Question: "What can I do to help?"

Answer: There are many things you can easily do to help this project succeed. Help us spread the word by inviting all your friends and family to check out our website and facebook page. Host a party or other event to help us raise $$ and awareness (BBQ, art auction, bake sale, etc..., we'll might even be able to show up and talk...) All donations are through our non-profit, Space for Vision Project, and will be tax-deductable. You might be able to donate a service as a volunteer. And we especially want you to submit your own suggestion for sacred text to include in the project. More suggestions can be found on the get involved page. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. We can't make this happen without help from people all over the world!

Question: is it really prudent to send even more stuff up into space, when these things are not only expensive in money but also raw materials and pollution?

Answer: After researching the issues before we undertook this project, and consulting with the aerospace industry, we found that we can realize this project without unrealistic expenses or significant damage to the environment. Here's How:

We are designing the Skywheel satellite to be a secondary launch payload. When commercial companies hire a launch for a particular satellite, often there is left over room in the cargo area. This empty room can be used to launch smaller sized satellites, like the Skywheel. In this situation, the resources (raw materials, fuel, etc...) are already being used, and the Skywheel gets to hitch a ride in the empty space.

The secondary payload rides are usually significantly cheaper in cost, and sometimes can be had for free. Other free rides are sometimes possible in new rockets that are being tested, and thus not able to carry a commercial payload. The more publicity, exposure and popularity the project gains, the more the aerospace industry will step up and be able to make these options happen.

A note on rockets in general. While they do indeed expend a significant amount of resources to achieve the high altitudes they obtain, there have been significant improvements in their environmental impact in recent years. Rockets that carry smaller payloads can be made of composite carbon, have simpler engines and can use jet fuel. They are launched over the ocean, and after the empty booster tanks fall back to Earth, they become coral reefs.

Question: There are many ways to promote prayer and peace in the world. Why do we need the Skywheel Satellite?

Answer: There are many other great ways to promote prayer and peace on Earth that work in a different manner than the Skywheel. World Peace Day, the Vow of Non-Violence and Monks without Borders are just a few of the many global efforts that are working in this direction.

But change comes slowly, and today we live in a world just awaking to its new global identity and struggling to throw off the prejudices of the past. We have to come together quickly to fight the environmental (and other global) challenges that face us all. In order for sweeping changes in our cultural and personal operating systems to take affect, we must feel the transition deep in our core. In a time of great transition, new symbols that represent that transformation can be very helpful tools to move things along.

The Skywheel Satellite can be one such symbol, representing a transition toward respect for and cooperation between people of all faiths, beliefs and backgrounds. It can be a symbol of validation for people who feel their spiritual voices are not being heard by a larger world, a symbol of hope to those who feel that world of technology is cold and without thought for what is greater than us, and a symbol of acknowledgement that yes, we humans are aware that all the heavenly bodies are prayer wheels, spinning the blessings of the song of the Universe to us all.

We believe that the Skywheel can be a powerful source of inspiration to all who are working toward transforming themselves and the Earth during this challenging time. That inspiration can lead to faith in our ultimate success, and that faith can move mountains.

Didn't find the Answer to your question here? Ask a question at info@skywheel.org or join the discussions on our Facebook page.

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