1. business and industrial
2. aerospace and defense
3. space technology

Hacking the Final Frontier
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About Exosphere
Exosphere is a learning and problem-solving community based in Viña del Mar, Chile, and with
active operations across Latin America and Europe since September 2013. In just 18 months,
Exosphere has conducted three 8-12 week boot camps and has traveled to 16 cities with its
Exobase workshop series and its team has grown to 15 people. Exosphere’s mission is to build a
lasting institution that fosters a culture of lifelong learning and creativity through improved
education, incubating entrepreneurial endeavors, encouraging scientific research, and bringing
people together in community.
Exosphere is dedicated to leading a new generation of pioneers to bring positive change to the
world through technology and social innovation.
Exosphere is a new kind of institution designed to play the roles that our now dysfunctional
institutions are no longer able to play by helping people:
- Learn at all ages, and continue learning throughout life
- Build lives and livelihoods around meaningful, impactful, and creative work
- Understand themselves and others through self-examination and community-building
- Advance science and technology to improve the lives of all people on earth and explore space
and its limitless possibilities
- Engage in critical thinking and cultural production through literature, art, and music
Not everybody wants to be a scientist or an engineer, but everybody can become a hacker and
play a part in bringing about the breakthroughs in human existence that are almost within reach:
abundant energy and food, the end of disease, radical extension of human life, rapid
transportation, immersive virtual reality, and more. We need to hack both science and society:
government, education, architecture, food–everything.
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The Copernicus Series
Exosphere’s Copernicus Series brings Exosphere’s entrepreneurial and experience-oriented
philosophy of learning to science and technology in the aerospace field and helps bridge the gap
between research and business, breaking down the silos of knowledge that have been built up in
modern society. Among the goals of the Copernicus Series is to provide young people a handson learning experience that is directly connected to leading-edge research in science, which is
usually only available to graduate and post-graduate students.
Exosphere’s thesis is that countless young people opt out of careers in science and
technology because science education fails to expose them to the interesting applications
of science to their life and the problems of the world. Furthermore, careers in science have
come to be attached to a stigma concerning their earning potential, especially in traditional
academia.
The mission of Exosphere’s Copernicus Series is to expose youths to the exciting potential of
science while helping experienced researchers commercialize and profit from their innovations
through entrepreneurship. Through this process, the program will serve as an ongoing, productive
platform for building the requisite brain trust of experts and practitioners in academia and
industry to provide the resources and know-how necessary for further development of space
related technology into commercializable endeavors while advancing space research and raising
awareness for space exploration.
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Copernicus I
SCHEDULE
Week 1 - Laying the Foundation
Week 2 - Building the Model
Week 3 - Presenting the Results
Copernicus is an Exosphere program focused on experiential learning in
science and technology in aerospace engineering and related fields.
The 3-week program will be comprised of participants from diverse
backgrounds in science, mathematics, engineering, and economics,
ranging from recent high school graduates to professionals in academia
and the aerospace industry.
INFO
3 Weeks, Jul 13 - 31, Monday through Sunday
Starting 8am, until 6pm
Chateau Bercel near Budapest, Hungary
The program will be delivered in English
Tuition (Room & Board included) is $ 1450
Organized by Exosphere in partnership with
Puli Space Technologies & Civic Enterprises
CONTACT
For more details visit the website www.copernicus.exosphe.re
Contact Exosphere at copernicus@exosphe.re
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Theme: An Endogenously-Powered Space Elevator
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Copernicus I
GOALS AND DESIRED OUTCOMES
The goal of the program is to design, build, and test virtual models and software libraries that
model the technical development and surrounding economic environment of an
Endogenously-Powered Space Elevator, which would utilize the energy generated by gravity
using materials brought back to earth by space mining companies. This process would create an
electrical loop, allowing satellites, scientific equipment, and other materials to be taken to space
at near zero marginal cost. Split into two teams, the Technical Team and the Economics Team, the
participants will further build mathematical models for an architecture capable of delivering these
payloads into orbit.
