Vision Statement
“The Earth as an Oasis, cared for by a space-faring civilization”.
This was the vision statement we established when the Foundation was created in 1994. To advance this vision of preserving Earth and settling space as two interdependent and mutually supportive objectives, the Foundation has provided small grants to exploration and field research that link Earth preservation and space exploration. Over 100 projects around the world have benefitted from this program. You can apply for these here.
Mission Statement
“Society now faces the dual challenge of the environmental preservation of Earth and the exploration of space. Both are essential to our quality of life and our future. Neither goal can exclude the other and success in either requires boldly advancing on both. By supporting and encouraging exploration that bridges these complementary goals, the Earth and Space Foundation seeks to promote and fulfil the vision of Earth as an oasis, cared for by a space-faring society.”
This is the mission statement of the Earth and Space Foundation. From remote sensing of endangered habitats using satellites to the study of microorganisms and human performance in extreme environments in order to understand the potential for life on other planets and assist in the human expansion to these new worlds, there are universal ties between space exploration and the preservation of Earth. By funding innovative field and laboratory work, the Foundation seeks to bring the environmental and space exploration communities together to address the challenges now facing human society.
Click Here to read an article on the Foundation’s work in Space Policy (opens in new window)
History and Status of the Foundation
The Foundation was established as a registered charity in the UK (No. 1043871) in 1994 by Charles Cockell. It awarded its first grants in 1995. Later that year the name was changed from the ‘Foundation for Non-Terrestrial Exploration’ to the ‘Twenty-one Eleven Foundation’, named after the two-hundredth anniversary of the first expeditions to leave for the Earth’s South Pole in the hope that similar expeditions would be launched to the Martian poles in the year 2111. The Foundation retained the name ’2111 Foundation’ until it was changed to the Earth and Space Foundation in the early 2000s.
