Conference 7.286::space

Another group of interest is the American Space Foundation, a group established
exclusively as a lobbying organization with Congress and the U. S. Government.

Quoting from my membership card:

"Recognizing that the United States space program is critical to the future
of the United States and all mankind, the American Space Foundation (ASF) was
formed to lobby in Washington for a stronger American presence in space.

ASF is the nation's fastest growing pro-space organization.  ASF is the only
pro-space organization set up to work with Congress and the U. S. Government
for a better space program.

ASF is a national grass-roots organization, financed entirely by our members.
We accept no government funds, but rely upon the support of Americans who
believe in the need for a more active space program."


The organization was established in part by Ed Gibson, Skylab III astronaut.
Aside from periodic news letters (and pleas for money) the group gets together
once a year in Washington and meets with various officials connected with
the space effort, whether from NASA, Congress, or other institutions.

I don't have the complete address with me, but this will enable you to
hunt down the phone number through Information.

	American Space Foundation
	National Headquarters
	Washington, D.C.  20070-0390


Again, this organizatio is a lobbyist organization, and I don't know if
contributions may be deducted.

RE: .1

In your response, I took what you said to mean that if you lobby, then the
contributions are not tax deductible.  Is that a correct interpretation?
Is there a difference between testifying and lobbying?

The membership application for the National Space Institute says that
contributions are tax deductible.  I also believe that they conduct some
sort of lobbying effort.  If they don't lobby, they certainly have
testified in front of various committees and commissions.  For example,
NSI Executive Director Dr. Glen Wilson testified before the Subcommittee
on Space Science and Applications of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Also, President Ben Bova, Vice President Dr. Mark Chartrand, and Dr. Glen
Wilson testified before the National Commission on Space.

I am not sure about The Planetary Society.  I read a statement in their
magazine that says they didn't want to be "involved directly in political
lobbying.  Instead, they intended to influence public policy indirectly,
through public information and education."  Whether they have stuck to
this policy is unclear to me.

	Mike

I don't wish to sidetrack this note on taxes, especially since I know
next to nothing about tax law.  Thus what I said was correct -- I don't
know if contributions to a lobbying group are deductable.  Maybe someone
out there in tax-land can let us know.  Again, though, let's not get
too far sidetracked here please!

The important point, I believe, is that we find and support organizations
which promote space, whether by keeping public interest alive, by doing
active research, or by lobbying Congress.

Contributions to lobbying groups are not tax-deductible.

Lobbying is quite distinct from just testifying before congress.

re: .1

NSI and the L5 Society are planning a merge. I don't know if it's
complete yet, but it  has been in the works for a while. I believe that
NSI is going to change it's name to National Space Society, or some
such. The latest issue of "Space World" has all the details, but I 
don't have it with me.

I'll see if I can dig up all the details by tomorrow.

John Osborne

Another group worthy of note is the Independent Space Research Group.
This organization is dedicated to building and launching satellites for
use by amateur astronomers and others.  Their first project, currently
under construction, is an Amateur Space Telescope (AST), containing
an 18-inch Ritchey-Cretien Cassegrain telescope, two solid state TV
cameras, a small spectograph, and control and communications hardware.
Its signals will be available for direct pickup in the home using
amateur radio equipment.

I don't know the launch schedule, or whether or not the Challenger event
will affect it.  A membership contribution of $50 or more will get you
a commemorative decal which will fly in a GAS container on the launch
flight.

Membership information may be obtained by writing the Independent
Space Research Group, P.O. Box 23083, Rochester, NY  14692.  Membership
also includes an interesting, although slightly technical, newsletter
periodically.

         A book I highly recommend to those of you who want to join and/or
    form various space groups and need some background information on
    doing so can obtain this help from Michael A. G. Michaud's 1986 book,
    REACHING FOR THE HIGH FRONTIER: THE AMERICAN PRO-SPACE MOVEMENT, 
    1972-84, by Praeger Publishers, 521 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10175
    (a division of Greenwood Press, Inc.), ISBN 0-275-92150-6 (paperback),    
    $17.95.  436 pages.

         Michaud's book not only gives an excellent history of the 
    development of U.S. (and British) space groups over the past decades,
    but also lists addresses of major space groups and has an excellent 
    bibliography.  The most interesting fact is that whenever NASA activity 
    goes on the wane, pro-space group activities increase.

