Don't you think humans are content with just launching space probes and telescopes through the cosmos, sending astronauts into orbit - and even the moon - or dreaming of colonizing other planets. No, dear reader! If you do not know, there is an organization whose purpose is to found the first known independent space nation and to achieve the democratization of space.

The initiative was named Asgardia - in reference to Asgard, the kingdom of Norse mythology that houses characters like Odin and Thor - and aims to build a nation in space where earthlings can live and work. More precisely, one of the main focuses would be to assist in space mining and to defend Earth from cosmic threats, including the impact of asteroids and other objects and - why not? - the alien invasions.

Asgardia

The project was recently presented during a conference in Paris and was devised by renowned Russian scientist and businessman Igor Ashurbeyli, founder of the International Aerospace Research Center (AIRC) in Russia and chairman of the UNESCO Space Science Committee.

Would you agree to become an Asgardian?

And Igor is not alone in this! He has cast a strong team to support the foundation of Asgardia, including David Alexander, director of the Rice University Space Institute, Joseph Pelton, director of the George Washington University Space Research and Advanced Communication Institute (SACRI), director Ram Jakhu, director McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law, and Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu.

By the way, at least on paper, Asgardia already exists, and its creators are looking for Earthlings who are interested in the project and are willing to receive Asgardian citizenship. In fact, there are not many requirements for anyone who wants to become a citizen of the first solar system space nation: one just needs to be over 18 and born in a country that accepts dual citizenship, such as Brazil. Interested? You can subscribe through this link.

It is noteworthy that the team behind the project will give preference to the first 100, 000 applicants to grant citizenship and is interested in finding specific profiles. In fact, the team hopes to attract candidates especially in areas such as engineering, astronomy and space law - and by the time of this publication there were already over 460, 000 interested in becoming Asgardian citizens.

Few details

There is still not much detail about how Asgardia will be built, let alone how it will be funded. But for now it is known that Ashurbeyli has invested money from his own pocket in the initiative. In addition, according to the few details that have been released so far, the project's first step will involve sending a satellite into orbit over the next 18 months, in time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik.

Look at Sputnik there!

The idea of ​​the group is that, over time, a kind of permanent space station will be built in the low Earth orbit or a little beyond, and this site, in turn, will be governed by its own laws and rules and will be home to people who are willing to work for the good of humanity.

More specifically, Ashurbeyli hopes that Asgardia is a reflection of our planet in space, but without its borders, limitations, religious restrictions, etc., and that its inhabitants have as their primary goal to protect our planet and do good.

Scene from the movie "Elysium"

But before Asgardia is officially considered a nation, it must fulfill some requirements: it will need a “territory” to settle in (such a space station - OK!), A population (this will probably be the easiest item to conquer - OK!), A government (a question that was already thought of by the creators - OK!) And be recognized by both the United Nations and other member countries of the organization.

With regard to the latter requirement, the idea is that eventually Asgardia will have a population of 150 million Asgardians - though only a few can live in space - and the founders hope that the very number of stakeholders will eventually convince the UN to recognize it. la as a sovereign nation.

Another scene from the movie "Elysium"

Sound crazy? In fact, it seems a bit yes, and some critics have pointed out that at the present stage of the project it was not very clear how Asgardia would differ from the International Space Station - or from the fictional structure that appeared in the movie "Elysium." However, we have to admit that sooner or later one would think of founding a micronation in space, wouldn't it? Either way, we will have to wait until more details are released.