Minutes of August Meeting
Oklahoma Space Alliance met at Earl’s Rib Palace in Moore on August 13, 2016. In attendance were Dave Sheely, Syd Henderson, Bryan Swift, Karen Swift, Rosemary Swift, and Claire and Clifford McMurray. And Tracee (no last name given). OSA President Steve Swift is still undergoing medical treatment, so in his absence, Vice President Dave Sheely presided.
We have $1045.99 in the bank account and $257 in cash, for a total of $1302.99.
We watched a video of the July 18 SpaceX resupply mission to the Space Station. This mission also had a successful first-stage landing at Cape Canaveral.
Dave Sheely is going to meet with Senator Langford. He’s currently talking to the Senator’s aides.
On August 3, the Moon Express received permission from the FAA to launch a rocket that will go to the Moon in 2017. [This, by the way, gives the Moon Express a great chance to win the Lunar X-Prize, although Astrobotic plans to launch via SpaceX by the end of the year. First prize is $20 million. Second prize is $5 million. For more information, see http://www.space.com/30720-moon-express-private-lunar-launch-2017.html]
There was an article on the Oklahoma Spaceport in the Oklahoman.
The Humans to Mars Summit was May 17 – 19 at George Washington University and videos are available.
China had a surprise launch of a Long March 3 rocket apparently with a classified payload.
We watched a promotional video for Dreamcatcher by the Sierra Nevada Corporation.
The World Space Week is around October 4. [Exact dates are October 4 – 10. We have an OSA meeting on October 8.] We can try a field trip during that time to the Remote Sensing Lab at OU.
If we can arrange a meeting with Representative Bridenstine, we could have it at a library.
We watched a Robert Zubrin video in which he was making his Case for Mars at a Moscow conference. The Saturn V could take 140 tons to LEO, which was enough to build a Mars Direct mission. If you took smoking tobacco from an astronaut and sent him to Mars, he would suffer a lower risk of cancer than if he were to stay on Earth and continue smoking.
The surface area of the Moon is approximately equal to that of North and South America put together. [It’s 42.5 million square kilometers for the Americas to 37.7 million for the Moon, but the estimate may not be including Greenland and other islands.]
There may be more platinum on the surface of the Moon than all the reserves on Earth.
We watched Moonshot episode 6 about the Moon Express.
OSIDA notes: The OSIDA board met on August 10. Dave Sheely went on the behalf of OSA.
THOR GUARD lightning prevention and detection equipment was received at the Spaceport.
There is now a National Association of Spaceports to which OSA is a member.
--Minutes by OSA Secretary Syd Henderson
Contact person for Oklahoma Space Alliance is Claire McMurray.
PO Box 1003
Norman, OK 73070
Webmaster is Syd Henderson.
Copyright ©2016 by Oklahoma Space Alliance.