Space mining companies will, in the near future, be delivering payloads from space back to
earth, providing enormous quantities of potential “fuel” in the form of work done by the
gravity of the falling payload. The thesis to be tested and developed by participants in
Copernicus is that this energy can be harnessed using an electromagnetic drive to lift up
payloads from earth.
The original concept for the Zero Energy Space Elevator actually comes to us from antiquity,
when Roman scientists considered building an aqueduct harnessing the potential energy of
falling rocks to move water upward. The Roman joke was that this “perpetual drive” will work until
mountain ceases to be a mountain. Our objective is, among others, to deliver a payload to space
in an economically viable way in cooperation with a space mining company, catalyzing the
space exploration revolution, which today is held back almost singularly by the cost of
catapulting payloads out of earth’s atmosphere using expensive rocket fuel.
The current concept of the space elevator includes a tether stretching from the surface of the
Earth to geostationary orbit. To keep the tether taut with gravitational and rotational forces, the
center of mass of the space elevator has to be kept above this orbit. A climber is attached to the
tether, which carries the payload up to the space station or to a satellite. The energy supply in our
hypothesis would be derived from the falling mass using electromagnetics or other potential
mechanisms, making our hypothetical model bi-directional instead of uni-directional, as are most
existing models. As there are multiple possibilities for achieving this, part of the challenge
presented to participants of Copernicus is to model each possibility and analyze both the
technical and economic benefits and challenges of each.
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The Economics Team in particular will produce a white paper on the economic desirability of a
merger, joint venture, or consortium structure between space mining companies (e.g. Planetary
Resources, Deep Space Industries) and a newly-created space elevator O&M company.
At the end of the program the participants will attempt to integrate the physical and economic
models of the EPSE into a dynamic mathematical model using mechatronics concepts. Building
on the results of this work, participants will write a final paper to be submitted to Open Access
journals and scientific conferences.
TWO TEAMS
Participants join either the Technical Team or the Economics Team. Depending on their level of
expertise, their role in the team is different. Experienced academics and professionals from the
industry take on an active role in co-facilitating the research while students with less experience
learn by working with them.
TECHNICAL TEAM
Participants who are part of the Technical Team will learn and carry out all the steps that are
necessary to perform technical modeling of space elevators. They will receive a broad overview
of the engineering processes in the space industry and the tricks of the trade for modeling
mathematical calculations in software. Furthermore, they will learn the basics about space
elevator physics, space mining, how to assure they obtain high quality data and how to clean the
data from artifacts. They will gain insight into solar system physics and mechatronics concepts.
Over the duration of the program, the team’s goal will be to investigate the technical
feasibility surrounding the construction of an endogenously-powered space elevator and
compare its benefits and disadvantages with already existing models.
ECONOMICS TEAM
Participants who are part of the Economics Team will learn and carry out all the steps that are
necessary to perform economic modeling of space markets. They will receive a broad overview of
the social dynamics of space exploration and the tricks of the trade for data processing.
Furthermore, they will learn the basics about space elevator physics, space mining, how to
assure to obtain high quality data and how to clean the data from artifacts. They will also develop
an understanding of space financial instruments (e.g. futures, swaps) and space law.
Over the duration of the program, the goal of the team will be to investigate the economic
and financial feasibility of the construction of an endogenously-powered space elevator
and compare its relative marginal cost structure to those of existing models.
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CURRICULUM
The theory sessions are brief introductions to the concepts and topics. They serve to get
participants and staff on the same page and provide the frame for conducting the actual
research. All theory sessions are attended by participants of both teams.
In addition, it is recommended that members of both teams complete a series of suggested
online courses prior to attending the program that will provide them with an introduction to the
science of the solar system, nanotechnology and R programming.
