Official Flat-Earth Expedition Fundraiser Thread!

Help us prove a flat-earth! 

Through our education and discussions of a flat-earth, such hypothetical users as JonnyItzRound, Flatties-R-Fatties, or perhaps R0underThanYerPromDat3 will often say something of the ilk of, "Why don't you charter an expedition and go to location X, make a map, and prove a flat-earth?"  Well Jonny, the reason that we do not charter an expedition to the dangerous location X is that we do not have the money.  The reason that we do not make a map is that none of us are cartographers.  This has thus far been our answer to the hundreds, if not thousands, or requests to "simply" charter an expedition.

But no more!!!  This is the Official Flat Earth Expedition Fund Raising Thread!!!  With your donations we will use the money to charter an expedition and, once and for all, prove a flat-earth!  Continue reading for a brief Q&A to answer some of your burning questions.

Q&A
-What will you do to prove a flat-earth?
We will rent a boat, hire a crew, hire a cartographer, hire a wilderness expert, hire a mountain climbing expert, hire a medical expert, purchase provisions, purchase cold-weather gear, and buy/train sled dogs.  In Phase I we will circumnavigate Antarctica to determine if it's an island or an ice rim.  If Antarctica is determined to be an island we will leave it and head for the ice wall.  If it is the rim, we will leave the boat and attempt to find the edge or end.  This is Phase II.  All the while we will be making maps and taking temperature and altitude measurements.

-What will this prove?
It will prove that there is an ice rim and we will have a map.

-Who will go on the expedition?
Not counting the crew and scientists listed above, there will be a flat-earth contingent decided upon by the Society's leadership as well as others (see donating benefits listed below).

-Do you expect this to turn into a fight-for-your-life cold-weather thriller like the movie Alien Vs Predator?
I do not.

-What problems or risks do you foresee?
Finding unindoctrinated scientists and crew willing to go on this expedition.  There is also many inherent dangers in going into such extreme environments.  There is also a real risk of health concerns when approaching the rim.

-How can I donate?
Capital question!  Scroll to the bottom of this page or simply click here


Donation Rewards:
We know it's a lot to ask for your hard-earned money and sometimes the pursuit of science just isn't enough.  So, we are prepared to offer the following rewards for donating. (Note: Please provide valid email address with donation so you can be contacted about your rewards)

$5 USD Donation: Thanks listed on the official expedition journal.

$15 USD Donation: Newly discovered minor geographical feature or landmark named after you.  Example Sokarul's hole or Jroa's Landing.

$25 USD Donation: Official Flat Earth Expedition T-shirt (to depict new flat-earth map)

$50 USD Donation: Official Flat-Earth Expedition thread started in your honor in CN.

$100 USD Donation: Official Flat Earth Expedition Hoodie (to depict new flat-earth map)

$500 USD Donation: Your name added to the plaque left on the Ice Wall.

$1,000 USD Donation: Newly discovered species of plant or animal named after you (provided we discover enough to meet demand.  Names given on a first donated, first named basis)  Example Gayer antarimica

$10,000 USD Donation: Newly discovered major geographical feature or landmark named after you.  Example The Markjo Mountains, Bishop Bluffs, The Plains of Parsifal.

$100,000 USD Donation: Invitation to accompany the expedition. (contingent on passing the physical requirements)

$1,000,000 USD Donation: Name associated with the forthcoming Nobel Prize.

-Do you expect this to turn into a fight-for-your-life cold-weather thriller like the movie Alien Vs Predator?
I do not.

I hope not as well.   Appalling film.  I sued the producers for loss of intelligence and dignity.

Anyway, I've sent 0 bitcoins to get the ball rolling.

Your donation link seems to be broken.  Not sure how you will collect money if the donate link is broken.

Hrmmmm, that's troubling.  I'll get that fixed ASAP!!!

DONATE BUTTON IS FIXED.  YOU MAY NOW START DONATING AND COLLECTING YOUR FUTURE REWARDS.

