[hackerspaces] DARPA Selects Hackerspace Space Program for contract negotiation
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Jerry Isdale
Apr 2, 2012, 7:31:26 PM4/2/12
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My Fellow Hackers...
Today I got an email from DARPA stating that they have selected our "Hackerspace Space Program" for contract negotiation.
Those who want to flame about taking government money can do so.. We just wont pass any $ your way.
For those interested there is a mailing list at
Here's the basic introduction from the tech proposal...
1. Innovation
We propose a HSP organization based around the coordination of Hackerspaces (HS) worldwide. This organization will enable scalable grassroots community units collaborating with each other and with interested partners around the world to carry out activities dedicated to the enhancement of humanity’s survivability. This is accomplished through the Hackerspaces serving as local hubs for community education, innovation and self-sufficiency, whereas HSP will encourage, support and coordinate activities that could not be accomplished by any one or few Hackerspaces such as expanding humanity’s reach and presence beyond Earth orbit.
2. Results
We will create an important platform for local communities, young people and the general public to get engaged with space travel and exploration. We’re in a unique position to engage wide interest, support broad involvement and apply an extensive set of problem-solving skills and capabilities.
This platform will be one step in pushing mankind’s limits to help us survive and thrive in space, as well as improving our chances here on Earth by spurring the innovation needed to solve global challenges, resource constraints and the need to get along in an increasingly crowded environment.
We propose a HSP organization based around the coordination of Hackerspaces (HS) worldwide. This organization will enable scalable grassroots community units collaborating with each other and with interested partners around the world to carry out activities dedicated to the enhancement of humanity’s survivability. This is accomplished through the Hackerspaces serving as local hubs for community education, innovation and self-sufficiency, whereas HSP will encourage, support and coordinate activities that could not be accomplished by any one or few Hackerspaces such as expanding humanity’s reach and presence beyond Earth orbit.
2. Results
We will create an important platform for local communities, young people and the general public to get engaged with space travel and exploration. We’re in a unique position to engage wide interest, support broad involvement and apply an extensive set of problem-solving skills and capabilities.
This platform will be one step in pushing mankind’s limits to help us survive and thrive in space, as well as improving our chances here on Earth by spurring the innovation needed to solve global challenges, resource constraints and the need to get along in an increasingly crowded environment.
YES!!!
and omfg - how do we pull this off?
R. Mark Adams, PhD
Apr 2, 2012, 8:53:52 PM4/2/12
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That sounds really great! As someone who spends his day job managing
this kind of public-private partnership, it is going to be really
exciting and interesting! We are totally interested in this kind of
thing at HacDC!
this kind of public-private partnership, it is going to be really
exciting and interesting! We are totally interested in this kind of
thing at HacDC!
-Mark
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--
| R. Mark Adams, Ph.D. | "Information is light. |
| Computational Biologist | Information in itself, |
| http://www.epotential.com | about anything, is light." |
| rma...@epotential.com | - Tom Stoppard |
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Doug Philips
Apr 2, 2012, 9:52:00 PM4/2/12
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Hells Yeah, HackPittsburgh is IN. (Just signed up for the list as the
point/contact for us).
-Doug
point/contact for us).
-Doug
Tim Miller
Apr 3, 2012, 5:57:10 PM4/3/12
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Those of us that are not strongly against military or those who remember that the space shuttle was funded largely by the military to carry weapons and spy satellites. Maybe we fully support getting support from DARPA and all you that curse the name of anything military are passing judgement that maybe you are not warranted to give. The formation and success of NASA was largely because of military money. It seems people forget where that money really comes from, it comes from our paychecks and if it has to get funneled through hell and passed out by the devil to get to where we want to go, maybe that is our choice as hackers. Defense doesn't always mean bigger badder space lasers. Defense can also be making sure that the skills needed to maintain a country's infrastructure are intact and keep and expand the country's manufacturing and continue to grow the skills methods and facilities. We have already seen what happens when you put all of a type of manufacturing ability in an one region. The new grand experiment is if we can do better in our distributed community shops and if you have a problem with working with people with the same goal as yours so be it, go join that group and sit back while the rest of us succeed in an awesome manner or fail miserably knowing we tried something. And the next time your city is decimated by a natural disaster go up to the National Guard member doing everything they can to help and tell them go away you don't want anything to do with the military.
On Tue, Apr 3, 2012 at 4:43 PM, Marc Juul <ju...@labitat.dk> wrote:
On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 4:31 PM, Jerry Isdale <isd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> My Fellow Hackers...
>
> Today I got an email from DARPA stating that they have selected our
> "Hackerspace Space Program" for contract negotiation.
Interesting / Congratulations? What does that mean exactly? How
certain is it that you will get funding?
> Those who want to flame about taking government money can do so.. We just
> wont pass any $ your way.
While I am very happy to see more interest / funding for space-related
hacker activities I think there are some important issues here that
you may be ignoring. One is that by calling yourselves the
"hackerspace space program" you are associating hackers, the
hackerspace movement and specifically everyone working on
space-related projects in hackerspaces with DARPA and the military.
Knowing that there are many who are strongly anti-military, it would
make sense to call name this project something else, perhaps something
less general?
This is not just government, this is military funding. That is an
important distinction for many.
If is of course your decision who you fund, but starting out by
calling any criticism of your decision to apply for military funding
using the hackerspace name "flaming" seems itself fairly inflammatory.
