About UsMy name is David Fagan, founder of the FAIR Society organization.
I am not an astronomer or a gent with aptitude in rocket
science. Nor am I a bloke with a personal mission to save the world or, indeed, a fellow who fancies himself an entrepreneur with a strange
get-rich-quick scheme. I write for pleasure, and in the case of FAIR, I
have taken it a step further and put the words into action. Personally, I worry no more about the sky falling on our heads than I
do about perishing in a plane crash, tsunami, or other similar-odds catastrophe
over which I have no control. Doom and gloom are not my thing.
That's the beauty of this society: there are
no postmembership responsibilities, obligations, or commitments. In fact, we advocate forgetting about falling
rocks altogether after joining. That's FAIR's job, though we don't forget your
contribution. Members are permanently listed
and acknowledged as having actively participated in helping this important and undernourished science,
one that holds no cultural, ethnic, political, or geographic
boundaries.
| Whilst the subject of asteroid research may
sound daunting, two simple down-to-earth facts glare. Firstly, there is growing scientific
evidence of a global threat, and, secondly, the astronomers researching it need
help. But how much help? |
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Is this science really as broke as it says?
Until I researched the matter, I had harboured a perception that scientists
always squawk about lack of funding and that "underfunded" is science speak
for fewer orbital launches or space walks or something... but still entailed big
money!
Considering the global magnitude of this
subject, it was far worse than I could have imagined.
It's hard to believe that asteroid research is so financially strapped that a mere €400.00 could make any conceivable
difference ... but it did! (That
in itself speaks volumes for the poor state of this science.)
The objective of FAIR is to help generate awareness and
to provide a mechanism whereby anyone, anywhere can help this incredulously unsupported
field of astronomy (basically because governments cannot justify
spending
taxpayer money on looking for future space rocks).
Unlike other natural phenomena,
we may be able to preempt a disaster, providing we have adequate warning!
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Ice-breaker - The visit to Kitt
Peak with Prof. Tom Gehrels (left) confirmed the need for support
from the private sector. See background
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Aside from writing for science, I also write about my village
in Greece. Rhubarbs From a Rock (Escaping the
Rat Race) can be previewed at
davidfagan.org. It's a light hearted look at an alternative lifestyle on a small Greek
island.
It's probably because I live on a small
island that FAIR formulated. For a sketch of the unusual chain reaction that led
to the founding of this society, please see "Digital Donkeys and Tangled Webs."
[more]
Feedback and questions
are welcome. Please feel free to contact me.
The FAIR Society has been created
for the
sole purpose of supporting asteroid hunters.
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