MarsPolar is a private crowd-sourced initiative, which aims to research and plan the establishment of a human colony on Mars .

We are an extremely fast growing international group of space enthusiasts, scientists, engineers, designers and dreamers, who plan to work to push the boundaries of space exploration. We are working to establish connections with researchers, scientists, space agencies and private space companies. Then we intend to dedicate specialised teams to try and work on specific problems, that help us reach closer to the dream of establishing a settlement on Mars.

Arturas Velutis is a hopeless romantic and a real gamer, employed with the legendary game corporation Blizzard Entertainment Inc. since 2011. Besides that, Mr. Arturas is an Asgardian mayoral candidate of Cork. In an interview with Asgardia Space News, he talks about his favourite constellation, his dreams coming true, and plans for his children to receive Asgardian residence

Mr. Velutis, as a child, did you wonder what the Universe was, and how it had formed? What was your reaction when you learned that in 1961, man first traveled to space, and then, 1969 to the Moon?

I remember, as a kid, standing in the street and looking up at the constellations. I experienced an incredible sensation of the Universe drawing me into itself. The first constellation I distinguished was the Ursa Minor – and you need to have really good eyesight for that. My favourite constellation is the Ursa Major. I rarely get to look at the stars these days – it's either that I get too busy, or the Irish sky gets overcast. Perhaps I could call myself a romantic, since I believe in magic and wonder. Many of the things that have happened in my life are nothing short of a miracle. Oftentimes, I have lucid dreams where I see myself flying rockets. Some of my dreams have been prophetic. For example, before I ever heard of Asgardia, I dreamed I was standing in a spacious room with a big window, looking at the Earth – and the room was part of a spacecraft in the Earth's orbit! Perhaps, it is indeed true that each of us contains an entire Universe in his mind.

And what’s your dream of space?
I would like to go live in space! My conviction is that the very origin of life is in space, that is why we always want to go there. Life in space would be incredible -  but most people on our planet still find it hard to believe this. Sometimes, when I talk to others about Asgardia, I get weird looks, like, are you crazy or something? And I just have to keep on, using my gift of persuasion. I mean, if we could, hypothetically, find another planet suitable for living, but not yet occupied by anyone else - why not settle there?

Would you pay $250.000 for going on a suborbital flight as a space tourist?

If I had such amounts of money on my hands, I would probably give it a thought, but, honestly, I’d first build my children a house each, and then, if I still had the $250 left, I’d spend that on a suborbital flight any time. I am confident that for anyone who sees the Earth from up there, personal and international problems would seem unimportant, instead putting the focus on humanity as a whole, and its safety on this planet.

If you had the choice of asking one question, and were guaranteed a 100% reliable answer, what would that question be?

If I had such an opportunity I would probably want to know why I am here on this Earth, and what my mission here is.

Since 2011 you have been working in the legendary game corporation Blizzard Entertainment Inc. When you first got the job, was it a dream coming true, or just a rational decision to make a living?

As any employee, I signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Company, and can, therefore, say only what is publicly known. All that I can say otherwise about the company is my own opinion.

How I got the job is one of those miracle stories in my life. I made a wish for my 15th or 16th birthday to work for Blizzard someday. I try to be careful with what I wish for, because my desires have a way of materialising. This one was no exception: in 2011, I started work at Blizzard's customer support department

Among all the games released by the corporation, do you have a favourite? Which one, and why?
I spent my childhood gaming. I would say Diablo is the game I like best.

How did you first learn about Asgardia?
I would say it was magic again, as, I don't know exactly how, I ended up on Asgardia's web page and learned that there was a Space Kingdom!

You very active on vk.com, sharing news and information on Asgardia...
That’s eight. Asgardia promises us life in space, and I am convinced that everyone should know about it. So, to spread the word, I use all means available.

What made you choose to become an Asgardian resident?
For me, Asgardia is not just a new country or an association of people pursuing a common goal. Asgardia is the next stage in the development of our earthly civilization. I'm honoured to be a part of it.

