Our Quest

The Century of Colonization will be launched from the birthplace of the L5 Society, Tucson, Arizona Territory. Under the sponsorship of the National Space Society, we will bring together an intimate collection of 500 to 800 astronauts, space scientists, engineers, and pilgrims to transact the when, where, how, and why of growing the human race out of its cradle.

This will not be a space industry conference, although we will draw on and project the technologies so far developed to provide a solid economic foundation for off-planet settlements.

This will not be a science fiction conference, although we will tap the energy of "hard" science fiction to motivate us and to feed the idea pool that can be drawn upon to put out fires as they arise.

Rather, this will be a convocation of an ambitious and diverse fraternity that is united in its determination to bring about the day when humans are permanently living, working, and playing off-planet. What are you doing for the next century? Join us.

This will also be a novel conference, in that it will be born and reared at this web site. As it grows, it will change; the outline of the conference will evolve as a result of the influence of contributors. It will come to maturity in the spring of 2000 and be consummated in a face-to-face, flesh-to-flesh takeover of the 300-room Holiday Inn Conference Center in the desert town of Tucson, Arizona. Touch the future.

Tom Jaquish, Program Chair, 11/29/98