Thursday, July 10, 7:30pm

Mars Pathfinder: Landing on Mars July 4! The latest news! NEAR Probe: Flying by Planetoid Mathilde June 27!
Strip Mining the Galaxy: Conquering the Cosmos in Eight Easy Steps
by Larry Klaes and Jeff Foust

Jeff Foust, a planetary astronomer at MIT, will brief us on the latest news about Mars Pathfinder, which by then will have landed on the Red Planet and started roving around it. If all goes well, Pathfinder will provide us with the first surface pictures of Mars in over 20 years!
     Jeff will also talk about the NEAR probe which will have flown by planetoid Mathilde on June 27. Jeff will present the results from this exciting mission. The planetoid Mathilde is much larger than and quite different from Gaspra and Ida, which Galileo flew by in 1991 and 1993, respectively.
     Our beloved Vice President, Larry Klaes, will give a short talk about strip mining the galaxy:
     We live on one tiny little blue rock in a Universe of vast, vast resources and potential. After 5 billion years we finally have the ability to explore beyond our little Earth. But what are we doing instead? Orbiting it in a collection of glorified tin cans and wavering at the thought of checking out some nearby worlds for ourselves! We need to be more aggressive as a civilization and species to get out there and explore and use what exists. It is absurd to think that Earth is all we have or need. As Carl Sagan once said, it is either spaceflight or extinction for us. We will discuss the pros and cons of this view and what we can do about it.
     We hope to see you there!

[Ed. Note: Paul Beich led a discussion on space activism at the June meeting of the Boston chapter of the National Space Society. His article below is his expression of some of his comments he made while leading the discussion. These comments do not necessarily reflect those of the chapter as a whole.]

I am a space enthusiast. I have been a lifelong supporter of real, "let's get out there and see what we find" space exploration. I am as eager as I was as a child in the late 1960's to see humans explore and settle the Moon and Mars, for starters. These are big and important projects, and I am still learning as an adult about how I can help make space exploration happen. During the last several years, I have been wondering about why we humans are still Earth-bound when we proved 27 years ago (with Apollo 11) that we have what it takes to go places.
     When I was young, my hopes for space exploration were linked to my hope that the world operated in a fundamentally rational and fair manner that worked well for everyone. Space exploration did not seem in any way separate from concerns about myself or other human beings. Both when I was a child, and presently as an adult, exploring space seems to me as rational an aspiration as wanting a world without war or violence, and in which everyone has equal opportunity and access to resources. I don't think I was unique--look at the face of any young person and you will probably see someone with very high hopes and expectations of life, unless their hopes and dreams have repeatedly met with discouraging messages from well-meaning but discouraged adults. Up until the present, this phenomenon seems to have been almost universal-- one generation passes on to the next generation a certain amount of feeling powerless and hopeless about being able to make the world more rational and workable for everyone. It is these feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness that are the major obstacles to our goal.
     So what does this have to do with space exploration? An activist of any sort frequently asks her/himself, "Can I really make a difference? Will my efforts really pay off?" In trying to bring about a spacefaring civilization, we are trying to radically change the course of human history, which has been lived, right up to the present moment, almost exclusively on Earth or just above it. If we seriously expect to be able to bring about a space-faring civilization, then we had better believe in our ability to change the world. Take a close look at the National Space Society's mission statement: "To promote change in social, technical, economic and political conditions to advance the day when people will live and work in space". If that's not an invitation to change the world, I don't know what is.
     The women and men who made the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs happen set out to do things that had never been done before. They admirably achieved their goals by determinedly addressing the technical obstacles to human space exploration. Our task is quite different.
     Technical problems are no longer the obstacle to our desired "space-faring civilization"; social, economic and political conditions are today's obstacles. Addressing these conditions is our task, and in many ways it is a more difficult task than faced by the people who, in the 1960s, tackled the technical problems. But our task is no less achievable than theirs, and I propose that we get about our work with the same dedication and single-mindedness as the people who worked for and achieved the United State's goals in space in the 1960s, culminating with Apollo. This is my challenge to everyone who calls her or himself a space activist, and a challenge which I accept myself, though I am still figuring out the "how" of bringing about change in social, economic and political conditions.
      We must first try to answer a hard question: "What are the social, economic and political conditions that will advance the day when people live and work in space?" This question is, of course, infinitely debatable, but I will offer my speculations. I propose that the conditions that will lead to our species living and flourishing away from Earth include:
     (1) real equality of economic opportunity for all people, and
     (2) a pervasive understanding among all human beings of the commonality our interests-- i.e., what is truly good for one of us is good for everyone, and vice versa. I will elaborate on both of these.
     "Real equality of economic opportunity for all people." By this I mean that everyone, both in and outside the U.S., must have equal and adequate access to work that provides an acceptable living. We cannot delude ourselves that these conditions already exist in the world--they do not. At this point in history, it is still true that the degree to which a person has access to resources (and therefore a decent living) is largely determined by a person's class, race, gender and nationality. "Upward social mobility through hard work" is a well-worn myth of capitalism in the U.S. which glosses over the realities of classism, racism, sexism and imperialism that effect the world's people, and lead to vast economic inequality. Anyone who looks into the matter will find the gap between the incomes of the richest Americans and the rest of us is steadily widening. Women still earn less than men, and the economic effects of racism in our country our still readily apparent. Ours is a great country, but we must face that we have yet to live up to our noble ideals of equality for everyone. (Since the United States still in many ways sets the pace for the world politically and economically, I think we U.S. citizens have a particular responsibility to address the inequities in our political and economic system, as the mistakes of our country have repercussions around the globe.)
     My observations lead me to think that the economic inequalities that we see in the U.S. and in the world's economy are inherently embedded in our capitalist economic system. To achieve "real equality of economic opportunity", we must seriously question and overhaul our current economic system which rewards greed and "privilege of birth" more than it does hard work.
     I propose that economic inequality, which leads to competition for resources, is bad for space exploration. The current economic system keeps the majority of people preoccupied with "keeping up" or "getting ahead" economically, instead of "reaching for the stars" as a unified human race.
     "A pervasive understanding among all human beings of the commonality our interests." Many of the people who have gone into space came back talking about this--about the deep connection we share with each other based on our common heritage and our common home, Earth. None of us can afford to be narrowly focused on our own immediate interests (not even space exploration), because as human beings our destiny is intimately interwoven with that of every other human. I propose that disunity and conflict among humans is based on confusion, not reality, and that as humans our actual needs and interests our very closely aligned. This premise becomes easier to accept if you assume that we humans are basically social creatures, that we really like and enjoy our connections with one another, and that we really do care about each other's well-being.
     In light of our connectedness and common destiny, "enlightened self-interest" means deciding to take an attitude of interest in and responsibility for the affairs of the entire world. "Responsibility for the affairs of the entire world?", you ask? In my opinion, we have a choice of believing in our powerlessness, or believing in our power to change the world--any limit we place on our power to change the world is a vote cast for our powerlessness. But whether we know yet how to solve the world's problems or not, we must train ourselves to think and act like this: "It is up to me to see that things go right, and I can make a difference."
     Human beings got to the Moon because someone dreamt up the idea, and many others who believed in the idea worked for it. Dream, believe, work for it--this is exactly how we will bring about the changes in our world that will lead to the glorious spacefaring civilization we long for.

