Dear NSS Florida Space Coast Members and Friends,
National Space Society Florida Space Coast Chapter Minutes and Notes, June 13, 2006 Meeting
Time: 5:30
Location:
Paddy Cassidy’s Irish Pub
Cocoa Beach, FL
Attendance:
Tim Bailey
Fred Becker
Brad Byron
Edward Ellegood
Robert Driscole
Ross Tierney
1. NSS Launch Viewing at Washington Street Beach in Cape Canaveral for MiTex Launch, Tuesday, June 20
We will set up our NSS chapter table on Cape Canaveral’s Washington Street Beach for the evening launch of a Delta II on Tuesday, June 20. Take AIA to Atlantic Avenue North and then to Washington Avanue east to the beach. We will hand out Ad Astra magazines and have a radio tuned in to the launch broadcast.
2. NSS Launch Viewing at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral for Space Shuttle STS-121 Launch, July 1
We will again have our NSS chapter table out for this event. We will be at Jetty Park, handing out Ad Astra magazines and relaying the launch broadcast via radio. Parking is $5 per vehicle. We plan to notify other NSS chapters of our presence here should anyone wish to visit. We will have a special planning meeting to ensure coordination on June 27th. This will be at Paddy Cassidy’s.
http://www.portcanaveral.org/funport/parks.htm
3. Space Walk of Fame Museum to Move to Main Street in Titusville, August
The Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville is moving from Searstown Mall to a location on Main Street in downtown Titusville, reopening in early August. They have funding for another year. We may offer to assist with logistics of the move. Our Yuri’s Night event on April 12 was a great success, with food, kids games, the cape model, a singer songwriter, a book-signing, online chat with other events, a HAM radio commemorative event, and more.
http://www.spacewalkoffame.com/
4. NSS Space Development Conference, ISDC 2006, May 4-7
The annual national NSS conference in LA was the biggest ever, with 1300 attendees. Florida members Tim Bailey, Fred Becker and Robert Driscole attended. Our chapter received a special award for Publicity and Media. The conference had a focus on new commercial launch companies and space tourism. There were also sessions on space solar power, Mars settlements, space and culture, space art, and space science. Tim Bailey was on the special tour of SpaceX, right on the assembly floor. His Zero-G company also gave a flight at ISDC. Celebrities at ISDC included Buzz Aldrin, Burt Rutan, Elon Musk, Burt Rutan, and Rod Roddenbery. Our chapter did not have the monthly social meeting in May due to ISDC.
5. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, May
The event was very well run and attended this year. Brad Byron will send a summary of this memorable event.
http://www.astronautscholarship.org/events.html
6. NASA Spaceward Bound Travel Grants
NASA is providing travel funds for students interested in working over the summer at Mars Desert Research Station. Grant time is approaching.
http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/students.html
http://www.marssociety.org/mdrs/
7. Other Items
We had interesting discussions about the future launch vehicle plans, the Florida Space reorganization, the X-Prize events coming up this summer in New Mexico. Ross Tierney will be producing a new model soon. A Space Settlement Design Competition will be held in Houston (rather than Titusville as was done last year) in July. We also discussed the possibility of Brevard County grants for creation of an FM transmission for launch countdowns. Welcome to new visitor Edward Ellegood.
http://www.launchcomplexmodels.com/
With that, the meeting adjourned.
Fred Becker
VP and Secretary
Reference on Ongoing Events
1. Chapter Monthly Social
Our chapter meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. These meetings are held at Paddy Cassidy’s in Cocoa Beach. Paddy’s is located in the Publix shopping center near
