Los Angeles was a fitting locale for the First Annual Conference on Space Development. With its smog and urban sprawl, L.A. provided a perfect counterpoint to the clean, uncluttered reaches of space for more than seven hundred enthusiasts, activists, and hi-tech professionals gathered together by the L-5 Society.
The L-5 Society “was formed in September 1975 with the purpose of promoting space development in governmental . . . and private sectors.” The name L-5 is short for the LaGrange libration point number five. A libration point is any area at which the gravitational pull of two bodies in space—in this case Earth and the moon—creates stability. (LaGrange discovered the principle.) These areas are ideal for manmade space colonies since the gravitational stability means that they would not drift away. There are five libration points created by Earth and the moon; L-5, which is one of the most stable, follows the moon in its orbital path. The last meeting of the L-5 Society is scheduled to take place in one of these future colonies. Then the society will close up shop because it will have fulfilled its purpose.
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