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Subject: SPACE Digest V8 #246

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 8 : Issue 246

Today's Topics:
	       Ad hominum attacks, summary of NSS board
			   Re: Night launch
	  Re: Non-sexist language (was:Space Station Names)
		     Re: Space Station Names :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 May 1988 13:47-EDT 
From: Dale.Amon@h.gp.cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Ad hominum attacks, summary of NSS board

I will respond once and only once on the personal attacks that I have
seen recently in this magazine.  Scott Pace and I are both available to
defend ourselves, some of the others named are not. 

Several individuals have been slandered who are not present to defend
themselves. I cannot hope to handle a defense for them, but just so
that these good people do not have their reputations impugned simply
because the thousands of readers out there do not know anything about
them, I will give a brief summary bio:

Sandy Adamson was instrumental in the founding of the Portland L5
chapter. Her background was in anthropology, but her first love was
space colonies. She moved to Tucson and was a major activist with the
Tucson chapter for many years. She became an officer within L5 and
traveled to conferences, both national and regional on her own
resources for many years. And her own resources were based on
freelancing work around Tucson. A major part of her income went into
society activities. She was a major force in political activities in
the society. In 1984 she did a great deal of work and got society
volunteers behind the short lived Glenn campaign.

A few years ago, she went to Washington to help lobby for the space
station funding for L5. She was paid only part time because that was
all that could be afforded, and what was available to pay her came
mostly from individual donations in special fund raisers. She had to
share space in someone else's apartment because she wasn't paid enough
to afford her own place.

To survive she started picking up some small jobs, and was finally
pointed to a consulting position by an old friend. She has for the last
year and half held a real paying job in space policy. She has thus
advanced one more step towards her life dream of living and working in
space after spending 10 years donating her life, her income and just
about her soul to the society. She also finds time to be a very caring
individual.

Mark Hopkins is more controversial in society circles but no one, even
his most avowed 'enemy' (sic) will claim that he is anything less than
one of the initiators of the space movement and one of it's hardest
workers.

Mark was involved with the initial summer study group run by Dr.
O'Neill and along with Eric Drexler (also present at that session) and
some others, was one of the founders of L5. He was working on a Phd in
Economics at Harvard(?) at the time. He took a job at Rand doing
non-space type work. The think-tank type atmosphere gave him the time
to dedicate to the society. Many of us have wondered if he ever
actually did ANY Rand work, or if so whether he'd invented the 30 hour
day. He had not finished his Phd thesis due to society work, and in
fact is only now finishing it, over TEN YEARS late. We once gave his
wife an "ignored spouse" award. It actually wasn't so funny. Mark has
totally dedicated his life to the space movement, and as far as I can
tell has gotten nothing out of it except getting burned out, burned and
maybe a bit paranoid. But he keeps at it, no matter what the personal
cost.

Since our organizational watch word is "I WANT TO GO!!!!!" I would
suggest that most of our more energetic members will eventually work
professionally in some facit of space. We are processing grass roots
activists into professionals committed to the dream. Those
professionals will dominate the government, military and private space
efforts because they CARE.  Hardworking activists are going to drive out the
9-5 put-in-40 schleps. If we aren't in it to go ourselves, then why
would any of us be such utter fools as to endanger our careers,
relationships, finances and sanity for the movement? (Last year cost me
nearly a third of my GROSS) I want to go, and I work with other people
who also want to go. Anyone who doesn't had better get out of my way.

I will also note that "aerospace" money does not dominate the
organization. Such monies are received through the AIAC (Aerospace
Industries Association Council), but are used only for special
projects, NOT for operating expenses. This is intentionally done to
keep them at a safe arms length. At least one incident occured in which
they did try to throw some weight. And they got quite a few people very
angry (myself included). I doubt they will try it again soon.

It is easy to attack particular goals of the society. And the larger
the organization grows, the more likely it is that some group will be
dissatisfied. I suggest that the vote on the name change tells us
something about the stand of the average member.

I will also state (having been one of the people who voluntarily worked for
severals days to encode last fall's survey) that a vast majority of the
membership places strong support of the space station in the context of
going for a lunar base and then to Mars. The policy stands of the
organization follow this.  I'm personally in favor of Space
Industries/WESPACE, External Tank Company, etc INSTEAD of the station.
But so long as I am a representative of a membership that
feels otherwise, I will bow to their wishes while occasionally pointing
out the alternatives and working to insure they are noticed.

I will also note the copy of the Space Cause voters guide in front of
me has Dukakis as the first entry and gives him nearly a full page. My
candidate, Ron Paul was left out entirely. I expressed my disappointment to
Mr. Pace. Within a week he responded to me with a hardcopy draft on Ron
Paul. Ron will be fairly treated in the next edition.