ECONOMICS
PHYSICS
Asteroid Mining
Mechanics & Gravitation
Space Colonization
Space Elevator: Models & Tether
Commercial Spaceflight
Solar System
Economic Expansion
Basics of Nanotechnology
- Panama Canal
Electrodynamics and General Relativity
- Gold Rush
Mechatronics
- Colonies in Antiquity
Financial Derivatives for Colonies
Space Advertising
Shares and other Equity for Space Corporations
Commercialization of Space
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RESEARCH
While there is theoretical content, the majority of the program will be dedicated to actual research
focused on generating new knowledge. With the goal of academic papers to submit to journals
and scientific conferences, facilitators will work to keep sessions productive for all participants a difficult task as the discrepancy in competence and experience is expected to be high. To
further intellectual and interdisciplinary exchange, open work/ tinkering time is scheduled.
ECONOMICS
How to perform correct measurements
How to build macroeconomic models with live economic data
Selecting and calibrating economic models for simulation and forecasting, time
series modeling and analysis
Economic models in R: Datafeed
Economic models in R: Econometrics
Economic models in R: Finance
Play Coordination game for two opposite market basic instances (cooperative |
competition) between Space Mining company & Space Elevator company
Play second market game based on results of first week
Build Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy for Space Mining company &
Space Elevator company
Draft a white paper on the economic desirability of a merger, joint venture, or
consortium structure between mining companies and a space elevator O&M
company
Presenting the results
Bonus:
Release viral fake news about merge of two real companies in space
mining and elevator area to generate public awareness
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PHYSICS
Familiarization with R, GitHub
Programming “Hello Universe”
Comparing and assessing the different space elevator models
Power supply systems (Gravity, Electricity, Laser beam)
- Source of power supply (Earth, Space orbit)
- Proof of concept for the power supply to space elevator cabins (power beam,
solar power, gravity)
Validation of the “Gravitational” Model (technical specification)
Building virtual model
Setting up and running the Space Elevator model
Working on the integration of economic & technical model
Writing the research paper on the technical feasibility of EPSE
Presenting the results
Exosphere Content
Each of Exosphere’s programs is designed to provide a unique experience to its participants,
and while we continue to launch new versions, focused on different end-goals, there are central
threads of commonality that unite all of them. Foremost is our dedication to people, both in their
development and growth as individuals and by building community with one another to create
deep ties and lifetime friendships. Second, we endeavor to provide a balance between
philosophical exploration and practical application, and thus basic principles of
entrepreneurship are woven into all of our programs.
Topics to be covered over the course of the program include, but are not limited to:
antifragility, discipline, self-reliance, cognitive biases and personality, as well as
community building.
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STAFF AND MENTORS
Skinner Layne will head the Copernicus program as the Exosphere Founder and hold sessions
focused on entrepreneurship and Exosphere philosophies. Aliaksei Rubanau will lead the
Economics Team and Ihar Rubanau will lead the Technical Team. Additional staff will work with
participants to work through the problems, build the models, and write the paper.
Skinner Layne, Exosphere Founder
Skinner has founded both successful and failed start-ups, and has raised
more than $10 million in early-stage financing in addition to acting as a
private equity advisor to multiple energy projects in excess of $100
million and has established formal relationships with global energy
funds. He has previously been an Enterprise Web 2.0 consultant to
NASDAQ companies and was, at the age of 23, the youngest person to
sit on the board of directors of a Sarbanes Oxley-compliant publicly
traded company in the United States. Skinner is a former speechwriter
and senior strategist to U.S. Senator John Boozman.
Aliaksei Rubanau, Economics Lead
Aliaksei is a co-founder of MindHack and an algorithm designer,
economist and entrepreneur with advanced knowledge of topology,
neuroscience, biomechatronics, social engineering and public relations.
He develops algorithms in the field of Brain Computer Interface
technology and programs in Android, Matlab and Ruby. Previously he
was CEO at StartUp4A. Aliaksei holds an MSc in Economics from Brest
State Technical University in Belarus and a BSc in Mathematics from the
Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science of Belorussian
State University. He is fluent in Belarusian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian
and English.
