Plan B Post-script: I started this project 5 years before. The planets’ depiction ideas were weak; guesses really. And I knew there were flaws in the scientific notes, so networked to find astronomers, astrophysicists, and officials to get advice. This was hard. Some were busy, of course. The surprise was the lack of generosity and graciousness. Moreso sometimes disdain. The most egregious a science official slagging the policy idea because of the science flaws (red herring!), saying something to the effect that (public) scientists are in charge of taking civilization to space at a schedule set by them (not the private sector), and there will not be a case for off-planet private enterprise for some time, so ought to direct my energies to joining them (not a direct quote, this is the gist to my recollection). It was a puzzle: Where do public scientists think their salaries come from? More so, don’t they look outside the office? Read the news? Watch SpaceX launch webcasts?

It was weird. Inspiring me to create Astro Herring. And then, not being one to give up, kept digging. Eventually finding private and public space scientists, engineers, and policymakers who appreciate imaginative thinking, no matter where it originates. And that got the Plan-B video to publication. And publication got a space lawyer asking for the 1-pager write-up to hand to his EU colleagues.

Happily, the proof is in the commercial pudding: Now there is proof of career advancement sequences across Commercial NewSpace = the rewards that come from becoming commercially-minded: faster and adaptable and imaginative. Let’s encourage this, so we can all work together to rapidly become a space-faring civilization.