Our Beginnings...

Space is the only domain where mankind has always worked in peace, in harmony, and proved over and over again that nations and men and women of different cultures can work together at their best for the betterment of humanity. As the Space Age evolved, school children across America were doing duck and cover drills in their classroom, the Doomsday Clock was moving closer and closer to midnight as the Cold War grew in intensity, deadly nuclear tipped ballistic missiles stood at the ready of the two most powerful nations in the history our of world. Overcoming the Cold War rhetoric and the intensity that existed between the super powers here on Earth, these same super powers made treaties to work with each other in space, to keep weapons out of space, and to rescue one another's astronauts should the need arise.

American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz space capsules are shown docking in earth's orbit. Source: NASA

On July 17, 1975, we saw the famous Apollo-Soyuz Test Flight rendezvous with the Russian cosmonauts and the American astronauts, each speaking each other's language to the peoples of Russia and the United States. Back here on Earth, both nations were poised to destroy the other at the push of the button. But soon we started making the SALT Treaties and some of the deadly missiles were converted to commercial space launch vehicles for telecommunications and even student payloads.

In terms of taking care of our own precious Earth, who among us can forget what we intuitively understood when we saw pictures of Earth taken from our space ships headed to the Moon. Who can forget how Earth's environment was impacted by forest fires and smoke, and how we could see it all as a result of our Earth imaging satellites that started helping us to be better stewards of our world. Or how we could spot hurricanes before they even became hurricanes to issue warnings to people in the storm's path . Space development opened the door to our doing all we do for the Earth and its inhabitants today . Without space development, our space presence, and commitment to bettering our world by using space, we would be in the dark ages.

A space view of earth. Source: IStockPhoto

As the early days of the space program developed for both nations, it was evident that space was to be a major path for peaceful humanitarian development and progress in the world. David Livingston realized this growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma as he was captivated by the developing space program and its meaning, though as a junior high student and given the times, it was not easy to understand or define.

Today, Dr. David Livingston has devoted his life to getting the space message and its importance out to the world through The Space Show and One Giant Leap Foundation. He completed his doctoral dissertation in 2001 on the commercialization and expansion of space development and went on to create The Space Show®, the nation’s first and only talk radio and advanced-media show focusing on increasing space commerce, advancing space science and economic development, and facilitating our move to a space-faring economy and culture for the benefits that this activity will produce for all of us here on Earth. The Space Show strives to bring to listeners everywhere through the internet, satellite, podcasts, and traditional radio the message that space is an important path to our successful future with peace, opportunity, and prosperity for everyone, not just a chosen few or those in a wealthy nation.

In 2005, Dr. Livingston founded the One Giant Leap Foundation (OGLF), a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization to control The Space Show and assist in promoting space education and understanding among the general public and school-age children of the importance that space can and must play in our future. Together, OGLF and The Space Show put forth a strong message with the facts as to how we can all benefit from space development and exploration.
Our Mission and Vision
OGLF and The Space Show share a common mission and vision. First, our mission is to promote, encourage, and support future global economic opportunities and development, scientific discoveries, and medical advances for all humankind through peaceful and cooperative ventures in outer space. Currently our work and mission is manifest in The Space Show where there is a free and open debate regarding how best to achieve space-faring status with all its positive implications. OGLF and its supporters, along with The Space Show's listeners and guests, are committed to advancing integrity and responsibility both in our off-Earth conduct and in the potential long-range consequences of our actions in space. Our commitment to our common mission and vision is unwavering. As we say in our vision statement on air on each program, we will know when our mission has been accomplished when space becomes routine like any other place and tool on Earth , and part of our global economic infrastructure.
Our Audience and Our Reach
The Space Show website and archives are visited by approximately 50,000 people each month. Promotion of the program, website, and archives is by word of mouth, two electronic newsletters, Internet searches of the host, the subject matter, and guests, and through grass-roots programming and promotional efforts. Visit TheSpaceShow.com and take a look for yourself. At the present time, The Space Show website newsletter has detailed program and biographical information about the weekly guests, a coming events section, and announcements pertaining to the program. A short form newsletter is distributed weekly by email telling readers what is happening during the specific week of the newsletter. The email newsletter, besides providing important current information, directs subscribers to the comprehensive website newsletter for more information. The Space Show plans to expand the newsletter to reach a broader audience and to engage in an active discussion of topics discussed by guests on The Space Show.
Our Future
OGLF plans for expansion are to host local, national and international events with lectures, discussions, exhibits, demonstrations, and scholarly presentations, bringing together the public, space industry engineers, scientists, and legislators, and to develop and implement action plans in line with the OGLF and The Space Show vision. There is also an important need to catalog, index, and publish all Space Show programs into annual reference books and digital media. The Space Show is also planning to expand the radio programming to additional radio venues and new markets, and to implement a unique space education program, The Space Show Classroom.™ This program will incorporate state-of-the-art media tools and distribution methods as more and more of the new media technologies are being used to reach a growing body of young people who do not tune into traditional media sources. For example, The Space Show is already part of the growing virtual community with a presence and its programming in Second Life, the largest and most successful virtual world.

OGLF is committed to pursuing the space path because we its the right path and the best path to pursue. We know that space education is fundamental and remains a challenge to not just the United States, but all nations of the world.. Given the state of our education today, our problems in this country with math and science, the lack of inspiration and visionary models for us all, OGLF and The Space Show are not simply saying give space education a chance so we will have a much better world, we are proving it!

 

 

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