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Ihar Rubanau, Technical Lead
Ihar is a co-founder of MindHack. He is a computer engineer with more
than 8 years of professional experience in research & development and
has advanced knowledge of data analysis, neural networks, statistics,
and time series forecasting. He develops algorithms in the field of Brain
Computer Interface technology. Previously he has held engineering and
analytical positions at EPAM Systems, Barclays Capital, PowerLytix, and
Vattenfall Europe Sales. He programs in R, Android, Matlab, SAS, and
Visual C#. Ihar holds a BSc in Computer Engineering from Brest State
Technical University in Belarus and a MSc in Mechatronics from the
University of Applied Science FH Ravensburg-Weingarten, Germany. He
is fluent in Belarusian, Russian, Polish, and English.
Miklós Pathy
Miklós is Ground Segment Coordinator at PuliSpace Technologies, the
Hungarian team competing for Google’s Lunar XPRIZE. He developed an
early passion for software development and space, which he turned into
a rich professional career in software development since 2000. He also
has many years of practical experience in mechanical and electronic
design. Miklós personal motto is: Simplex sigillum veri. At Copernicus,
he will lend his mechanics expertise for the elevator design and work
with both the Economic and Technical Team to implement their models
in software.
Vladislav Gribov
Vladislav is a computer engineer with over 10 years of experience. He
has a diploma in system engineering from Brest State Technical
University and MSc in Mechatronics from the University of Applied
Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten. As a software engineer and research
assistant he was involved in the Auto-UAV project at the University of
Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten. For the last 4 years he was
PhD student at the University of Luxembourg, working on the
engineering process for safe autonomous mobile robots. Currently
Vladislav is finishing his PhD thesis.
Additional staff and mentors are currently being recruited, and will be announced once
they join the team and their participation is confirmed.
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ADVISORY BOARD
By serving as an advisor, partner or promoter of the Copernicus series, one has chosen to take
advantage of the opportunity to become part of an innovative community focused on
reinvigorating science and technology education so that it is better able to serve the needs and
longevity of the human race. The following list includes those individuals who have chosen to
begin this journey. It will be updated as more like-minded and similarly motivated individuals
decide to join the team.
Tibor Pacher
Dr. Tibor Pacher is the CEO and Founder of PuliSpace, the Hungarian
team competing for Google’s Lunar XPRIZE. Tibor has a background in
management and financial accounting, as well as a 10-year academic
career working - trained as a PhD physicist (Heidelberg 1991 s.c.l.) - on
General Relativity, Cosmology, Quantum Chemistry and ESA’s Infrared
Space Observatory (ISO) mission. 2006 he initiated the organisation
“Peregrinus Interstellar”, dedicated to the topic of interstellar travel.
Tibor also runs the projects Faces from Earth with focus on creating
interstellar message artefacts to be carried on future deep space missions, and MiniSpaceWorld,
aiming at the creation of a big lively scale model layout for Spaceflight and Astronomy. His
personal goals in participating in the Google Lunar XPRIZE are to inspire Hungarians all over the
world to look at the Moon differently and to show that everyone can participate in cutting-edge
engineering and science.
Larry Bartoszek
Larry Bartoszek is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds a dual B.S.
degree in Mechanical Engineering and Physics from the University of
Illinois. In his work at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory he was
responsible for the design of a $150 million scintillating tile/fiber
calorimeter weighing 4000 tons. With Bartoszek Engineering he has been
working as a self-employed mechanical engineering design consultant
specializing in equipment for experimental physics for over 20 years.
Larry is the author of a paper on the climber design for space elevators
and has spoken at space related events like the 3rd International Space Elevator Conference.
