As parliamentary elections come to an end, it's good to consider what will happen if many of us spend our remaining lives in space.  After just one year, Scott Kelly's gene expression was permanently altered.  Among the many changes, one in particular caught my eye: the lengthening of his telomeres.  These structures have been linked to cellular aging; could we radically extend our lives by moving into space?

http://www.newsweek.com/scott-kelly-astronauts-nasa-dna-838535

One of my main areas of focus is communications and digital infrastructure.  I hope that by the time Asgardia makes it to the moon, there is a rich set of services available.  If not, then we must build it!

https://www.space.com/39835-moon-mobile-phone-network-ptscientists-2019.html?

I hereby announce my candidacy for the Parliament of Asgardia, representing District #1.  My platform is focused on four areas: privacy, data security, technology, and exploration.  Though our government is still in its infancy, I believe we can lay the ground work for a promising future.

My first year will focus on communications and digital infrastructure.  In subsequent years we will expand on this to start developing our technology and physical infrastructure, eventually leading towards our first human habitation in space.

Please read my platform in full, and if you agree with my vision for the future, please vote for me!

As humanity expands into the cosmos, we must do so with eyes to the future, not the past.  The cultures we create, the technologies we use, these must always incorporate our current best understanding, unencumbered by past inertia.

In astrodynamics, chemical rockets are limited to Hohmann transfer orbits.  These simple, rigid paths allowed us to take our first steps into the solar system, but they set hard limits on when we can go where.  Advanced propulsion technologies, however, allow us to constantly accelerate along spiral paths, traveling wherever we wish on human timescales.

This is the meaning of my slogan: in all things, let us spiral towards the future, using the best of today in an ever accelerating race to a new era.

In my professional life, I've focused on networking, distributed systems, and security. This has given me a deep understanding of the perils of communication in the digital age, along with the tools to build the systems of the future.  As a member of the Asgardian Parliament, I will advocate for the following:

Privacy

The government of Asgardia should not monitor the communications of its citizens.  The use of strong encryption should not only be allowed, but encouraged.  Personal devices (cellphones, laptops, etc) must not be subject to routine search.

Data Security

The Asgardian government should protect its data using quantum secure algorithms.  It is likely that terrestrial governments will have access to quantum computers in the near future.  Once this takes place, any intercepted communications using standard encryption will be vulnerable.  We must protect ourselves from this future threat with proper planning today.

Technology

As a space faring nation, Asgardia will live or die on the strength of its technology.  We must invest in both basic science and its more practical applications, with a particular focus on space.  This will mean not only advanced propulsion, but also tools for building and maintaining closed biological systems, and resource acquisition.  This will allow us independence from Earth as we spread throughout the solar system.

Human Exploration

Though Earth orbit will be our first destination as a nation, it must not be our last.  We should always be expanding outwards, one habitation at a time.  This will require careful planning, and a series of exploratory missions.  Though we should always lead the way with robotic probes, human exploration must always be next, followed where possible by habitation and colonisation.