I can hardly call this non-responsiveness to minority views.

I will not respond furthur on this topic. I will work with anyone who
wants to make the society bigger and better. I will also attempt to
educate people about non-statist viewpoints while not ramming it down
their throats.

And I will ignore the existance of any of the tiny minority who want to
do nothing but bicker over internalities. It is a waste of my time.


					SUBJECT CLOSED,
					Dale Amon
					National Space Society,
						Board of Directors



Current Board of Directors:

	Dale Amon		founder PghL5, chair NE84 regional
				conference and 6th national conference.
	Michael Collins		Apollo 11 astronaut
	Tom Doherty		New York chapter
	K Eric Drexler		author Engines of Creation, founding
				member of L5, chapter activist in
				Massachusetts area a few years back.
				Worked on the very first mass driver.
				He's the long haired one in the picture
				you always see of MD-I with Gerard
				O'Neill in front.
				Founder of Foresite Institute
	Art Dula		Chairman of 2nd national conference.
				Active in Space Foundation (Space
				Business Roundtables). Well known space
				lawyer, involved with marketing the
				Proton to US customers.
	Frederick Durant III	(I don't know him well)
	Nancy Feldman		(Don't know her. Regional board member
				from Kansas)
	Edward Finch		space lawyer, author of Astrobusiness.
				Helped carry our fight against the Moon
				Treaty to the UN.
	Georgia Franklin	Housewife, does lectures with hundereds
				of schools in Washington state every
				year. A tireless activist.
	Peter Glaser		inventor of the Solar Power Satellite
	William Gunn		long time activist in South Carolina
				chapters.
	Joe Hopkins		spark plug behind most of the Seattle
				chapters. Worked on "glass cockpit' of
				767 for Boeing. Chairman of 5th
				national conference. Another tireless
				worker.
	Maxwell Hunter		Long time aerospace engineer. Currently
				retired and designing single stage to
				orbit craft for Society Expeditions.
	Margaret Jordon		Ran the Astronaut Memorial Foundation
				for L5 until the bill died in congress.
				Worked with TRW for awhile, currently a
				student again. Long time activist in
				the OASIS chapter.
	Irving Kahn		(Don't know him)
	George Koopman		Activist who is doing something about
				it. Was involved with Starstruck water
				launch of solid-fuel/liquid oxidizer
				test vehicle. President of AMROC, a
				compnay he founded to furthur develop
				private launch vehicles.
	John Logsdon		VERY well known space policy and
				history expert at George Washington
				University. An insider.
	Jim Muncy		Worked for Newt Gingritch, parleyed
				into a job as space policy advisor to
				George Keyworth. Left when Keyworth
				did. Did some work for Geostar, some
				staff work for NSS and SSI. An
				absolutely dedicated activist. Not yet
				30.
	Florence Nelson		I know little about her except she
				started a town in Arizona and seems to
				be a very good person.
	Frederick Ordway III	Know very little except that he is an
				insider.
	Warren Overton		Was the phone tree chairman until a few
				months ago. I believe he founded the
				Birmingham Alabama chapter.
	Chris Peterson		Was a chapter activist when she and
				Eric Drexler were in school. Later
				became chapters coordinator for L5, the
				editor of L5 News, an officer in the
				society for a few years.
	Ken Poe			Kansas chapter activist. Became L5
				chapters coordinator after Chris
				Peterson.
	Gene Roddenberry	Star Trek.
	Neil Ruzic		(Don't know him)
	Charles Sheffield	SF author. VP of company involved in
				remote sensing. Co-chairman of 4th
				national conference.
	Jill Steele		Denver area chapter activist. Chair of
				the next national conference (7th)


EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

	Ben Bova (president)	Well known SF author

	Gordon Woodcock		Long time Boeing employee. Along with
	(Chairman of the	Joe Hopkins, one of the founders of
	 Executive Committee)	Seattle L5 chapters. Co-chair of 5th
				national conference. Was President of
				L5 at time of merger. Gives papers on
				leading edge space missions, propulsion
				ideas, economic justifications,etc.

	Arthur Kantrowitz	member of National Academy of Science
	(Chairman, Board of
	  Directors)

	Hugh Downs		Well known broadcaster at ABC netowrk
	(Chairman, Board of
	 Governors)

	Gary Oleson		Founder of Washington DC chapter.
	(Executive Vice		Chairman of 4th national conference.
	 President)		Dedicated activist.

	Mark Chartrand		Former exec director of NSI
	(Senior Vice President)

	Mark Hopkins		A founder of L5, Spacepac, Spacecause
	(Vice President)	Has been a key figure in L5 society
				operations and now NSS operations for
				over a decade.

