Infrastructure is the backbone of civilization. A multi-planetary civilization needs interplanetary infrastructure to support its expansion, facilitate trade, and keep its citizens and their societies connected. The Interplanetary Infrastructure session considers whether investments in infrastructure, especially two-way transportation infrastructure, can address some of the most pressing problems associated with humanity’s initial efforts to expand into the solar system. Historically, infrastructure has facilitated human expansion. It increased accessibility and reduced the personal sacrifices that adventurous settlers and their families had to make. Infrastructure projects tend to be somewhat conservative in nature. They generally use technologies and materials that have been applied in other industries and that are already well-understood and well-characterized by engineers. Successful infrastructure projects are economically viable because their long-term benefit to society exceeds their upfront cost, even when the upfront cost is significant. The speakers presenting concepts in this session adhere to these fundamental principles and can demonstrate that their proposals do indeed pencil out.
Interplanetary Infrastructure
Session Chair Info
Director of Infrastructure, The Atlantis Project
Phil Swan has a track record of developing successful innovations while working on advanced multi-disciplinary projects including Starlink, Hololens, and Xbox. He has been granted 38 US patents, including, most recently, a patent for the Tethered Ring. He is the recipient of three corporate recognition awards.
Interplanetary Infrastructure
Presentation Speakers
Systems Architect-Engineer, The Atlantis Project (Retired)
Presentation Title: Spaceport 2.0: Cutting Launch Costs with Orbital Infrastructure
Roger is a retired systems architect / engineer. In a diverse 40-year career, he has been an IBM QA engineer, a US Army systems analyst, a graduate research assistant in parallel processors and operating systems, a Boeing Aerospace systems software engineer, a compiler engineer and code generation expert, and, after moving to Silicon Valley, a microprocessor architect and systems engineer for half a dozen tech companies in the SF Bay Area. Now retired, he pursues writing and independent research on climate change, sustainable development, and advanced space systems.
CEO and Chief Engineer, Lunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC
Chris Salvino is the CEO of Lunar Helium-3 Mining, leading efforts to extract Helium-3 from the Moon to power fusion reactors on Earth, creating a revolutionary green energy source. He holds advanced degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Flight Test Engineering, Aerospace Medicine, Space Studies, Planetary Geology, and Engineering Mining. With hands-on experience as a trauma surgeon and F-16 flight surgeon, his ongoing Ph.D. research focuses on lunar Helium-3 mining. The company is solely focused on lunar Helium-3 extraction, with four issued patents and more pending. They employ innovative, risk-reducing strategies to make lunar resource extraction feasible, advancing a sustainable energy future.
