TDF 1 2006

Million thanks to the Co-Planetaries who made of our First Convention a very great and memorable event!

We're now working hard to prepare reports and acta. It could take a couple of weeks. Stay tuned! 

SPACE IS FEASIBLE! 

SPACE IS CONVENIENT!

More than ever: aim high!

An Italian space vehicle of new conception - A. Autino  

Last April 27th, in Capua, CIRA held the roll-out of the USV, a motorless technological demonstrator, a true flying laboratory, able to accumulate experimental data, in order to create the technological bases for an improved and fully reusable space shuttle, both from the point of view of safety and from the ones of the consumptions and of the environmental impact.  

After the 1st Convention of TDF 

The community which met up the April 1st in the Medieval Castle of Moncrivello is all but the traditional space community, who frequents the astronautical congresses and learnedly discusses about space science, without the society was never touched by such events. 
A real vulcano of ideas and proposals exploded inside the castle, but we definitely have to find out more support.

A new space community - A. Autino 

Before SpaceShipOne, space tourism could offer, at best, parabolic flights, few second of weight absence, and visits to the Russian and American space bases. Nowadays the climate is different: Virgin Galactic is building a spaceport in New Mexico, to transport civilian passengers in space in 2008. And a new awareness is around: that our kind can succeed, to become a multiplanetarian kind, also without the space agencies.

Technologies of the Frontier - J.C. Cordero  

The new heading, dedicated to the Aerospace sector, was born.
In this critical historical moment we need to 'aim high', look at the sky and hope to reach it. TDF follows the Aerospace sector and Astronautics, world wide. We'll guest who works and aims to work with Space and Astronautics. And more, the vision of artists which, with their greater sensitivity, interpret the greatness of the infinite over us.

The Turist and the Infinte - A. Autino   

In 2003 we asked to imagine the best and the worst future in 30 years (2033). The worst future foresaw that the world remained closed, 8 billion people fighting for scarce resources, environmental catastrophes, pandemic ills and falling economies... TDF announces its 1st Convention: a program to get the best future, and prevent the worst! 

Report on Energy

We open here a study on the energy matter, that will be developed upon many issues of TDF. We'll analyze and compare the different energy threads, vs. the unescapable goals of continuation of the Civilization, beyond the nowadays narrow limits of our birth planet. In this issue two first analytical reports: oil and nuclear fusion.

The transition of oil: from resource to burden  - A. Cavallo

The demand of oil products keeps on exceeding the offer, thanks to the Asian development and the American economic restart: gasoline on the fire of the ongoing conflicts. The imperishable monopolies and the financial capital: brakes for the possible exit strategies from the oil thread. A sharp and dispassionate examination of the possible alternatives, at short and middle term. 

Nuclear fusion: the state of the art - F. Pallavicini

Last 28 June the site of ITER was defined, in France. Italy relaunches the IGNITOR experiment at Rondissone (near Torino). Energy's production from safe and clean nuclear sources seems to decidedly restart. In order to face the big misinformation, we try to make clarity on technologies, some history of the research and the point on the state of search on the nuclear fusion.

A New Solar System - M. Martin-Smith 

Michael Martin-Smith opens an interesting window on the great and multiform wealth of our solar system, in terms of raw materials and energy.

Quantum Computers - L. Spairani  

An high-level dissertation, developed by Luisa Spairani, on one of the most promising technological frontiers of the computer science.

Some notes from the first world conference on the" Future of Science" - L. Spairani

The conference discussed the great themes, science and ethics, and produced a "Paper of Venice." TDF participated to the event, and here we brings notes and impressions. We will be there also to the next edition.

A small almost Zen story - A. Autino

Sit on a rock, by night, and look at the sky. An observation point that allows you to exclude anything except the starry sky. Rise your eyes to infinite. You, your rock and the infinite. Now you feel like an astronaut, sitting on an infinitesimal point in the universe...

The drugged culture - Blade Runner

I am not a moralist, and believe that each adult human shall be free to take drugs and/or to commit suicide as he/she likes. But I want to be free, too, to know what kind of cultural I am taking. I care very much  what TV inoculates, in my mind and even more, in the mind of my children, very much more than about GMO foods!

A Stairway to Heaven - Michael Martin-Smith

Konstantin Tsiolkovskii proposed a "Space Tower" in 1895. In 1978 Sir Arthur C. Clarke, inquired about the space elevator feasibility, (idea proposed by some of his novels), replied that it will become reality 50 years after stop laughing of the idea. Since 3-5 years some serious people are beting on the idea, feasible, maybe, in 25 years.

Reviews: Earth, by David Brin - Luisa Spairani

The 15 years old science fiction gives us the measure of the changes and of our weak foreseeing capacities. An Earth upset by ultrasonic tornados and small artificial black holes. The book gives us a realistic picture of the conflict between science and ecologism. Despite some discounted aspects, I was strongly impressed by this book, and it stimulated me to look for other David Brin’s books.