         Larry
              

    While hanging around the Orlando airport after the STS-34 launch
    (that I missed, but I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT...)  pardon me..
    I learned about the following organization (brochure highlights below):
    
    
    United States Space Education Association
    "World's First Citizen Support Space Organization"
    
    Their international HQ is at:
       746 Turnpike Road
       Elizabeth, PA  17022-1161
    
    U.S. membership is $18/year (july->july), $20 international, $25
    international/airmail.
    
    
    Objectives:
    
    o Promote the peaceful exploration of outer space through a better
      educated public.
    o Develop the proposal for the USA to open up the new worlds in space
      for all mankind in an fair and equitable manner.
    o Stimulate public awareness of the benefits to mankind that accrue
      from a viable and expanded manned and unmanned space program.
    o Encourage personal research and understanding of space technology.
    
    
    o USSEA is a worldwide non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated
      to promoting peaceful space exploration, seeking to achieve goals
      through both professionals and laymen.
    o USSEA is an internation network with many organizations and
      industries around the world.
    o USSEA is supported entirely by membership dues, donations, and mail
      order sales.  Our staff consists solely of volunteers and officers that
      do not receive any financial compensation.
    
    
    Membership perks:
    
    o Membership card  (oooo)
    o Membership certificate
    o Member Handbook  (guide to services, etc.)
    o SPACE AGE TIMES subscription (6 issues/year)
    o UPDATE subscription (monthly bulletin)
    o Occasional Bonus Items (trinkets of some sort)
    o NASA and ESA Folders (access to free inventory of publications)
    
    
    - dave

Article: 68605
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: [email protected]
Subject: ISECCo Info, Space NOW Organization!
Sender: [email protected] (USENET News System)
Organization: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1993 02:25:18 GMT
 
    Info on a SPACE NOW organization, at a grass roots method:
 
                            General Information
                                    for
        The International Space Exploration and Colonization Company
                                  (ISECCo)
                               P.O. Box 60885
                          Fairbanks, AK 99706-0885
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Humankind  forever seeks to expand its horizons and  space  is
     the  greatest horizon of all. The unlimited resources of space  are 
     practically  within  humanity's  grasp.   We  have  touched   other 
     celestial  bodies;  with our space probes we have explored  other 
     planets,  and human footprints are on the Moon.   Despite  people's 
     interest, mass participation in space activities are limited.   For 
     the people of Earth this means that we are still planet-bound. 
 
          We formed The International Space Exploration and Colonization 
     Company  to  enhance  development of  the  technologies  needed  to 
     colonize space. We are organized to provide a means by which people 
     can  directly input their efforts into the space movement.f  We  do 
     this  by  using  vo unteer  gabor  to  build  our  projects.    Our 
     expectations  are to develop core groups in areas across the  globe 
     who will do various aspects of the work.  Currently our efforts are 
     concentrated on developing a closed ecological life support system, 
     as described in the Project Summary. 
 
          In  the short time ISECCo has been in existence we have  grown 
     from  a  small group of friends to an  international  organization.  
     ISECCo  members enjoy being a part of the greatest emigration  ever 
     undertaken.   This  is  your chance to make  your  mark  on  future 
     generations by creating a viable space effort that will  eventually 
     lead  to colonization!  I urge you to provide all the  support  you 
     can:  Our efforts shall ultimately carry us to the stars!  
 
===========================================================================
 
                             Projects Summary:
 
          ISECCo's  first  project,  a closed  ecological  life  support 
     system (CELSS, the term and the acronym were invented by NASA),  is 
     best  pictured as a garden in a house.  More technically, it  is  a 
     human  life support system using biological action to  provide  and 
     cycle  air,  water and nutrients (leading to the  name  biosphere).  
     This  technique is particularly suited for planetary  colonies  and 
     permanently manned space stations but not for space  transportation 
     systems.   We have named our CELSS Nauvik, which is an Eskimo  term 
     meaning nurturing place.  
 
          We will be housing Nauvik in a 40 foot diameter, airtight dome 
     buried underground.  ISECCo began actual construction in the spring 
     of  1990.  Construction continues with shell  completion  projected 
     for late 1994.  Balancing our ecological environment is expected to 
     take  a  couple  of years.  We plan to make our  first  attempt  at 
     sealed operation in late 1996 or 1997.  Isolation for one year will 
     be proof of a working system.  It will probably take several  years 
     to develop the technology necessary for Nauvik to remain sealed for 
     the  entire proving period; there are many unknowns.  We expect  to 
     minimize the input in the first few years and successful  operation 
     should follow as the technology develops. 
 
