Come join our fun and useful discussions on key trends, innovations, problems, sustainability, and social responsibility. Work with and on new tools, practices, ideas and projects. See the future and seize the present. Grow your network of supportive, future-oriented friends. Mini potluck & meet-and-greet starts at 5 PM - please bring snacks and drinks to share!

After the presentation, we'll share interesting articles we've seen in the news in the last few days/weeks. Please gather a few to share.

Presentation:  Electrodynamic tethers are an exciting and versatile technology that offer capabilities in low-Earth orbit unlike any other.  Tethers have been used to return power to satellite systems, generate kinetic energy, and change the velocity of spacecraft, all by making use of available plasma in the ionosphere.  There are several teams presently developing unique applications for tethers including uses that allow for the removal of space debris. Electrodynamic tether systems can provide propellantless propulsion for spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit. Because the tether system does not consume propellant, it can provide very large delta-V's with a very small total mass, dramatically reducing costs for missions.

Zach Urbina is the founder of Cozy Dark emerging technology, an aero-astro start-up whose goal is the effective management of orbital debris.  Zach is a graduate of USC, and published narrative nonfiction writer with three generations of ties to the Southern California aerospace industry. Zach began publishing his narrative nonfiction in 2006 and has placed his work in a dozen publications since.  His literary voice has been compared to David Sedaris and David Foster Wallace.  A short sample of his recent work is available here.  Zach remains committed to technology innovation and is currently working on contract proposals for the Dept. of Defense SBIR program.

Future Salons are monthly educational, activist, and social events, focused on existing or emerging scientific, technological, entrepreneurial, or social change topics and projects worthy of your help and attention. We also cover critical-thinking, management, and personal change topics, and occasionally longer-term scientific and philosophical topics. Our goal is to make our rapidly changing world more fascinating, manageable, profitable, and positive-sum for all of us. We strive to be both doing-action-project oriented, and thinking-idea-prioritizing oriented. About the Future Salon Network initiated by John Smart: http://www.accelerating.org/futuresalon.html

Easy Parking. If you haven't been at the Brewery before PLEASE make sure you check this link. For location map & details: http://atypicalart.com/direx/