Minutes of August 8 Meeting
Oklahoma Space Alliance met at Earl’s Rib Palace in Moore on August 8. In attendance were Dave Sheely, Claire and Clifford McMurray, Jim and Peggy McBride, Russ Davoren, Dennis Wigley, Tim Scott, Syd Henderson and several attendees whose names I didn’t catch. OSA president Steve Swift was unable to attend due to illness. This was our Plutopalooza celebration, which included a talk by Kip McMurray, stills from the Pluto and Charon flyby, and an attempt to show the news conferences after the flyby, one of which had Clifford and Claire asking questions. We were ultimately defeated in the last by problems with the wifi connections and lack of a sound system, though we did still pass around literature and had refreshments.
At the time of the party, we still had only the first group of pictures, which were downloaded in mid-July, after which New Horizons began to send data rather than pictures. Additional pictures will start appearing on NASA’s website beginning on September 11. I have no word on any future press conferences.
Notes on OSIDA Meeting
The Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority met on August 12 in the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Building in Oklahoma City. Board members present were Chairman James Cunningham, Vice Chairman Robert Cox, Secretary/Treasurer Bailey J. Siegfried, and board members Jack Bonny and Alan Goodbary. Also in attendance were Air and Spaceport Executive Director Bill Khourie, Deputy Executive Director Nicola Borghini, Secretary Kim Vowell and legal advisor Kindra White. There were four in the audience, including OSA secretary Syd Henderson.
James Cunningham presented a plaque to former chair Alan Goodbary. The ATC contract involves an expenditure of $55,000.
OMES (the Office of Management and Economic Services) is taking bids to tear down the decrepit old warehouses at the Spaceport. There is also a water tower that is no longer in use that needs to be torn down,
Spirit Wind continues to conduct flight tests and will be at the Space Port another couple of months.
A replica of the Bughatti Model 100P Air Racer will begin testing this month at the Oklahoma Air and Spaceport. The original is in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. This test should attract a crowd of aircraft enthusiasts from Europe. See http://bugatti100p.com/ for details.
--Minutes by OSA Secretary Syd Henderson
Contact person for Oklahoma Space Alliance is Claire McMurray.
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