          We  are  well  along with the preliminary  research.   We  are 
     growing   a  variety of foods using both hydroponics  and  advanced 
     soil  techniques.   These crops are being developed now,  and  will 
     eventually  provide all the food needed for the animal  inhabitants 
     which may include fish, chickens, rabbits and (naturally) humans. 
 
          ISECCo, P.O. Box 60885, Fairbanks, AK  99706-0885
          [email protected] or [email protected]

Article: 69616
From: "SSI" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Energy from Space: Space Studies Institute Info
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 15:52:44 -0400
Organization: Space Studies Institute
 
        AN OPEN INVITATION
        
        THE VISION
        
        Dr.  Gerard K. O'Neill founded the Space Studies Institute  (SSI) 
        in  1977  with the hope of opening the vast wealth  of  space  to 
        humanity.  The  late O'Neill, professor of physics  at  Princeton 
        University, envisioned a modern society powered by clean, depend-
        able,  full-time solar energy supplied by Solar Power  Satellites 
        (SPS).   Many people feel that Solar Power  Satellites  represent 
        the  only technically and ecologically sound source  for  Earth's 
        future  energy needs.  Since each currently envisioned SPS  could 
        provide electrical power equivalent to ten average nuclear  power 
        plants,  the  value  to Earth is apparent.  Such  satellites  are 
        feasible if built and maintained by persons living for  extending 
        periods in space.  The space colonies needed for such  activities 
        would  first be positioned between Earth and the Moon,  and  then 
        eventually expand to locations in other parts of our solar system.
        
        THE INSTITUTE
        
        The Institute's mission, continuing under the direction of  Prof. 
        Freeman  Dyson, is to open the energy and material resources  for 
        human benefit within our lifetime.  SSI's first commitment is  to 
        complete  the  missing technological links to make  possible  the 
        productive  use  of the abundant resources in space.  Its  second 
        goal  is  to promote the formation of private,  governmental,  or 
        multi-national  programs to use space resources  responsibly  and 
        carefully, avoiding environmental damage.
        
        SSI'S PROGRAMS
        
        Transport Mechanisms
        
        SSI has sponsored research on several transport mechanisms needed 
        for  the development of space.  SSI's first research program  was 
        to develop the Mass-Driver, an electromagnetic accelerator, which 
        could be used to move lunar material efficiently and economically 
        to  high-Earth  orbit  for processing.  SSI funded  the  work  on 
        Mass-Drivers  II and III which were advanced models of a  concept 
        originally  developed  at MIT under the direction of  Drs.  Henry 
        Kolm and Gerard O'Neill.
        
        The  Mass-Driver program demonstrated sufficient power to  launch 
        baseball-sized  modules  of lunar material into useful  orbit.  A 
        Mass-Driver can also be used as a reaction engine and could  thus 
        be used to move asteroids to useful locations.
        
        An Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) will be an important  component 
        of  the transportation system in the space manufacturing  system.  
        SSI  research studies examined the long lead items  required  for 
        OTV development with a particular eye toward vehicles capable  of 
        transporting  people and materials from low-Earth orbit to  lunar 
        orbit.
        
        SSI has also sponsored studies of alternative propulsion  systems 
        such as laser or microwave beamed energy vehicles.
        
        Materials Processing and Production
        SSI  has been a leader in the area of chemically  separating  and 
        refining lunar materials.  The Institute has developed a number a 
        techniques to separate lunar soil into its constituent  elements, 
        including a process called benefication, in which useful  materi-
        als  are  produced from lunar soil without the  use  of  chemical 
        reagents  or consumable electrodes. The Institute has  also  con-
        tributed  to  the development of a class of  materials  known  as 
        glass-glass  composites. These materials are composites in  which 
        both  the fiber and the matrix are made from components of  fused 
        lunar  soil.   These materials show great promise  for  providing 
        large  quantities of structural materials for space  construction 
        without the need for traditional chemical processing.
        