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Enrico Dini
Enrico Dini is the founder of Monolite UK Ltd, a 3D printing company
with a 6mx6m machine able to produce full-size sandstone buildings. He
graduated in Civil Engineering at Pisa University and stems from a long
tradition of mathematicians, scientists and engineers. Enrico cooperates
with the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa-Italy, the technological
branch of the Scuola Normale of Pisa, with many high-tech companies
and with the Department of Engineering of the Production "Ulisse Dini"
of Pisa. In 2004 he patented a full-size 3D printing system based on the
use of epoxy resin and in 2007 patented an improved method based on use of ecologic inorganic
binders. Since 2013, Enrico has been working with the European Space Agency and the
architects Foster + Partners to print lunar bases out of moon dust.
Vladimir Rubanau
Vladimir is Vice-rector of Research and Professor of Mathematics at
Brest State Technical University, one of the largest scientific and
educational centers in the western part of Belarus. In his long and
successful academic career he has published over 30 scientific papers
on mathematics, pattern recognition and information processing.
Samantha Snabes
Samantha is a Co:founder & Catalyst for re:3D, makers of one of the
world‘s first affordable toilet-sized 3D printers. After a successful 2013
Kickstarter campaign and tenure in Start-up Chile as Generation 6’s
Hardest Working Social Entrepreneur, Samantha is now a digital nomad
facilitating connections between others printing huge and/or using
recycled materials to create more access to 3D printable solutions
worldwide. Previously, she served as the Social Entrepreneur In
Residence for openNASA and Strategist for NASA Johnson Space
Center. Her past experiences include biotechnology, social innovation, small business start-up &
acquisition, emergency response, communications & strategy, micro-finance, agriculture, and
animal husbandry. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Arts degrees in
International Relations and Hispanic Studies, a MBA with concentrations in Supply Chain
Management and International Business, and certifications as a firefighter and EMT-B.
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Why is the space elevator important?
Our society has changed dramatically in the last few decades from the first transistor to the
internet, smartphones and supercomputer laptops, from propeller airplanes to men on the moon,
from hybrid plants to mapping human DNA. Often great advances in our society take a single,
seemingly small step as a catalyst to start a cascade of progress. And just as often the cascade
of progress is barely imagined when that first small step is taken. The space elevator could be a
catalytic step in our history. We can speculate on many of the things that will result from
construction of a space elevator but the reality of it will probably be much more. At the moment
we can at best speculate on the near-term returns of a space elevator. To make a good estimate
of the returns we can expect we need to know where we are now, how the situation will change if
we have an operational space elevator and what new possibilities this change will cultivate.
First, where we are now:
- Getting to space is very expensive: millions for the launch of a small payload to low Earth orbit,
$400 million in launch costs to get a satellite to geosynchronous orbit and possibly trillions for a
manned Mars exploration program.
- Operating in space is risky. There are few situations where repair of broken hardware is
possible and believe me launch shocks do break hardware.
- Because of the limited, expensive access to space and the risk involved in space operations
the satellites placed in space are also expensive and complex
- It is difficult to bring things back down from space. The only real exception to this is the space
shuttle.
- Neither the government nor the public accepts failure well in the space program. That’s the
current situation.
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An operational space elevator will be able to:
- Deliver payloads with minimal vibration.
- Bring heavy and fragile payloads down from space.
- Deliver payloads to space at a small fraction of current costs.
- Send a payload into space or receive a payload from space every few days.
- Be used to quickly produce additional cables or increase its own capacity.
- Survive problems and failures and be repaired.
- Place heavy and fragile payloads in any Earth orbit (with a circularizing rocket)
or send them to other planets.
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Having an operational space elevator would dramatically change our concept of space
exploration and give an "upgrade" to humanity’s operating system. With this new set of
parameters for space operations and the same economic reality we live in, we could reasonably
expect the following in roughly chronological order:
- Inexpensive delivery of satellites to space at 50% to possibly 99% reduction in cost depending
on the satellite and orbit. This would allow for more companies and countries to access space
and benefit from that access.
