At her live Q&A session last week, Lena De Winne, the CEO and Vice-President of Asgardia NGO, provided an analogy to answer this question. “There is a saying – don’t confuse tourism and immigration,” she said.

She compared citizens of Asgardia – those who accepted the Constitution – to legal residents of a country, and those who chose not to support the Constitution – to tourists.

“If you like a country, if you want to live there, if you want to be part of that system, it’s only natural that you abide by the established regulations in that country,” she explained. “And in most countries, that would be the Constitution. Anybody in the first 100,000 will have the right and are welcome to exercise the right to get Asgardia’s citizenship for free.”

“Citizens are those who support the Constitution, the basic makeup of the country. So, we consider those who have voted for the Constitution citizens as in when, for example, a referendum was happening on whatever might be the subject, these people are entitled to vote. As far as we are concerned, they have declared that they are supporting Asgardia, so their vote counts when decisions are to be made,” De Winne explained.

Citizens of Asgardia have the right to receive Asgardia’s documents for free; upload their files to Asgardia-1 and future satellites without charge; nominate themselves for leadership and Parliamentary positions; work in the government and become local representatives. Citizens can bring forth petitions, including those to update the Constitution.

As for the future, she said, “After the first 100,000 is done, the voting will continue, and every new person who is applying has to provide a certain amount of data about himself or herself, and then has to vote or not to vote on the Constitution.” Those who accept the Constitution after the voting is closed will be considered applicants for Asgardian citizenship.

If a person does not accept the Constitution, they will still stay a registered Asgardian and participate in forum discussions, for example. The difference, De Winne said, is that “by doing so that person either says 'I am interested in becoming a citizen,' or 'I’m visiting your Asgardian nation as a tourist'.”

You asked, Asgardia answered. For more answers to questions you may have, please see our Frequently Asked Questions .

Asgardia’s population size reached more than 275,000, propelling it to 180 ^th place by population size worldwide. It is rapidly approaching the population size of Barbados and Iceland, and has just passed the population of Vanuatu and French Guinea.

The leadership elections, currently underway, are expected to contribute to this growth, as Asgardians invite their friends and those who share their ideas to join Asgardia, vote, and participate in building a new society.

Last week, thousands of people logged into the live Q&A session with Lena De Winne, CEO and Vice-President of NGO Asgardia. A lot of the questions pertained to Asgardia’s IDs and passports.

“We are working on creating the Parliament, creating the government, and creating the banking system and the national currency SOLAR,” De Winne explained. “The ID card at this point is the card that will be a fully protected, chip-integrated card that would eventually allow you -- when they are available -- to receive services Asgardia will provide, and to operate within the currency system.”

She continued: “We will start issuing passports as booklets for traveling only when we have reached the recognition with other states as a state, that they recognize Asgardia’s passport as a valid document for crossing national borders. We are very realistic, this is a long-term goal.”

De Winne reminded her viewers that IDs and passports would only be received in person, and that documents are taken very seriously. “We are now asking everyone, and it’s at your own discretion, to fill in your profile. This data needs to be correct. When you decide to claim your documents, you will be asked to present yourself to the ambassador of Asgardia. In the long run, it is planned to have six permanent embassies around the world, per number of continents.”

Most importantly, she said, is that “one of the biggest premises of Asgardia is that there are no borders. When one looks at the Earth from space, you do not see borders - you see blue, you see green, you see the yellow of the desert. You do not see borders. Borders exist on maps and in human minds. It is also for that reason that only boundaries of the continents are visible from space. There will be six embassies, one per continent, in Asgardia. But we will be working to create local representations and, of course, do our best to help people sustain their interaction with us.”

On 19 July 2017, thousands of people logged into the live Q&A session with Lena De Winne, CEO and Vice-President of NGO Asgardia. Many have asked about why voting has been extended.