        Material Sources 
        Since the availability of materials in space is crucial, SSI  has 
        sponsored  searches  for Earth-Sun Trojan Asteroids and  has  de-
        veloped proposals for the retrieval and mining of near asteroids. 
        SSI also funded a design study for the Lunar Polar Probe, a small 
        probe which would scan the Moon from a polar orbit, searching for 
        water and other useful volatiles. Scientists have suggested  that 
        ice and other volatiles may be trapped near the poles.  In  addi-
        tion,  the probe would fill major gaps in knowledge  of  chemical 
        abundances on the Moon's surface.  SSI has also sponsored studies 
        to  examine uses of the Shuttle External Tank as a source of  raw 
        and structural material for space stations, platforms, or habitats.
        
        Habitats and Beyond
        Larger  structures such as space habitats and solar power  satel-
        lites are of prime interest to SSI. Dr. O'Neill pioneered  design 
        studies  of the large, 10,000 person habitat "Island One."   This 
        structure  and initially smaller designs could be constructed  in 
        situ  from  lunar  materials.  SSI has  sponsored  much  research 
        examining all aspects of these designs, including a study of  the 
        smallest possible habitats capable of supplying simulated gravity 
        adequate for human needs.
        
        The  production of solar power satellites  in space is likely  to 
        be  the basis for the first commercially feasible space  program. 
        SSI sponsored a study which established that the most  economical 
        way to construct an SPS is to use lunar materials. The SSI  study 
        determined  that  more than 98% of the mass needed for  each  SPS 
        could be obtained from the Moon.
        
        OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPATION
        
        Corporate Membership
        SSI's Corporate Membership program offers corporations access  to 
        SSI's broad base of technical advisors, access to a resume  pool, 
        access  to exhibit space at the biennial SSI Conference on  Space 
        Manufacturing.  Research partnerships are encouraged.
        
        Senior Associate Membership
        Senior Associates pledge financial support of $100.00 or more per 
        year  for a five year period.  Senior Associates are  crucial  to 
        SSI's ability to make long-term research commitments.
        
        Regular Member
        SSI  Membership  is open to individuals  worldwide.  All  members 
        receive the Institute's newsletter, which is published  bimonthly 
        and  keeps  all SSI members abreast of SSI  research.  Membership 
        fee: Regular $25.00; Senior or Student $15.00; non-US  addresses, 
        please add $10.00.
        
        Volunteer
        As a nonprofit organization, SSI relies on the expertise of  many 
        volunteers.   Opportunities  to assist SSI in the  areas  of  re-
        search, education, presentations, development of visual arts  and 
        technical writing. 
        
        If you are interested in the future of man in space or in any  of 
        the challenges outlined above, contact by letter, phone, email or 
        FAX:  Space Studies Institute, P.O. Box 82, Princeton, NJ  08542, 
        USA;  phone 609-921-0377; FAX 609-921-0389  Email  wk02562@world-
        link.com.
 
         "Americans always do the right thing, once they have exhausted 
          all other possibilities." - Winston Churchill

Article: 4925
Newsgroups: talk.politics.space
From: [email protected] (Eric S Klien)
Subject: Oceania
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 23:26:38 GMT
 
Freedom Needs Frontiers
 
by Jim Davidson
 
Since I was six, watching the Apollo 11 landing from Taiwan with my
family, I've been interested in space.  For all that time, I knew
that opening the space frontier was vital.  It would save the world.
I learned later that we could get our resources from lifeless planets
and planetoids instead of from the only one capable of supporting
life.  We could create new materials in weightlessness, use vacuum
for exciting industrial processes, see the world from a new vantage
point, create hotels and tourist facilities, bring solar power down
from a place where there was no night and no clouds.  Most of all, we
would not be threatened with extinction just because some disaster
made Earth unlivable.  Eventually, we would spread to the stars and
even a disaster like our sun going nova would not wipe out the human
race.
 
What I didn't realize at the time, and what many space activists
still do not accept, is that our desires were never reflected in the
space program.  Most of us felt that the way to make space settlement
a reality was to support the government space program.  We were
encouraged in this view by Congressional staffers, aerospace industry
leaders, and others involved in the complex of organizations
surrounding NASA.  Many still feel this way.  We were wrong.
 
Frontiers are not opened by governments.  They are not opened by
centrally planned efforts.  They are opened chaotically, by the
motives that can drive tens of thousands of people, by self-interest,
by tens of thousands of different ideas of what is possible and
desirable.  Governments did not build clipper ships, railroads,
covered wagons, riverboats, or any of the instruments that opened
frontiers to settlement.  Governments at best encouraged certain
lines of inquiry.  So supporting government space development was
never very productive and in many ways counterproductive.
 
