Earth Colony 1 is in its earliest stage:  founding a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.  Demonstrating a broad-base of public support is vital at this time.  Donating, even the smallest amount, will provide invaluable support for our achieving this first step.

As funds permit, Earth Colony 1 will pursue a qualified contractor to establish a top-level strategy and plan for establishing a near-earth space colony.  Our current estimation is that this first step will require $250,000.  In the meantime Earth Colony 1 is pursuing its own research to identify the optimal location to establish a near Earth settlement.  Under current consideration are:

1.  The Moon - This environment has recently been targeted by NASA for a manned space station.

2.  Mars - Long considered a viable target for human settlement.

3.  Venus - More recently, the concept of a colony floating in Venus thick atmosphere has been presented as  an alternative location.

4.  Lagrangian points - Stable points in space that result from two-body graviational systems, are also being considered for both the Moon-Earth system and the Earth-Sun system.

For each of these options Earth Colony 1 is pursuing a cost-benefit analysis.  Weighted cost-averaging techniques are used to provide a top-level comparison of the scientific challenges and estimated cost associated with pursuing each of these alternatives.

Legal considerations regarding space are complex and create other barriers, beside the technical ones discussed above.  For additional insight into the history of space law, please refere to the Space Law section of this site.