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W4DPH > SAT 10.03.03 17:36l 80 Lines 3240 Bytes #999 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS-68.01
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Subj: AMSAT-NA March President's Letter
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Sent: 030309/0426Z @:W4DPH.#TPA.FL.USA.NOAM #:49791 [CLW] FBB $:ANS-68.01
From: W4DPH@W4DPH.#TPA.FL.USA.NOAM
To : SAT@AMSAT
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 68.01 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD. March 9, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-68.01
On the first of March, the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors (BoD) met in Silver
Spring, Maryland to review our project funding. As you are, no doubt, aware
I have been soliciting funds from the membership for our projects for the
past two years, and while this has been quite effective it has not produced
the funding that we need to meet the schedule of launches that was called
for in our Strategic Plan.
At the BoD meeting a complete review of our income and expenses took place,
and it was determined that our organization is generally in good shape, but
that
a) the cost of building satellites has escalated
b) the cost of launching satellites has escalated exponentially
c) the current economic conditions do not encourage members to contribute at
the levels necessary to overcome a) and b) above.
Meanwhile your BoD have determined to look at many other aspects of raising
funds for satellite projects, and you will be hearing more of these in the
coming months. Of course we could meet all the funding requirements if all
of our members were also sustaining President's Club donors at any level.
On the brighter side we have good news to report about ECHO, which if all
continues to proceed according to plan will be launched later this year. In
addition AMSAT-DL are planning on launching P3E in the 2004/5 time frame,
and
as P3E and Eagle have much in common from the Amateur Radio operations
viewpoint, it seems reasonable to delay Eagle until after the launch of P3E
and then make a decision on the launch date for Eagle.
For details of ECHO see our web site and for details of P3E see the web site
of AMSAT-DL.
Also on the brighter side, two good items of news concerning ECHO. Firstly
thanks to Ron Parise WA4SIR, we have been given the use of the lab building
behind the Visitors Center at Goddard Space Filght Center (NASA) and we will
do the final integration of ECHO in that building. This is the same
laboratory
that was used for the integration of Phase 3A. Secondly, a critical piece of
equipment to be used in that center and at the launch site is the "Test and
Integration Ground Station Simulator". This is a complete command and
control
ground station that can test all the features of the satellite. It needs to
have
a rugged portable case so that it can be checked as luggage and taken to the
launch site later this year.
The Simulator costs $6000, and an AMSAT member from the D.C. area has
volunteered
to build it and to he has also offered a CHALLENGE GRANT. He will donate
half of
the funding if the membership will donate the other half. How about it?.
Can we
do it? I'll bet we can!
Please send your donations to the AMSAT Office Marked as Simulator
Challenge
Grant. Every dollar counts. Our address is AMSAT-NA, 850 Sligo Ave, Silver
Spring, MD. Phone (310) 589--6062. Checks, Visa and MasterCard are all
accepted.
I hope to be able to report to you, in the next President's Letter, that we
have
met the challenge.
73
Robin Haighton VE3FRH
President AMSAT-NA
[ANS thanks Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, for the above information]
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