Frontiers are good for freedom.  Consider the closing of the American
frontier in 1893, the year the Oklahoma territory was settled.
Within a generation, freedom in America was under attack from every
front.  Muck-raking journalism was developing a now-traditional
rivalry between business interests and the media.  Anti-trust
regulation was initiated to break up rail companies, oil companies,
and other well-developed industries.  The prohibition movement was
gaining ground, with fervent demonstrations in major cities.
Populist sentiment forced a Constitutional amendment to provide for
an income tax.  The Food and Drug Administration was formed to
regulate food production, and increasingly control access to
life-saving medicines.  Labor unions were on the rise.  Agricultural
price controls were instituted, beginning a debilitating trend toward
farm subsidies.  By the time children born in 1893 were twenty, all
these threats to freedom were accepted practice.  By the time they
were thirty, Prohibition had made legislated morality real,
institutionalized organized crime, and created popular support for a
strong national police agency, the FBI.  By the time they were forty,
the New Deal was underway, with Social Security numbers for everyone,
a Securities and Exchange Commission with increasingly frightening
powers, and a host of agencies too numerous to malign individually.
At fifty, the military industrial complex was introduced with World
War II.  And the rest you probably know by heart.
 
Frederick Jackson Turner, in his great thesis on the closing of the
American frontier, said that the frontier represented an important
part of the American psyche.  For, whatever their situation in Boston
or New York, any American could walk to the frontier.  That power to
vote with their feet made their working and living conditions more
bearable.  In many cases, it caused employers to improve wages and
conditions to keep their trained workforce in place.  Always, though,
it was a place to escape, a safety valve.  The refined stayed back
east, the rough moved west.
 
Oceania is a step toward opening a new frontier.  And from the
frontier of the open ocean, the frontier of space is no further away
than it is from any piece of land, about 100 miles straight up.  If
we are successful in opening the ocean frontier, we will have more
resources and better ability to open the space frontier.
Developments in single stage to orbit (SSTO) vehicles make the use of
ocean-based launch sites just as attractive as land-based sites.
 
Most important, though, Oceania represents a paradigm shift.  The
grand strategy from which the Apollo program grew had been detailed
in a series of articles in Collier's magazine in the fifties by
Werner von Braun.  That strategy was conceived by the same man who
had made rocket technology available to the Nazi war machine.  It was
not designed to open the frontier of space to human activity.  It was
designed to establish government activity beyond the atmosphere.  The
plan included Earth-to-orbit shuttles, Earth orbit space stations,
bases on the Moon, and culminated in the establishment of a base on
Mars.  There it ended, without so much as a whisper about families
moving into space, companies developing space resources, cities in
orbit or on other planets.
 
For three decades, the agency and its contractor community that was
created to pursue that strategy did so with a vengeance.  Anything
that stood in the way of the vision was demolished.  Even the
vestiges of Apollo, the Lunar Science Experiment Packages were shut
down to preserve funding for the next step in the plan, the shuttle.
Rescuing Skylab was never seriously pursued by NASA because having no
space station justified creating a new, larger program.  When, in
1988, space activists managed to get the Space Settlement Act passed,
amending NASA's charter to have it support the creation of human
settlements in space, it was ignored.  NASA to this day flaunts the
Space Settlement Act, having never reported to Congress its actions
to advance space settlement, although required every other year.
 
In 1988, I was working for a small company, Space Services
Incorporated of Houston, Texas.  We had developed a small launch
system, the Conestoga, even test launched it from a Texas Gulf Coast
island.  And every effort we made to attract customers was undercut
by NASA, offering the same service for less.  Analysis of their
budget showed repeatedly that they were not charging even their
marginal cost for launches.  This dumping kept on until 1985, when a
Florida funeral home company thought it could make money launching
people's ashes into space.  Since that idea made NASA people worry
about being laughed at, Space Services had its first customer.  That
customer would later be driven from business by the Florida state
commission that regulates funeral homes, using a law that says that a
two-lane paved road to the funeral site had to be maintained by the
funeral home.   NASA did not give up its fight to dominate space,
even after the Challenger accident brought an executive order to
remove most commercial satellites from the shuttle.
 
