Leary's colonization plan varied greatly throughout the years. According to his initial plan to leave the planet, 5,000 of Earth's most virile and intelligent individuals would be launched on a vessel (Starseed 1) equipped with luxurious amenities. In the 1980s, he came to embrace NASA scientist Gerard O'Neill's more realistic and egalitarian plans to construct giant Eden-like High Orbital Mini-Earths using existing technology and raw materials from the Moon, orbital rock and obsolete satellites.
The following photo archive contains a beautifully illustrated adaptation of the SMI²LE concept that first appeared in Epic Magazine in October, 1981. Dr Leary referred to himself as "Commodore" in his autobiography, Flashbacks, and appears here as the intrepid hero of "Contact". Follow the links above the photos to navigate the archive...