When asked who makes the ultimate decisions for these changes, De Winne replied: “Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli adjusts the course of action as we progress. We are building the first-ever space nation in human history, so we are adapting as we go along. Whatever you see implemented and communicated to you...this is all authorized by Dr. Ashurbeyli.”

There is a lot of support for the Constitution, she said, and it should be looked at as a starting point. “Some tens of thousands of people, worldwide, decided to be Asgardian and found that the Constitution, the way it’s written, is resonating with them. And yes, we are the first to recognize that it might be imperfect. Dr. Ashurbeyli in his press conference in Hong Kong stated that he was fully aware that there might be things that needed improving,” she said. “But the Constitution itself installs the civil process, and in this process citizens can put forward the petitions, including petitions for calling a referendum proposing specific changes in the Constitution.”

She asked Asgardians to hold off on petitions to amend the Constitution for just a few days. “The only thing we ask is, give us a few more days until the Constitution is finalized and voting is closed. Only after that start sending your suggestions to update the Constitution,” she pleaded.

The other reason important reason for extending the voting period is Asgardia’s satellite, De Winne commented. “The current launch on the Cygnus vehicle is scheduled and announced for 12 September. This means that the fully integrated satellite must go from Nanoracks to NASA in the coming two weeks. And before that it means that the hard disk with our data, all of your data and Asgardia’s data, must be integrated, tested that it will wake up in orbit, and it needs to be built into the satellite and shipped to NASA.”

“Only those who support the Constitution have the right to upload files to the satellite,” she explained. “One of the reasons we extended the vote is that more people can enjoy this opportunity. There is still memory available on the satellite and it’s only possible for the next 2-3 days for technical reasons for people to upload their file. Afterwards, it will only be after the satellite is deployed in orbit and that will be in a couple of months after the launch.”

Finally, addressing the number 100,00, De Winne said: “When the vote has reached 100,000, we will close the voting. It's a nice thing to leave as a legacy. Imagine you are going to be part of this legacy. The first 100,000 people who are supporting the Constitution of the first in world history space nation.”

You asked, Asgardia answered. For more answers to questions you may have, please see our Frequently Asked Questions .

On 19 July 2017, due to an overwhelming volume of questions, Lena De Winne, the CEO and Vice-President of NGO Asgardia held a Q&A session online . One of the hottest topics was how the votes are being counted.

"When one enters the website and registers, they are just a registered user," explained De Winne. "When one enters the voting page -- that person is counted as one who took part in the voting. And after that, even after one second, if that person leaves without voting, that is counted as 'no'. We have found that in the legislation of many countries, such a period for electronic voting is at least fifteen seconds. So once the voting is closed, the total number of people who have entered the page - but of course once, one registered user is counted once - is going to be published, after the 100,000th vote is achieved."

For the final number that will determine whether or not the Constitution is adopted, De Winne said: "It will be a proportion of the number of people who counted 'yes' to the number registered users who have entered the page and those who did not click 'yes', those are counted as those who voted 'no'".

De Winne emphasised that "only registered users are able to get as far as the voting. We count not based on the IP addresses, but on the registered addresses of the users. If somebody is registered as an Asgardian but enters as a registered Asgardian three times, that person is counted only once."

You asked, Asgardia answered. For more answers to questions you may have, please see our Frequently Asked Questions .

Almost 6,500 people have applied for leadership positions in Asgardia, and the number keeps growing.

As a final reminder, you can only apply for one position at a time. If you applied for more than one, you have 48 hours to select one position and delete the others. If you haven't taken any action in 48 hours, you will automatically be assigned one of the positions you've chosen, and the others will be deleted.

The positions available are:

- Debutant – 10 votes

- Strategist – 100 votes

- Trendsetter – 1,000 votes

- Ambassador – 10,000 votes

We hope to see even more leaders as people connect locally and globally. If you have questions about leadership elections, please write to elections@asgardia.space.