The paradigm shift that Oceania represents is the objectivist shift,
that the only person who will do for you exactly what you want
is...you.  Many in the space community still look to the government
to give them what they want, shining cities in space, earthly cities
powered by cheap, clean space solar power.  Until we get away from
the old way of thinking, we can only get, at best, what the old
strategy was headed toward:  Bases of government employees carrying
on missions to new places.   We cannot have an open frontier until we
go and open it, cannot have new cities, new societies in space until
we build them, cannot have the wealth of the Solar System until we
mine it.
 
Inherently, that is what Oceania is about.  That is why there is an
Atlantis Project.  To go, to do what needs to be done, to prove that
it can be done, to do it in spite of all the obstacles put in our
way.  And if we can do it once, we can do it a thousand times; if we
can do it at sea, we can do it in space.
 
---
Jim Davidson is President of the Houston Space Society, a group that
is working to change the way people think about space.  He has been
involved with the Atlantis Project since September 1993.
 
To receive more information by e-mail, send your e-mail address to
[email protected].

Re: .11

I think I'm going to throw up.

Considering the destruction of Native American culture; the genocide of
tens of thousands of men, women, and children; the near or complete eradication
of many animals and natural habitats; the dumping of radioactive wastes, 
strip mining, and a thousand other crimes against people and the planet....

To use "freedom" as a rationale for "pushing to new frontiers" makes me
ill.

This kind of one-sided clap-trap will doom the planet long before we figure
how to get off it.


- dave

  What that essay reminds me of is the string of Utopian ideas that were
popular in England starting with the book Utopia, through Guliver's travels and
others. There are those that say that Carl Marx's ideas on Communism were just
an extension of those romantic ideas that, unfortunately, Lenin took seriously. 

  The common theme to all of those works was that all the ills of mankind were
caused by the greed and customs of existing cultures and governments and "if
only we could find a new place and start all over everything would be perfect".
Of course, any time that people did start over they made the mistake of
bringing themselves along which meant human frailties and practical problems
caused many of the old problems to pop up once again. 

  What this guy will never understand is that people like him are so fanatic
that it would be impossible for anyone to be free if anyone like him were in
charge of the project since he is obviously so opinionated that you could not
possible disagree with him and continue to exist in any civilization that he
controlled. It would almost certainly be the worst kind of oppression, not
unlike the oppression that followed Lenin into his implementation of Utopia.

  He is right about one thing, space travel will not become common place until
it is economically attractive. With a little luck, none of us will be stuck
with him in a small space craft.

  George

From:	US3RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon" 16-SEP-1994 
CC:	
Subj:	Marshall's Intro "Cross your fingers"

!!!!!!!!!!Welcome to the First Millennial Foundation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are thrilled to have you aboard.  We are  just beginning 
one of the greatest adventures in human history and it is 
always exciting  when a new voyager joins us on our odyssey 
into the future.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to carve one
desirable future out of the  infinite array of possibilities. 
In my book, The Millennial Project, I describe how we can 
eventually reach the stars by building up a space-based
civilization one step at a time.  The  first step in that
program is the colonization of the Earth's last frontier:the
sea.  The real job of this first generation of Foundationers is
sea colonization.  Later generations will  build on our work
and leave the planet on their way to the stars.  Our great
challenge is to  build the floating island city of Aquarius.  

The first step toward Aquarius will be the creation of a
demonstration space colony on an  island in the Caribbean.  
This show-case community will be a prototype sea/space colony, 
called Aquarius Rising.  In Aquarius Rising we will develop and
demonstrate many of the  key technologies that will lead to
successful completion of Aquarius.  Like Aquarius itself, 
Aquarius Rising will be built around ocean thermal energy
conversion (OTEC)  technology.  OTECs will provide the power,
fresh water, and maricultural base of the  colony's economy. 
This technology, together with tourism, will produce abundant
surplus  revenues that will attract the investment capital
needed to construct Aquarius Rising.   Tourism is now the
world's largest industry, and it will always have an important
place in  the economics of developing new space colonies.  Our
business prospectus is in the works  right now, and once
completed, it will attract the capital necessary to design and
build our  first colony.

It is essential to the successful genesis of the Millennial
Project that we build a large and  growing human organization. 
The last chapter of my book describes the ways and means  of
forming this organization First Foundation.  This seed of an
idea has fallen on fertile  ground, and our Foundation is
growing at a breathtaking pace.  With the support of people 
like you, we will be able to accomplish all of our goals.  The
biggest problem we have at  the moment is getting everyone
integrated into the Core structure hence this letter. 