	Robert F Allnutt	(don't know him)
	(Vice President)

	Elisa Wynn		Dominant force behind Niagara L5 for
	(Vice President)	many years. Current chapters
				coordinator. Working on lots of
				committees and traveling to DC at
				regular intervals. A housewife with 2
				kids.

	Leonard David		Founder of one of the earliest (and
	(Vice President)	short lived space organizations) about
				15 years back, along with Alan Ladwig.
				Past and new editor of Space World. A
				'professional' activist for 15 years.
				Also a damn fine auto-harp player and
				songwriter.

	Sandy Adamson		Activist with Portland L5, Tucson L5
	(Secretary)		One of the founders of L5 political
				efforts going back to the Moon Treaty
				fight. Was society 'paid' lobbyist in
				DC during early space stations fights.
				Has been officer and board member off
				and on for nearly a decade. Currently
				working for a beltway bandit.

	Harry S Dawson		(Don't know him)
	(treasurer)

	David Brandt Erichsen	Was with Sandy Adamson as a Portland L5
	(Assistant Secretary)	and a Tucson L5 activist. Was a long
				time officer of L5.

	Ed Gray			(don't know him)
	(Assistant Treasurer)

	S Neil HosenBall	(don't know him)
	(General Council)

	Glen Wilson		was involved with NASA educational
	(Executive Director)	outreach for many years. Has been exec
				director of NSI and now NSS. Has put 
				in loads of his own cash and taken no
				salary.

	David Webb		This guy has done so much for so long
	(Chairman of the	that I'm almost embarrased to
	 Legislative Comm.)	summarize. He was heavily involved with
				UNISPACE 82, was one of our activist
				reps on the National Commission on
				Space. Has helped on virtually every
				national conference. Founded a space
				studies program at University of North
				Dakota. And on, and on. He's also one
				of the nicest people you will ever deal
				with. Of course he is Irish...

------------------------------

Date: 15 May 88 16:47:58 GMT
From: sonia!khayo@cs.ucla.edu  (Eric Behr)
Subject: Re: Night launch

In article <12260@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> khayo@MATH.ucla.edu I wrote:
 >I just saw a fabulous sight - most likely a launch from
 >VAB. (...)
  ^^^ sorry for the typo; I'm sure VAFB is a little better
suited for launching things than VAB is 8-)

 >I hope to read something about it in tomorrow's paper.
Nothing in the papers, but a one-liner on NPR: it was a Trident
test, launched from a sub off the coast...

                                                       Eric

------------------------------

Date: 14 May 88 14:43:59 GMT
From: cfa!cfa250!mcdowell@husc6.harvard.edu  (Jonathan McDowell)
Subject: Re: Non-sexist language (was:Space Station Names)

>From article <8738@ames.arc.nasa.gov>, by eugene@pioneer.arpa (Eugene N. Miya):
> They had Uncle Carl Sagan on the Morning Show.  K.S. brought to topic
> of Unmanned versus Manned space, and Carl politely noted the sexism in
> the term and moved on the role of the person-ed and un-person-ed space.
> --eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov

The NCOS report used 'piloted' and 'unpiloted' spaceflight which is
pretty well what I'd settled on as the best term.  One can also talk
about 'automatic spacecraft' vs 'spaceships' (the latter being vessels
with humans aboard'.  The 'unpiloted' term runs into trouble when we
have robot spaceships with human passengers.  Maybe 'Astronautics'
should include everything and 'Spaceflight' should be restricted to
flight involving humans.  But I just can't come up with a good
gender-free word to replace exactly the sense of 'manned'! 'Person' is
ugly, and potentially includes non-human intelligences (Martians or
human-made AI) - we need a term which means specifically 'humanned' but
sounds more natural.  'Crewed' is no good (see comment about
passenger-only above), likewise 'staffed' (yuck) which doesnt have the
right sense.  Any constructive suggestions?

Jonathan McDowell

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

------------------------------

Date: 14 May 88 20:35:53 GMT
From: elsie!ado@cvl.umd.edu  (Arthur David Olson)
Subject: Re: Space Station Names :-)

> They had Uncle Carl Sagan on the Morning Show.  K.S. brought to topic
> of Unmanned versus Manned space, and Carl politely noted the sexism in
> the term and moved on the role of the person-ed and un-person-ed space.

Does this mean advocates of automated exploration will become unpersons?
-- 
	  Canada is to spaceflight as the U.S.S.R. is to baseball.
	ado@ncifcrf.gov			ADO is a trademark of Ampex.

------------------------------

End of SPACE Digest V8 #246
*******************

