Reply To: Space Flight

[Rezwan]

Tulse wrote: What is the purpose of “advertising” at this point? It seems to me of questionable value to promote aneutronic fusion at this stage of the game, as I’m not clear what the “ask” is, what action you want people to take. I would think that what is needed far more is hard dollars invested in the research, but that isn’t going to come from the general public (and presumably is better handled by LPP than the FFS).

LPP is limited in personnel. They are all tied up doing the experiment. And they mostly appeal to investors who want ROI. They are under a lot of pressure.

What FFS can do is promote aneutronic fusion to policy makers and philanthropists, who are more interested in the pursuit of science and not as put off by the risk of sub-financial return. There’s a huge role for FFS. Unfortunately, we’re also hampered by lack of personnel. And the excellent work and desire to do things of our members and volunteers doesn’t get channeled constructively. There is a lot of energy out there that’s not being tapped because our organization isn’t what it could be.

What we really need is to get off the ground and turn into a credible, recognizable, effective nonprofit organization. This requires a well stated mission and plan, committed membership, and a strong board. The strong board is particularly important for fundraising and has crossover value for LPP. people who are likely to be on a board are also likely to, or know people who are likely to, be accredited investors. Relationships need to be forged. This takes time and the backing of a credible organization.

An appealing, high profile nonprofit can make something a better bet for policy makers.

In short, there are a lot of things a nonprofit can do that create a better investment climate for certain types of research. It’s the pressure and inspiration of numerous nonprofit green organizations that creates subsidies for renewable research, for example.

It’s a tried and true method. Chatting on these forums is fun, but doesn’t get the job done. We need to roll up our sleeves and do the official nonprofit dance. Many social media efforts out there get help and structure from an organized nonprofit. (See, again, “dosomething.org”)

We need an adequate, paid staff to carry something as ambitious as promoting aneutronic fusion out. And a board and dedicated membership to ensure that it’s funded. And, of course, a really good plan of action for fusion. I’m working on it! It will be ready for first round feedback soon. Really, there is so much FFS can do.