We had our Second Annual Core Conclave in Denver, Colorado in
August.  Talented and  dynamic people came together from all
over the country.  It was exhilarating to be in  such company
and know that with people such as these, all things are
possible.  The birth  of First Foundation can really be dated
from the weekend of August 6-7, 1994.  Before that  date, we
were really just a group of people with a common interest.  Now
we can actually  claim the noble title of "organization".  The
Core membership convened to conduct some  business vital to our
future as a functional organization:  A final set of Bylaws was
agreed  upon, a Board of Directors was elected, and the 
devilish issue of money was met head on.  

The Core, after some lively debate, came to a consensus
conclusion that we must all  commit a definite quantity of cash
to this process.  Without some infusion of capital we  cannot
accomplish anything.  Effort alone will avail us nothing,
without the means to  convert that effort into tangible effects.

The amount settled upon was $120.00 per year for  individuals 
or $200.00 for couples (a couple being defined as a pair of
sentient beings).   This is an amount that is significant 
enough to allow us to actually accomplish some  things:  publish a
newsletter regularly; set up a newsgroup on the Internet;
produce posters,  pins, T-shirts and other wampum for trade;
produce slide sets and other support materials  for speakers;
etc.  (A Projects Outline spelling out these and other projects
is attached.)   Yet, the $120 was perceived as an amount of
money that is really not beyond anyone's  reach.  It can be 
paid in an annual lump sum or in installments of $10/month.  If a
Core  member feels hard pressed to come up with the cash, the
Foundation will supply copies of  the first edition of The
Millennial Project for sale on consignment.  These books sell
for  $20.  Half that amount goes to the publisher and First
Foundation gets to keep the rest.  So  by selling one book a
month you can generate your contribution.

Membership in the Core also requires a personal commitment.  
The commitment is simply  to do what you can to help achieve the
goals of the Foundation.  This is accomplished by  joining one
or more of the Project Teams and then doing what you can to 
help that team  achieve its near and long term goals.  You are the
sole arbiter of what is appropriate for you  to contribute.  No
one will be looking over your shoulder or second guessing your 
decisions about how much time and effort you can devote to the
Foundation.  You alone  will make that call.  All that is
required is that you commit yourself to the Foundation in  your
own heart.  What you do on the basis of that commitment is
entirely up to you.

As a member of the Core, you actively participate in the
governing body of the Foundation.   We have a Board of
Directors, partly permanent and partly elected by the Core 
membership, to conduct the routine business of the Foundation. 
Major decisions,  however, are made by the Core.  These
decisions will either be made at the annual Core  Conclave, or
by special ballots sent out by conventional and electronic mail.

As a member  of the Core you will make many of the decisions
that determine the course of the  Foundation, and the ways and
means of achieving our goals.  As we evolve, systems of determining 
seniority and net contributions will be established.

These systems will then be  instrumental in determining what
benefits of Foundation membership each Core colonist is 
entitled to, e.g.,  priority for residence in Foundation
colonies, etc.

For people who do not wish to be active members of the Core,
there is a second level of  membership available:the Cladding. 
Cladding members are supporters of the  Foundation, who are
interested in what we're doing, but are unwilling or unable to
commit  to Core membership.  Membership in the Cladding is
available for a contribution of $25  per year.  Cladding 
members receive our newsletter and other updates on our activities, 
but are not voting members of the governing body.

The Foundation Core is organized into functional divisions,
within which there are teams  working on specific projects.  An
outline of the various projects now in progress is  attached. 
Please let us know which projects, if any, you'd like to work
on.  We need help  with everything.  If you are flexible and
willing to roll up your sleeves, please send us  some more
detailed information about your special skills and interests 
and we will assign  you to a project team.

I can't thank you enough for your interest and support.  The
Foundation is gathering  amazing momentum as people like you
join us.  There is now absolutely nothing that can  stop us. 
Together we can reach the stars!

I look forward to hearing from you again very soon.

Most sincerely yours,

Marshall T. Savage

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Fri, 16 Sep 1994 14:41:15 -0600 (MDT)
% From: [email protected]
% X-Vmsmail-To: @CORE1.DAT
% Message-Id: <[email protected]>
% Subject: Marshall's Intro "Cross your fingers"