“It was created with a mixed group consisting mostly of engineers and local artists,” says Vermeulen. The very first Seeker (Seeker, pictured above) was built inside the Bergkerk church in Deventer, Netherlands. “We typically work with an end date in mind, such as an exhibition opening event where Seekers’ creators can celebrate their starship prototype and answer questions for the community at large,” says Vermeulen. The build typically takes at least four weeks, with participants joining in as intensely as their schedules allow. Once on site, the group starts building, initial concepts and materials in hand. As a group forms, it starts sharing ideas online and collecting materials-usually recycled-often communicating over months.
Once a location and a collaborating local group is identified-such as an arts group or academic institution-the process begins with spreading the word in the larger community to build interest. And the lessons we learn can be applied both in deep space and back on Earth.” Sound intriguing? Here’s a peek at Seeker projects so far. This approach lets participants question assumptions and stereotypes, radically rethink things, and let imagination flow freely. The goal is to reimagine how we integrate ecological, technological and social systems by taking a step back from Earth. “Seeker is explicitly not embracing a doomsday scenario where Earth is destroyed and humanity has to build an ark to escape,” Vermeulen says. Why get ordinary citizens to construct starships? Vermeulen believes that everyone-not just a scientific or academic elite-should participate in imagining and building humanity’s collective future, not only for the benefit of space exploration but for life on our own planet. When Vermeulen isn’t at the university drawing board, he’s sharing his vision here back on Earth-leading community-based builds of starship prototypes in an art project called Seeker. “Moreover, if you put the asteroid at the front of the ship, it also doubles as an ablative shield,” says Vermeulen, “protecting the crew and the internal ecosystem against damaging impacts.” This hypothetical starship can mine organic materials and metals from asteroids and take them on board to expand the architecture of the ship using 3D printing. Example? For one, Vermeulen is creating a computer simulation for an asteroid starship with a student team at Delft University of Technology.
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