on moving cargo between the earth and the space station, with the long-term goal of moving freight between earth and moon.

"Tourism is the biggest industry in the world. Just orbiting the earth can be a big tourist industry. You could justify that alone," Miller said, adding that optimistically space tourism could take off in as little as 10 years using existing technology.

North Carolina State University engineering student William McGuire was one of the most enthusiastic conference attendees. He said his focus has shifted from looking at NASA for post-school employment to the private sector because things move faster with non-government projects.

"These are the people I want to be working with," McGuire said looking out over the conference crowd.

Conference participants brought their ideas with them, too. At one point a wide-eyed Feige ran up to McGuire and said, "Get this: Space spring break! Can you imagine?"

Emmily Bristol is a CityLife staff writer. She can be reached at 871-6780 ext. 344 or ebristol@lvpress.com.