PASA regular business luncheon and formal meeting from 1-3 pm, the third Saturday of every month at Smart Alex Restaurant, Sheraton University City, 35th & Chestnut. 2 hours free parking with validation. Next Dates: July 27th & September 6th Scheduled PASA activities:
     Sun., July 27th 1 pm informal meeting at Smart Alex. (No formal meetings during July & Aug.) Sept. 6th regular monthly meeting at Smart Alex. Call Dottie for details. June 21st Meeting Report
     Earl Bennett discussed: a 1989 R. Aspole book which mentioned O'Neill colonies; a newer book which talked about deep sea submersibles; the June 97 Sky & Telescope article "The Case for Europa's Ocean"; a National Public Radio show about the possibility of life on Europa; and a Public Television series The Mysteries of the Universe.
     Earl also discussed: the Boston NSS Chapter's June 97 SpaceViews Update (http://www.seds.org/spaceviews) articles on: scientists at Arecebo failing to find evidence of water on the Moon, NASA missions to Mars from 2007 to 2016 for $40B, and NASA study contracts for small space launch vehicles (400 pounds for $1.5M); and the June 97 Inside NSS article on the Huntsville Alabama L5 Chapter's amateur hybrid rocket launch.
     Earl concluded with: the July 97 Sky & Telescope article on the Cassini satellite due to be launched Oct 6th to Saturn; another SpaceViews Update article on protests against the thermonuclear power plant in Cassini; and the July/Aug 97 Analog Science Fiction and Fact article by Dr. Eugene Mallove: "Cold Fusion: The 'Miracle' Is No Mistake". (Dr. Mallove was at the ISDC in NYC.)
     Jay Haines discussed: the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Air Show; the Franklin Institute's Fels Planetarium show "Mars: Fourth Rock from the Sun" playing until November 13th; plans for the PASA Web page; and (if he had gotten his snail mail before the meeting) the Space Frontier Foundation's Cheap Access to Space conference July 21-22 in Washington DC. Info: www.space-frontier.org, 800/78-space.
     Tony Rowley discussed his Civilian Air Patrol- sponsored presentations on space topics at local schools, and funding thereof by government, business, and educational organizations.
     Mitch Gordon discussed his proposal to use city-owned property as a place to hold public meetings. He distributed "101 things to do on Space Day" posters we received from NSS. (www.spaceday.com)