Can you please share some plans for the near future? What are the main goals of your work as a mayoral candidate?
Being Mayor is probably like being a headman in a class. I have no experience as a mayor, but one of my main goals is to attract as many people as possible to join us in Asgardia. And also, to help connect the people of Asgardia, its Nation.

I also know that you have already registered your children on Asgardia's site and are planning for them to receive the resident status. What are the steps you have taken so far?
Indeed, I registered both my children. Before doing that I asked them if they wanted to become residents. They said they were willing to become Asgardians. I wrote to the email address from Asgardia’s page and got a prompt reply  saying I should contact the minister directly, which I did. The minister wrote back saying my request was being processed.

What other digital and virtual states do you know? What makes Asgardia to be a different?
Besides my citizenship in Asgardia, I’m a citizen of the virtual state of Freeland. But, while Freeland is more like a game, Asgardia is something I take very seriously. Asgardia is forever. I look forward to the day I receive the Asgardian passport.

This is not my post for this month, but I work up with this on my mind and had to get it out, so here ya go:

Some Technical Steps Towards Implementing a Global Resource Based Economy

"In this document I am NOT going to cover the visceral and radical social or political changes that might be required in order to get to this point where we might be able to start this process. That is a whole different issue altogether and will require a massive global values change. I am sort of working on a post that covers parts of this topic - the Disease of Separation. My policy page addresses a global values change on a fundamental level and is a great start towards this work.

This document will be just a broad overview of the technical steps needed. There are many, many more steps especially once start looking at each individual step and other requirements like pollution controls, ecological studies, etc. With each step we complete we are marching ever closer toward a more peaceful, happier, and efficient world where we can eliminate poverty and suffering."

i want to join membership in Asgardia as a asgardian name- ishan indian  email - singhishaan87@gmail.com Moderator Note: Edited out personal information. :)

Tiriant žmogų, naudinga jo galimybes vertinti dviem aspektais: vienas jų yra sąmonės aprėptis, o kitas – realaus veiksmo erdvė. Pati savaime sąmonė gali apimti visą realybę, tačiau kuo toliau nuo tiesioginio patyrimo, tuo ji yra labiau pasinėrusi į fantazijų pasaulį. Kitaip sakant, tolstant nuo centro, sąmonės turinio kokybė – prastėja, atsiranda daug neteisingų vertinimų, interpretacijų ir išsigalvojimų. Tiesioginė patirtis, kontaktas – kokybę gerina, bet tam reikia, kad žmogus turėtų plačią realaus veiksmo areną. Reali sandūra su pasauliu žmogų daro protingesniu. Tačiau tam reikia viena vertus – proto, ir kita vertus materialinių galimybių. Neturint pakankamos kokybės proto, tokią veiklos erdvę suskurti sunku, ypač tada, kai tenka susidurti su iššūkiais ir sudėtingomis problemomis.

Tai struktūrinis pjūvis, kurį galima vaizduoti erdviškai ir kaip procesą laike. Imant konkretų žmogų arba organizaciją, vertinama konkreti faktinė padėtis, nustatoma, koks lygis duotu momentu yra pasiektas. Tam reikalinga sistema, kuri atitinka pasaulio sandarą ir leidžia lyginti santykį tarp sąmonės aprėpto ploto ir realios veikimo erdvės. Šita sistema konkretizuojama sudarant lygių hierarchiją, suteikiant kiekvienam lygiui atitinkamą numerį. Tai universalus principas, kuris turi labai platų pritaikymą, leidžia įvertinti save ir kitus.

