Finger Pointing to the Moon
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
- Albert Einstein
My Sally Ride/STS-7 collection is by far the best part of my online gallery of space memorabilia, almost like being invited to watch the launch. It probably once belonged to a reporter. Employees were not invited. I’d only been at NASA for about two weeks at that time. STS-7 was Sally Ride’s first flight and STS-41-G was her last. Interestingly, she only flew into space twice, but once was enough to secure her place in the annals of space history.
My focus at the time was on different projects starting with the Grumman Design 698 V/STOL aircraft. I eventually moved over into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab, but I didn’t work on games. I worked on an aspect called explanation-based learning. Over time I became more interested in studying my own mind, and after a spontaneous Dai-Satori experience triggered by a backpacking trip to Thailand with my sister, Jenny, I spent a large part of my life chasing satori. I have brought a lot of those ideas, about the evolution of human consciousness, into the planetary mapping project.
Much as I have enjoyed the practices that allowed me to experience the expansive mind of Homo planetarius (albeit briefly), it became apparent early on that without a platform for the collective evolutionary leap of human consciousness, sustained presence was going to be impossible for the majority of the population. Daigo-tettei (Great Enlightenment) is not going to work until the 100th monkey effect takes place on a global scale, hence the planetary address framework and the planetary roads.
I should also add that although most of the literature about higher states of consciousness is linked to spirituality, I am not convinced that they are indicative of a religious awakening. I had no spiritual beliefs at all when my transcendent experience happened in 1990. I think, more likely, they are early signs of an evolving human mind. Either way, once bitten, ordinary consciousness feels primitive and disappointing, although practical for today’s reality.
The younger generation isn’t interested in space memorabilia, so there is a lot of it flooding the market as the Apollo generation dies off. Prices are amazingly good, as long as you don’t care about authenticated signatures and flown items. I enjoy recreating my own career online. Putting it all into the context of space roadbotics is something like playing a game of chess or solving a puzzle. I don’t remember a lot of colleagues as being important to my career, but the astronauts are important to my planetary maps. It’s the best of NASA without the office politics.
Catch-22 exposed the absurdity of war, but Brazil is a better depiction of the bureaucratic aspects of government. Let’s put it this way: if you don’t see someone highlighted in my gallery, I probably won’t name a planetary road for them. I’m particularly interested in historical “firsts” in space and the people involved.
Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think the highest form of human intelligence is best represented by those who can do what has never been done before: inventors, astronauts, aviators, innovators, artists, musicians - anyone who is breaking the mold in significant and disruptive ways. It’s too easy to imitate what others have done; it’s a lot harder to find something that hasn’t been done before and then beat everyone else to the finish line.
I named one of the roads on our inaugural lunar map Neil Armstrong Bridge, for the first man on the Moon, because it crosses the Sea of Tranquility. I stopped naming the planetary roads at 32, one for each of the Apollo astronauts, as if pieces on a chessboard. I don't know who will eventually name the 33rd road, but one thing that is still missing in my process is a clear definition of nomenclature guidelines.
Certainly, I would suggest that we highlight space "firsts" as we move forward with our plans. I don't see the value in having the first of a particular race or ethnicity mentioned as part of US space history since this will necessarily be a global process. That will be captured by each of the individual space-faring nations, i.e., the first Japanese astronaut, the first Russian astronaut, the first Chinese astronaut, etc.
Gender is different - think Adam and Eve. We want to support an advanced species that is balanced, but we don't want to inadvertently enable “reverse evolution.”
The best part about building my website is that I have finally been able to clearly articulate half-formed ideas that I had in my twenties, during my early career at NASA. I would not have been able to convince anyone back then, but hopefully I’ll be successful now.
Whether we take one small step for a man or one giant leap for mankind, conscious evolution is a radical idea, one that was neither discussed nor embraced by the mainstream space community at NASA. I doubt very much that it would be embraced by the general public. When Charles Darwin first proposed his ideas about the evolution of the species, On the Origin of Species was widely panned. One of his infamous quotes is “The truth will not penetrate a preoccupied mind.” The modern mind is nothing if not preoccupied, but maybe a small community of space pioneers can help to move my ideas forward.
Consider the alternatives. If you are waiting for AI to solve our problems, you are going to have a long wait. AI was made in the image of the regressive mind of Homo sapiens. The only thing AI is going to do is to create more problems at a faster pace - after it steals your job, your identity, your family, and your home.
My space memorabilia gallery feels mostly complete. I like to search for patterns, and although NASA has made some inroads towards gender equality, space exploration is still predominantly a game for men. My hope is that women astronauts and engineers will eventually bring balance to the agency, but for now, women remain invisible in space. I’ve named several planetary roads for fictional women in sci fi, but Sally Ride is still the model for women who aspire to reach for the stars. Maybe the 33rd road should be named for her.
More Information:
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
1997 Match: Deep Blue won 3½–2½. Notably, in the final and decisive Game 6, Garry Kasparov played Black and lost in 19 moves.
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/09/nx-s1-5684150/deep-blue-ibm-garry-kasparov-1996-ai-machine-learning
The Imitation Game
The title is in reference to The Turing Test. The test was introduced by Alan Turing in his 1950 paper, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," while working at the University of Manchester. It opens with the words: "I propose to consider the question, Can machines think?'"
Because "thinking" is difficult to define, Turing chooses to "replace the question by another, which is closely related to it and is expressed in relatively unambiguous words." Turing's new question is: "Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?"
https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/the-enigma-of-alan-turing/
