Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V08/V8_246.TXT

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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: [e-mail]
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![e-mail]  (Eric Behr)
Subject: Re: Night launch

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] 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![e-mail]  (Jonathan McDowell)
Subject: Re: Non-sexist language (was:Space Station Names)

>From article <[e-mail]>, by [e-mail] (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, [e-mail]

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![e-mail]  (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.
    [e-mail]            ADO is a trademark of Ampex.

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

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