The National Space Society (NSS) unveiled its latest website today at . The site, "Mars Madness," was created to help NSS members and the general public celebrate the human aspect of the planned July 4 landing of NASA's Mars Pathfinder and the arrival of the first images from the Mars surface in over 20 years. The NSS will also host two, system-wide America Online live events in July featuring Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning Mars author, and Donna Shirley, manager of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
     "This is the first planetary mission when, through the use of television and on-line coverage, individuals can almost simultaneously experience at home what NASA's project managers are experiencing," said Robert Pearlman, NSS On-line Manager and designer of the "Madness" site.
     "Mars Madness" website features a Mars Party Planner with ideas on how individuals or groups can host a Mars celebration, including suggestions for event locations, "red" food and drinks, party activities, and invitation gimmicks. The Event Calendar lists Mars celebrations or events being held by NSS and its chapters during the month of July. Completing the site are a reference journal and image archive which will provide the latest facts and images from the Mars surface as the mission progresses.
     On America Online, NSS hosts two Mars-related live events. On Thursday, July 3 at 7:00 pm EDT, Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning author of "Red Mars," "Green Mars" and "Blue Mars," will entertain questions on his view of the future of Mars exploration. On Monday, July 7 at 7:00 p.m. EDT, Ms. Donna Shirley, manager of the Mars Exploration Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will chat with on-line visitors about the Martian images and the Mars Pathfinder mission. Ms. Shirley will also be the primary technical advisor for CNN from July 4 - 6. For more information on these two guests and how to join the audience, America Online subscribers can go to keyword "space."

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	INDEX

	NSS NEWS

HAL-5 Balloon-Launched Rocket Nears Space;
"Rockoon" Achieves Amateur and Hybrid Rocketry History (p.1)

In Principle:
Directors Approve $10,000 "X-Prize"
For Amateur Rocket Reaching Space (p.1)

Dyson reports Passage of NSS Bylaw
Giving 4-Year Terms for NSS Directors (p.1)

Presentations By David Brandt at the ISDC:
	George Mueller Named Recipient of NSS Von Braun Award (p.4)
	NSS Space Pioneer Awards:
		For Special Merit: Lori Garver (p.4)
		For Business / Entrepreneurship: Greg Allison (p.4)
		For Science: ‘Mars Rock' Team (p.4)
		NSS Activist of the Year: James Spellman, Jr. (P.5)

The 1997 Chapter Awards (p.5)

Report From Headquarters (David Brandt with Karen Rugg)
	Program Services -- Setting the Stage (p.3)
	Media Relations (sampling) (p.3)
	Advertising / Promotions (p.10)
	Operational (p.10)
	Events / Co-Sponsoring (p.10)
	Co-Sponsorships (p.10)
	Governmental Relations (p.10)
	Testimony (p.11)
	Communications to Activists (p.11)
	Communications to White House (p.11)
	Events (p.11)
	Organizational (p.11)
	Member Relations (p.11)
	Research (p.11)
	Educational programs (p.11)
	1997 NSS Space Policy Survey (p.11)
	Space Awareness Alliance (Mission HOME) (p.11)
	Open the Space Frontier Campaign (p.12)
	NSS Chapters (p.12)
	Campaign for the Future (p.12)
	Race for Space (p.12)
	Major Donor Fundraising (p.12)
	Direct Mail and Telemarketing (p.13)
	Friends of Space (p.13)
	Board of Directors Election (p.13)
	Works in Progress (p.14)

	Goals for the Remainder of 1997
		Communications / Marketing (p.13)
		Media Outreach (p.13)
		Advertising / Promotion (p.13)
		On-line Strategies (p.13)
		Promotional Tie-Ins (p.13)
		Event Support (p.13)
		Organizational (p.13)

	The Space Summit (p.14)

From the ISDC: Report of the NSS Policy Committee (Gordon R. Woodcock, Executive Vice President)

	EDITOR'S NOTES (Jeffrey Liss)

Helping "Commercial Space" (p.2)

Guest Editorial Note:
New X-Rocket Proposed in Congress (Hank Murdoch, reprinted from May 1997 ODYSSEY) (p.2)


	LETTERS AND COMMENTARY

Should We All Apply to Be Astronauts?  (George A. Osorio) (p.3)

‘Space Day' Posters (David Logsdon, NSS Field Coordinator) (p.3)

Old launch vehicles (David Anderman, NSS Director) (p.16)

	CHAPTERS AND ACTIVISM

Chapters Handbook Being Resurrected (p.5)

Chapter members List is Needed (p.6)

HQ to Facilitate Chapter Websites (Robert Z. Pearlman) (p.6)

The Meeting of the Chapters Assembly (Ronnie Lajoie, Chair)
	A.	Administrative Duties (p.7)
	B.	Fate of the Chapters Assembly I (p.7)
	C.	Input to Conferences Committee (p.8)
	D.	Fate of the Chapters Assembly II (p.8)
	E.	Chapters' Assembly Business (p.9)

Chapter Notices (p.19)

	CONFERENCES

ISDC '97: List of Audio Cassettes Available for Purchase (p.18)

	SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

Space Nanotechnology Alive and Well (Charles D. Walker, NSS President) (p. 19)

	MISCELLANEOUS

Moonlink:
Take Your Students on a Live Mission to the Moon (Scott Piotrowski) (p.17)