Asgardia is excited to announce that voting has been extended until 100,000 Asgardians accept the Constitution. This decision is based on the requests of many Asgardians and the approval of the Head of Nation. The voting on the national symbols – Asgardia’s flag, anthem and coat of arms – is also extended for the same period.

Congratulations to all Asgardians who have helped Asgardia take yet another important step in the space nation’s development!

On 13 June 2017 ( 24 June 0001) , preliminary voting commenced on the Constitution of Asgardia, its national symbols and Head of Nation. Asgardia’s official voting day – 18 June 2017 ( 1 Asgard 0001) is Unity Day, a national holiday in Asgardia.

Today, on 13 July 2017 (26 Asgard 0001) we inform you that voting will close on 18 July 2017 (3 July 0001).

Anyone who votes on www.asgardia.space before the closing of voting:

• - Is considered a citizen of Asgardia, and receives an ID and passport of Asgardia free of charge
• - Can upload and swap their files on the Asgardia-1 satellite without charge, as well as has the right to free storage of files on all future satellites and spacecraft for as long as Asgardia exists – for forever
• - Can nominate themselves for a leadership position of any level in Asgardia, and vote for leaders of all levels
• - Can nominate themselves for Parliamentary position in Asgardia and vote for Parliamentary candidates
• - Can work in Asgardia's government and localities
• - Can become an ambassador/consul/representative of Asgardia
• 
  
• After the close of voting on 18 July 2017 ( 3 July 0001 ), anyone who passed the second verification but did not accept the Constitution remains a verified Asgardian and can participate in forum discussions, but does not receive the above-mentioned rights.
• 
  
• After 18 July 2017 ( 3 July 0001 ), anyone (who is already verified or newly registered) who accepts the Constitution will become an applicant for the Asgardia’s citizenship. Citizenship will be granted based on the Law on the citizenship of Asgardia, which will be developed by Asgardia’s Parliament during the next six months.
• 
  
• We ask that you relay this information to as many people as possible.

Asgardia has once again risen in rank by population size among Earthly nations. It is now 182nd, having surpassed New Caledonia, Mayotte and Samoa, and quickly approaching the population size of French Guinea.

With 267,090 members, it continues to build momentum, as more than 75,000 people have accepted the Constitution to become the citizens of Asgardia.

Not a day has gone by, since I was a little girl, my neck bent, and my eyes looking up, every night out of my bedroom window, while most pray looking down, I would release my being into the vast night-sky, my prayer not of words repeated, just gratitude, pouring out of me, to the universe.  In turn, through the years, as if knowing this from me, has given back to me how very close we stand to the distance of each star.  I to this day, each and every night, release myself, going there and back in my soul, and there is a United Soul, it lives and feels and breaths back to me, we are one, we on earth are made from them, each and every Star, is connected inside of us.

When the gravity of my life, sad situations, physical pain, enduring, broke apart my heart from loss, I always found solstice, out there, somewhere, and the small Gravity that weighs so heavy on us here, the universe releases me from it, and reminds me just as it  exists, still,  there is so much more!! We just have to take a leap of faith, and go find it!

I only ask these questions out of ignorance and the want to understand them more clearly.

Article 12 Natural Resources, Point 4.

Why would private property be considered Asgardian Natural resources? Does this mean that Asgardia can claim ownership of citizens property at any time and thusly utilize such property as they see fit? If so I find this to be a major infringement on personal freedom. Even as this is a Nation to which the people align themselves with, for a nation to freely use private property of it’s citizens without their consent is not something I can agree to.

Article 22

Where the word immorality is used, shouldn’t a definition be provided for the express purpose of avoiding vagaries?

Article 26

The laws should take care to not impede on things like parody, free-speech and the like.

Article 27

Should there not be a Bureau of language whom’s sole purpose is the intercommunication between citizens? Professionals of language will be aware of eccentricities non native speakers might tread into; one such being the thumbs up is incredibly offensive to some people.