The term hacker is for many associated with a strong sense of ethics,
and it is always a good idea to be mindful of the people who disagree
with your actions on ethical grounds, even if you end up not acting on
their criticism.
As you are obviously aware there are people who will be unwilling to
work with you on this project once you accept this funding. I wonder
if you have done any research to estimate the loss in expertise,
manpower and ideas, or how much of a rift this will cause in the
hacker/maker community?
This news comes close to the news that the Maker Faire has accepted
DARPA funding, so when I mention a rift in the community it may be
bigger than just this one project.
For those who are suspicious of military involvement but not outright
unwilling to work with a DARPA funded project, it would be really
useful to have a summary of the extent and terms of this project and
funding: What are the strings attached from DARPA? Are there any
countries you will not be allowed to work with and do any of them have
DIY space groups or hackerspaces that will be excluded? Will you own
the copyright to anything copyright'able you produce and will you
control licensing / patenting? Where is the project description (can
we read the proposal you sent to DARPA)? Who will control the funding
and how will it be divided between project participants? How much
funding did you apply for and how certain are you that you will get
it? Who are involved with this project already?
--
Marc Juul
Matt Joyce
Apr 3, 2012, 5:58:44 PM4/3/12
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Hell anything of sufficient mass put in orbit can be used as a pretty
nasty weapon.
nasty weapon.
Start there. See how far you get before the military is involved.
Joe Bowser
Apr 3, 2012, 6:05:01 PM4/3/12
to Hackerspaces General Discussion List
I still have yet to hear the concerns of those of us who aren't in the US addressed. I assume this is a US citizens and residents only venture?
Matt Joyce
Apr 3, 2012, 6:06:34 PM4/3/12
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Maker Faire is not ITAR =P
It's a public forum.
Internationals are welcome.
Matthew Dumas
Apr 3, 2012, 8:21:30 PM4/3/12
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I have worked rather extensively with government grants in the past. What this Hackerspace Space Program submitted to was a DoD Broad Agency Announcement for a Rapid Innovation Fund grant.
Typically, the way an RIF works is that you submit some idea or technology to a broad topic announcement. You then get a first round review, which may result in an invitation to make a full grant proposal. The proposal you put in details your exact plan to implement a solution to the problem statement in the topic. The government can invite any number of participants to put a proposal in. Eventually, they eliminate most, if not all, of the proposals. If there are any left after elimination, the government gets in contact with the point of contact and hashes out terms of the contract.
This money is for rapid development from concept to prototype. In exchange for this funding, the government gets priority in ordering whatever you've created. You own all of the IP and can do whatever you like with it after you give your final report to the government. This fund was created to help small businesses get a foot-hold in high-tech and government sectors.
Other similar programs are the SBIR and STTR programs. If you want to read more about the RIF, go here: http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sb/opportunities.shtml
This is just a quick overview, it is important to note that each branch of the government has their own stipulations, but primarily, the selected proposals fill a Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON). There are very few strings attached, aside from government priority and government oversight. In addition, the winner of one of these grants is NOT guaranteed a contract providing said services or widgets, and will still have to commercialize the technology in order to make money from it.
I think that hits most of the important points, but I'm sure someone will be here to point out any mistakes/missing info that might be in there.
Typically, the way an RIF works is that you submit some idea or technology to a broad topic announcement. You then get a first round review, which may result in an invitation to make a full grant proposal. The proposal you put in details your exact plan to implement a solution to the problem statement in the topic. The government can invite any number of participants to put a proposal in. Eventually, they eliminate most, if not all, of the proposals. If there are any left after elimination, the government gets in contact with the point of contact and hashes out terms of the contract.
This money is for rapid development from concept to prototype. In exchange for this funding, the government gets priority in ordering whatever you've created. You own all of the IP and can do whatever you like with it after you give your final report to the government. This fund was created to help small businesses get a foot-hold in high-tech and government sectors.
Other similar programs are the SBIR and STTR programs. If you want to read more about the RIF, go here: http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sb/opportunities.shtml
This is just a quick overview, it is important to note that each branch of the government has their own stipulations, but primarily, the selected proposals fill a Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON). There are very few strings attached, aside from government priority and government oversight. In addition, the winner of one of these grants is NOT guaranteed a contract providing said services or widgets, and will still have to commercialize the technology in order to make money from it.
I think that hits most of the important points, but I'm sure someone will be here to point out any mistakes/missing info that might be in there.
Thorsten Haas
Apr 4, 2012, 2:24:04 AM4/4/12
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Jerry Isdale, wrote:
> Today I got an email from DARPA stating that they have selected our
> "Hackerspace Space Program" for contract negotiation.
> Today I got an email from DARPA stating that they have selected our
> "Hackerspace Space Program" for contract negotiation.
Congratulations! I recognize your effort to put tax dollars to work.
You're already facing a bit of a shit storm. So you're aware that by
tapping the funding of a nation state's defense program, you'll
certainly be nominated for this year's Wernher-von-Braun award!
Not sure if you sold out an international idea to the military of a
single nation or niftily funneled tax money otherwise intended for
evil[tm] into an international, awesome project.
"It's always been the doers, the risk takers, the makers of things".
We'll see how you perform.
Until then, I'll stock up my strategic popcorn supply to have enough
while reading the flame war on this topic.
Best regards, best of luck and call the ethics hotline if unsure,
skytee
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