- Recovery and repair of malfunctioning spacecrafts. Telecommunications companies could fix
minor problems on large satellites instead of replacing the entire spacecraft.
- Large-scale commercial manufacturing in microgravity space. Higher quality materials and
crystals could be manufactured allowing for improvements in everything from medicine to
computer chips.
- Inexpensive global satellite systems. Global telephone and television systems would become
much easier and less expensive to set-up. Local calls could be to anyplace but maybe Mars (at
least initially).
- Sensitive global monitoring of the Earth and its environment with much larger and more
powerful satellites. Extensive observing systems could be implemented to truly understand
what we are doing to our environment.
- Large orbiting solar collectors for power generation and transmission to Earth. Power could be
supplied to rural communities around the world.
- Multiple, large and inexpensive spacecraft for solar system exploration. Instead of very
expensive small spacecraft taking a few photos we would have less expensive, larger
spacecraft doing long-term planetary studies with videos, and a suite of every valuable
scientific instrument to fully understand our neighbors.
- Orbiting observatories and interferometers many times more powerful than Hubble or any
Earth-based radio telescope. Instruments many times the size of Hubble could search for and
image planets around near-by stars.
- A manned space station at geosynchronous orbit for research, satellite repair, commercial
manufacturing operations and prep facility for deep space and solar system exploration
probes. This would be a giant leap in man’s occupation of space and it could come soon after
construction of the first elevator. A large station (the size of a small town) could be placed in
orbit and manned with a permanent crew (not only professional astronauts) doing valuable
space work on satellites and research.
- Manned Mars exploration and colonization. This is a large-scale occupation of Mars (hundreds
of people) in the near future with a very affordable budget.
- Removal of man-made space debris in Earth orbit. Our space debris is causing problems for
satellites and this would allow us to clean it up on a realistic budget.
- Spin-offs would include high-strength materials, better global weather monitoring, highpower
lasers, and high-purity and perfect structure materials.
- Military operations would be dramatically altered with almost unlimited access to space.
- Future mining of near Earth asteroids for rare metals.
- Future vacation facilities in space. This won’t be tomorrow or in the first year of operation of the
space elevator but with an aggressive program our children could make reservations for a week
in orbit and afford it.
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Post-programme in Hungary
The Copernicus Space Science Laboratory program serves as the pilot program in Exosphere
Labs, which is the scientific education and research & development arm of Exosphere. Following
the completion of the program in Hungary, Exosphere plans to build on this experience and
expand the Copernicus series. Future Copernicus programs will focus on a different technical
challenge related to space exploration or colonization, utilizing the concrete challenge to advance
participants’ knowledge of the physical sciences while working on real research alongside
academics and professionals in the field.
In the short term, depending on the success of Copernicus I, it is our intention to pursue
further technical challenges related to the Space Elevator to take advantage of the
enhanced knowledge gained from the first program and to solve other outstanding issues
that are frequently cited as reasons that the Space Elevator cannot be built.
Through this process, Exosphere will be able to pursue and achieve its longer-term goals,
including:
- Expansion and strengthening the initial network and platform for students, researchers and
practitioners focused on space-related science and technology built during the first program.
- Development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) surrounding the topics of study, which
can be used by others during and following the programs.
- Iterative development of an online platform for crowd-engagement in Open Science that will
first be applied to Copernicus’ uses in space research and subsequently to other areas of
research pursued by Exosphere’s other labs, giving the software developed an impact well
beyond the timeframe and scope of the present project.
- Actualization of any of the programs’ solutions to specific technical problems or the usage of
theoretical frameworks developed by the programs in other researchers’ further development
of the concepts.
In using the Copernicus series as the main vehicle for pursuing these goals, Exosphere will
be leading a new generation of pioneers to bring positive change to the world through
technology and social innovation for years to come.
Contact
Moritz Bierling, Copernicus Program Manager
E-Mail:
moritz@exosphe.re
Skype:
bierlingm
Mobile:
+56 9 8760 1666
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