They say the best way to initiate change is to begin with yourself. I've always been quiet and reserved; only speaking when I feel it necessary. These aspects I do not wish to change. I had started working in the television and film industry in 2011 and in that same year I was afflicted with an illness which, judging from what I was able to get from doctors, might be neurological in nature and possibly muscular.

The pain from chronically contracting muscles, specifically the infraspinatus, intercostal, and rhomboid; and the nerves on/in the upper right on my ribcage, the intercostal set, has made things like sitting up for 2 hours a painful chore. As of now I have no insurance so learning more about why I'm having these hyperactive nerve misfires remains a mystery.

During the first 6 months after October 4th, in 2011, the pain was so intense I was barely able to just sit up in bed, let alone walk down the hall to the bathroom or go downstairs and eat. I started going to doctors once I'd gotten used to the level of pain and it took about another year after that for me to find a doctor who wanted to help me and not just prescribe me things and send me away. From there I still had to deal with doctors telling me there was nothing wrong with me. A pain management specialist about another year later would tell me the words "infraspinatus" and the others which I mentioned earlier. Then I would finally find a neurologist who actually wanted to run some tests to figure this out. It was at this time when I would age out of being covered by my parents insurance and I'd be left on my own to try and figure out what was wrong with me.

However during my time of being unable to functionally work in the trades I had trained in, automotive and film/television, I started trying to think of things to keep my mind busy to fight against depression and thinking it was all psychosomatic and maybe I was just making up this sharp, stabbing, constricting pain. I'd finally gotten to something I wanted to do for a while, writing. I did my best to learn about the various aspects of fictional writing and the parts of story. I also started looking into electronics which have always fascinated me to the point of dismantling a friends PSX when we were kids ( i got in so much trouble).

This brings me to now.

It may have taken longer than I liked, but I've gotten to a new place mentally. I know I'm not making up this pain and I've found things to do that will expand my skill set despite only being able to sit or stand for, sometimes, minutes at a time. I've resolved to learning the Python language and teaching myself 3D modeling with the free software Blender. I've written 2 books, one which I felt was good enough to sell on Amazon and am currently querying agents for my latest work. On good days I can go for a bike ride; those are rare. On bad days I stay in bed and try to take in as much new information I can.

I know there are people in worse situations than I am in. I have my family to fall back on, my own room, and a computer on which to learn new skills. I dare not equate my situation to someone worse off than I, but I have come to an understanding. If I fight I can get through anything and so can you.

Asgardia stands to be a vehicle for massive good but in order for it to accomplish all the great things you want the first Space Nation to accomplish, you have to start with yourself.

An official ceremony took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, during which Asgardia’s Head of Nation Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, an active supporter of space science development, signed an agreement to institute a new UNESCO prize and medal in the science category.

The prize and five medals will be awarded annually for contributions to the development of space science. Signing on behalf of UNESCO was Irina Bokova, its Director-General, and the first woman to lead the organization.

Also present were Alexander Kuznetsov, Russian Federation’s (RF) Ambassador to the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and RF’s Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eleonora Mitrofanova, a former Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and former Chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

UNESCO’s honors are currently comprised of five awards, three prizes and four medals. This agreement marks an important addition to the existing categories.

An official ceremony took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, during which Asgardia’s Head of Nation Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, an active supporter of space science development, signed an agreement to institute a new UNESCO prize and medal in the science category.

The prize and five medals will be awarded annually for contributions to the development of space science. Signing on behalf ofUNESCO was Irina Bokova, its Director-General, and the first woman to lead the organization.

Also present were Alexander Kuznetsov, Russian Federation’s (RF) Ambassador to the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, RF’s Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eleonora Mitrofanova, a former Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and former Chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and Professor Evgeny Chesnokov of the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

UNESCO’s honors are currently comprised of five awards, three prizes and four medals. This agreement marks an important addition to the existing categories.