Aš siūlau variantą, kuriame maksimali erdvė yra visa galaktika. Jeigu sugebama sujungti šį sąmonės plotą su veiksmo galaktiniais veiklos masteliai, turime aukščiausio lygio pasiekimą, kuris lygus 1. Žemesnis lygis yra daug žvaigždžių aprėpiantis sektorius, rodantis technologinius pasiekimus, suteikiančius priemones efektyvioms tarpžvaigždinėms kelionėms, kurios yra galaktikos užkariavimo prielaida. Čia būtų žemesnis už aukščiausią, 2 lygis. Trečias lygis (3) pasiekiamas tada, kai sugebama keliauti į vietines žvaigždes, esančias arčiausiai gimtosios žvaigždės. Šis proveržis reikalauja fundamentalių atradimų, kuriuos padarius baigiasi sėslios kosminės civilizacijos era ir prasideda kosminių keliautojų ir tyrinėtojų civilizacija, atverianti kontaktų su nežemiškomis rasėmis galimybę. 4 lygis – tai vienos žvaigždės lygis, kuriame mokama skraidyti kosmine erdve, tačiau tik vietinės planetų sistemos tyrinėjimo tikslu. Ir žemiausias, 5 lygis yra vienos planetos lygis, kurioje sukuriamos technologijos, leidžiančios visą žmoniją paversti „globaliniu kaimu“.

Ši sistema yra bendras principas, kuris parodo kaip vertinamas žmogaus, organizacijos, civilizacijos rangas, nustatant proporcija tarp to, ką sąmonė sugeba aprėpti savo viduje ir kas įmanoma realiai realizuoti fiziniame pasaulyje. Mūsų planeta, akivaizdu, penktą lygį yra pasiekusi, nors pilnos realizacijos dar nėra, nes nesukurta pasaulinė vyriausybė, nėra centralizuotos valdžios. Galbūt to niekada ir nebus, tada penktą lygį turėsime su daugiapoliu variantu. Taip pat planetoje veikia kelios organizacijos, kurios turi galimybę iš dalies realizuoti 4 lygį, tačiau tik mokslinių tyrimų ir eksperimentų tikslais. Kadangi kai kurios iš jų neturi finansavimo, techninės galimybės nerealizuojamos ir sėdima stagnacijoje. Ketvirtas lygis bus užbaigtas tada, kai bus kolonizuota visa saulės sistema ir susisiekimo ir technologijų galimybės prilygs vietiniam susisiekimui planetoje. Iki to dar reikia paaštrinti protą ir patobulinti kosmines technologijas: mokslą, transportą, kosminę mediciną ir t.t. Aukštesni lygiai – dar sunkiau pasiekiami, jiems įgyvendinti reikia gerinti sąmonės kokybę, kad jos turinys atitiktų tikrovės sandarą ir ją būtų galima įvaldyti pritaikius fizikines technologijas.

Matome, kad svarbiausias momentas yra sąmonės kokybė, nors svarbios ir materialios galimybės. Tai reiškia, kad sąmonė gali būti kokybiška ir nekokybiška, net tuo atveju, kai ji užima tą patį aprėpties plotą. Kokybišką sąmonę charakterizuoja žinių lygis, jų atitikimas tikrų, pažangių tikrovės galimybių, kurias pasiekti įmanoma tik tada, kai įtraukiamos tos galimybės, kurios yra anapus tiesioginio suvokimo ir primityvių mąstymo šablonų. Šios galimybės visos išvaikščiotos ir šaltinis išsemtas iki galo, tad norint žengti tolesnius žingsnius, reikia šį stereotipinio mąstymo barjerą sulaužyti ir sukurti naują pasaulio interpretavimo principą. Man šiuo metu tai yra viena iš svarbesnių temų. Nekokybiška sąmonė turi klaidingus vaizdinius, neatitinka tikrovės, paskendusi iliuzijose, nusigrybavusi į fantazijų pasaulius ir svarbiausia yra nepraktiška technologine prasme. Tokie yra mitologiniai, religiniai, ezoteriniai vaizdiniai, kurie uždengia tikras galimybes ir jų marinavimas užkerta visus kelius į ateitį. Kokybiška sąmonė – atitinka tikrovės struktūrą, žino jos neprimityvius principus, turi efektyvius metodus jiems išreikšti. Tai taikytina matematikai, fizikai, logikai ir pan.