Can we donate with our time? Or only money? 
Would love to go on an expedition to prove Willmore's theory that Antarctica is NOT an ice wall.

There are three ways to join the expedition. Be one of the required experts, have the Society select you, or donate $100,000 USD. Explore whichever avenue you find the easiest.

Why is the goal so high? Are you paving the way there with Solar Roadway tiles? 

Is this really going on? How many people do you have in your team? 

It's really happening, Imoogi. You should make an $100,000 donation so you can join the expedition.

I can promise everyone that I will go to Antarctica (assuming I'm selected) once the goal is reached.   

Is there anyone serious in this place?

I am dead serious.

I am dead serious.

Surely you cant be serious.

I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.

Pongo should give us an update on the fundraiser.

Perhaps Pongo should have done this on Kickstarter so that we can all track the progress.  A much larger potential donor pool would be nice too.

Why not just ask for $10k and just book that flight from Australia to South America that has been posted before.

Perhaps Pongo should have done this on Kickstarter so that we can all track the progress.  A much larger potential donor pool would be nice too.

I heard that Kickstarter has a time limit and if you don't reach your goal in the time limit you get nothing.  I fear that this may take awhile to gather the funds required. As of yet, no one has donated anything but me.

250k sent, hope this helps. Can anyone confirm it went through ok?

250k sent, hope this helps. Can anyone confirm it went through ok?

Got it.

This is a really excellent idea.

I can promise everyone that I will go to Antarctica (assuming I'm selected) once the goal is reached.

I notice that you say in your preamble that one of the expedition's problems will be "finding unindoctrinated scientists" to accompany you.

Can you please explain what you mean by this term as I've not heard it used before.  Could you also tell me the names of any potential scientists you've contacted in order to request their participation.  Have any agreed, at least on a preliminary basis?  Have any refused outright, and for what reasons?

Before I contributed to something as way out of left field as this potential expedition appears to be, I'd need to know the names of the individual scientific team members to ensure that they were duly accredited and suitably qualified in their specific fields.

And to be honest, as a round earther, I consider the current geophysical data describing the Antarctic continent as perfectly legitimate and satisfying any questions I may have had, or do have.  Nevertheless, I'd still be prepared to make a small donation to your expedition if for no other reason than to justify my acceptance of the status quo, and in all probability to disprove the flat earth "ice wall" theory.

The $4,000,000 goal was figured from the cost of expeditions from 1910 to 1913 and adjusted for inflation.  That's about $3,000,000 and we added another $1,000,000 because we aren't simply going to a location, we will be recording data and exploring.  We need to hire a much more educated crew than simple explorers.  This is not an unreasonable amount of money to ask for the expedition planned.

When is sceptimatic's $250,000 donation going to be reported?

He PM'd me "K" 250 times. We only accept donations via paypal in USD.

The $4,000,000 goal was figured from the cost of expeditions from 1910 to 1913 and adjusted for inflation.  That's about $3,000,000 and we added another $1,000,000 because we aren't simply going to a location, we will be recording data and exploring.  We need to hire a much more educated crew than simple explorers.  This is not an unreasonable amount of money to ask for the expedition planned.

It is if you don't have a detailed budget explaining exactly how much money is going where.

He PM'd me "K" 250 times. We only accept donations via paypal in USD.

I sincerely hope this is true and if it is I am sad you had to go through it.

Just a question in regard to the FES expedition for the quest to the ice wall :

Supposing if: You do raise the money for the expedition . You do make the expedition.You do find the ice wall.

Aren't you afraid those NASA armed guards are going to shoot all of you on sight ?
Maybe you have figured the cost to bribe them in your estimate of the cost ?

Is there anyone serious in this place?

Do you realize what website you are on 

Aren't you afraid those NASA armed guards are going to shoot all of you on sight ?

This is not a primary concern of the Expedition.