In greater detail, here is The Plan for Getting There From Here:

Step One: GTFH Media
We start by building a media business, starting from just this website and then expanding into other media. One of the early expansions will be into gaming, probably in the form of exploration games or colonization simulators. If we can create systems that people will play with that can also advance the cause directly (not just add to revenues to be used for direct purposes) then that would be even better. Examples of such sites would be GalaxyZoo, which is improving our knowledge of the universe, and Be a Martian, which is improving our understanding of Mars. Obviously GTFH did not create these sites, but they are examples of what we would hope to do.

Step Two: GTFH Aerospace Services
This step would involve a business entity that contracts with other aerospace companies or with governments to design spacecraft systems and complete spacecraft. It would also have an active R&D division, pursuing SBIR grants through NASA, the DOD, and other entities that conduct relevant research. Doing so will establish a revenue stream, provide some valuable intellectual property, and allow us a direct hand in pushing forward toward the ultimate destination of colonizing the galaxy. Given our backgrounds in IT, it seems likely that initial work in this area would be IT-focused, possibly to include development of spacecraft control systems, astronomical data processing, autonomous navigation, etc. It could also include development of websites such as the aforementioned Be a Martian site on behalf of government entities.

Step Three: GTFH Orbital
Once we reach this step, the ultimate goal is orbital habitats. While we believe that a reasonably reliable, low-cost orbital access method will be available by this point, we are prepared to include development of our own orbital launch systems (we're thinking rail guns) in this stage. However, they would be a means to the end of establishing orbital habitats. Looking forward from where we are today (December 2009), it seems likely that these would be leased or purchased from Bigelow Aerospace. In addition to living facilities for crew and tourist facilities, we plan to include commercial and research spaces. These may be leased to other entities or operated for our own commercial and research purposes. We also plan to include some tele-operated facilities to improve outputs while keeping costs low (this is, after all, a business venture).

Step Four: GTFH Materials
Earth has an incredible abundance of resources, but even the vast amounts we have are not unlimited. Some minerals, such as irridium and platinum, are downright scarce here on Earth. However, they are far more common on metal-rich asteroids throughout the solar system. Using our Orbital Habitats as staging and transfer points, we propose to create a fleet of unmanned vehicles to rendezvous with metal-rich asteroids. Once a group of robotic vehicles arrives at the asteroid, they would begin mining and separating the various minerals. These minerals would be shipped back to the habitat, where they would either be utilized in orbit or (if valuable/scarce enough) transferred to the ground and sold.

Step Five: GTFH Venus
The current plan (which may be modified at a future date as science and technology advance) is to bypass both the Moon and Mars and go straight to Venus. Why? Because 50km above the surface of Venus is the most Earth-like location we have found (other than Earth itself). Floating balloon-type habitats filled with an Earth-like atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen would actually float on the incredibly dense atmosphere of Venus, much as they would on Earth's oceans. Venus' gravity is only slightly less than Earth's, making it easier for residents to transfer back and forth without lengthy periods for adaptation. Sunlight is more abundant at Venus, so solar power would be easily achieved there. And if you build enough floating habitats, you change the planet's albedo. It would take a long, long time, but you could theoretically terraform Venus, while also having some nice resort and industrial areas.

Step Six: Other GTFH Colonies in the Solar System
There are a number of worlds and moons within the solar system that serve as potential destinations for colonization, and GTFH Orbital would even be able to put Orbital Habitats in orbit of other worlds. By this point, there would be thriving interplanetary commerce, and our experience in developing systems to keep people alive in space while moving them about would be improving constantly. Which leads us to...

Step Seven: Beyond the Solar System
By this point, we will have found a sizable number of worlds outside our own solar system that are within the habitable zone of their parent stars. It seems likely that a number of them would already have living things on their surfaces, even if only in the form of bacteria or other single-celled organisms. Still, these habitable worlds would be infinitely easier to survive on than our in-system colonies such as Venus, Mars, Luna, Titan, and Europa. With our experience in space travel and sustainable colonies, we build what would essentially be large Orbital Habitats... that do not stay in orbit. Instead, they travel slowly between the stars seeking out these new worlds on which to plant the seeds of humanity.

As you can see, The Plan is a lofty one, and clearly subject to change over the long time intervals that would be necessary. A lot of the science and technology still needs to be worked out, and so far all we have is this one website. But it's a start.

At the basic level, governments will never succeed in exploring and developing space. Oh, they've done a pretty good job so far, but it's too hard to get people to agree on what the goal is and, when you do, an election or a revolution comes along and the priorities change. Even if we could overcome that problem, government is too inefficient and bloated. All it takes is one look at the way the politicians in the U.S. Congress have treated NASA as a jobs program for their districts to realize that the priorities of the people calling the shots are not the same as the priorities of the people doing the work or the people who are frustrated by the glacial pace of progress.

We used to think that non-profits like the National Space Society and the Mars Society were the answer, but it seems that they spend their time (and the money of their members and donors) lobbying Congress to try to get the government to do something. If you consider the amount that has been spent by all of the non-profits on their outreach, education, and lobbying efforts, they could probably have put a private space station in orbit by now.

So we believe that if it's going to get done, it's going to have to be private enterprise. But so far we haven't seen a private enterprise come out and state that their goal is to colonize the galaxy, or even other planets in our solar system. That's why we started Getting There From Here.

And we truly are planning to bootstrap our way to space: we are starting with absolutely no money, and this website is the first step in the long journey to colonizing the galaxy. By putting advertising on this website, we are hoping to bring in the seed money that will be used to expand our business. The money will be used to purchase stock in companies that we believe are making progress toward our goals. It will be used to add new lines of business, such as:

• a company creating space exploration and development simulation game software and/or websites


• an aerospace services firm, specializing in control systems software


• a research and development firm to create the technology that will be utilized to progress through the steps to colonizing the galaxy, technology which will be licensed or commercialized to support further ventures


• a launch systems company (assuming someone else doesn't figure out Cheap, Reliable Access to Space before we get there


• privately operated space stations


• asteroid mining ventures


• off-world commercial colonies

These are, of course, only a few examples of the many, many opportunities that will be assessed and, eventually, pursued with the money that is raised (if you have ideas you would like to contribute, go to our forums and suggest them).

And, to show you that we mean what we say, we're going to do all of this in a completely transparent manner. We will be posting regular progress reports (probably monthly, at least initially) that will detail out our business transactions in as much detail as possible, showing how much money we have raised and how we have spent it.

What you are looking at is planned to be the first of many, many steps in a very long road out into the universe. We hope you'll come along with us on this journey. But more than that, we hope you'll help.

How can you help? For now, keep coming back to this website and contributing in our forums and in comments to our blog posts. Send your friends to the site. Since our only current stream of revenue is advertising, the more eyeballs we have, the more progress we can make toward our ultimate goal of colonizing the galaxy. Contribute your ideas in our forums, because an active community can be self-growing, as more and more people start to see things they want to respond to. Most of all, call us out when we're wrong about stuff, or when you think we're spending our money the wrong way. We aren't perfect, and neither are our ideas. We need you to keep us on track.

As Lao Tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This is that single, first step in what we hope will be a continuing journey out into the universe.