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May 7, 2008
A last minute addition
of astronaut Bill Shepherd to the San Diego Air & Space Museum
Space Day this Saturday definitely makes this a great event I
can highly recommend. It runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm with
Shepherd's talk starting at 1:00 pm. Shepherd has flown in space
several times during the Space Shuttle program and has the major
distinction of being the very first commander of the
International Space Station on Expedition One.
SDASM always does great events, so making the trek will be well
worthwhile. OCSS will also be there with a display, along with
our friends in the San Diego Mars Society and San Diego Space
Society. There are many other speakers and presentations, but I
wanted to be sure everyone knew of this high-profile addition to
the Saturday agenda.
For more info:
http://www.aerospacemuseum.org/upcoming/spaceday08.html
Hope to see lots of friends there. Be sure and stop by and say
hello.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society May 2, 2008 A couple of exciting
events are coming up very shortly and I wanted to let our
members know about them.
First up is Space Day at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. It
will occur on Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. there
will be many special activities including speakers from Virgin
Galactic, NASA, the Jet Propulsion Lab, the San Diego Mars
Society, and our newest sister chapter the San Diego Space
Society. This will be a great event, so if you have a free day,
be sure to take a drive to San Diego and check this out.
For more info, click this link:
http://www.aerospacemuseum.org/upcoming/spaceday08.html
Second is a special Behind-the Scenes look at the groundbreaking
movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey." This will happen at 7:00 pm on
Wednesday, May 21 in Hollywood. The Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences is hosting this event at the Samuel Goldwyn
theater. This is the private theater of the Academy and is where
the Oscars are presented each year.
The evening will be hosted by Tom Hanks and "2001" special
effects guru Douglas Trumball. They will present footage direct
from Stanley Kubrick's archives that has never been made public
before, so anyone with an interest in space exploration and this
seminal motion picture will want to put this on their calendar.
OCSS has also been asked to be present at this event and we will
have on display the 5.5 foot model of the Discovery that is
duplicated from the original filming miniatures. I hope many of
our members will be able to join us for this unusual and
exciting event.
And the amazing thing is that this presentation is only $5 per
ticket! Heck of a deal for such an evening.
For further info and tickets, go to this link:
http://www.oscars.org/events/2001aspaceodyssey/index2.html
Also, be sure to have your calendars marked for our May 18 OCSS
meeting where we will be featuring Larry Bryant of JPL giving us
a talk on the upcoming landing of Phoenix on Mars.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
April 23, 2008 Long Beach Science Fair, Saturday,
April 26
This coming Saturday, OCSS will be participating for the second
year in the Long Beach Science Fair. Everyone who attended last
year said how much they enjoyed it, so if you have the
opportunity, please drop by and maybe lend a hand. The fair will
take place from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. OCSS will be on site at
approximately 7:00 to 7:15 am to start setup of our display. I
know, a very early morning, but well worth it to see all the
great stuff going on that day. We expect to be packed up and
gone by 1:00 to 1:30 pm. If you can make it for even a small
amount of that time to help with either setup or tear down, or
just to talk with the kids during the open hours, your
assistance will be greatly appreciated.
The science fair is located at Cabrillo High School, 2001 Santa
Fe, Long Beach. To get there, go south on the 710 freeway to the
Pacific Coast Highway exit. Turn right at the end of the ramp
and go to Santa Fe (about four streets down). Right on Santa Fe
and then you will see the school on your left. I am not
absolutely positive of this, but I believe you would take a left
on Willard, at the north side of the school, to get to the
parking area. Hopefully there will be signs for parking once you
are in the area. The OCSS display area will be in the northeast
corner of the gym, just inside the doorway.
Jet Propulsion Lab Open House, Saturday and Sunday May 3 and 4
For anyone who has attended, you know this is a must-see event
each year. I have simply included the JPL press release at the
end of this email, as I can't explain it any better than they
can.
And one last item before further JPL info:
Phoenix Approaches Mars, Sunday May 18
A heads-up for everyone to save the date for our next OCSS
meeting where will be having a great program given by Larry
Bryant of JPL on the Phoenix Mars Polar Lander, that is
scheduled to touch down on Sunday, May 25. More detailed info
will follow later, but please mark your calendars to join us for
this talk at a special time of 2:00 pm at out Irvine Heritage
Park Library location.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
JPL INVITES
PUBLIC TO OPEN HOUSE
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif., will welcome
members of the public to its Open House on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. Children will be able to participate in
many hands-on activities.
At this free, all-day event, visitors can watch 700-pound robots glide under artificial stars in JPL's Robodome, get
an up-close view of full-scale models of Mars rovers, and learn
how spacecraft are prepared for their journeys in special clean rooms.
They will see numerous solar system, robotics and Earth science
exhibits and learn about various space missions, including the
Mars
Phoenix Lander, scheduled to land on the Red Planet on May 25.
Visitors can also see how NASA instruments measure greenhouse gases,
which will help scientists better understand global climate change.
JPL's Open House begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. on both days.
JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Calif. Parking is free.
Please note that all vehicles entering NASA/JPL property are subject
to inspection. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes -- no
buses will
be provided from JPL parking lots to the lab. JPL will provide vans for
mobility-challenged guests.
Please note that the following items are banned from entering NASA/JPL
property: weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, dangerous instruments,
alcohol, illegal drugs, pets, all types of skates including skateboards,
Segways and bicycles. No bags, backpacks or ice chests are allowed, except
small purses and diaper bags.
More information on JPL's Open House is online at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm. Directions to JPL are at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/maps.cfm.
April 12, 2008
Hello everyone,
This note is a little early (since I am heading out of town for
a much-needed vacation) but I wanted to remind everyone of the
April meeting of the Orange County Space Society, to be held
Sunday, April 20 at 3 p.m. at the Heritage Park Library in
Irvine. A map is on our website, www.ocspace.org.
If anyone has any questions or needs any additional information
from now to the meeting date, you can E-mail Michelle Evans at
Mach25@sbcglobal.net.
Take care!
Jeff Howe
OCSS April 10, 2008
Next Tuesday, April 15, Fullerton College will present:
Extraterrestrials in Our Future by Professor Ben Zuckerman of
the the UCLA Department of Astronomy. He will be discussing the
possibilities of discovering extraterrestrial life on other
planets. With the discovery of hundreds of planets already
outside our own solar system, and the future launch of
spacecraft that will be able to image Earth-like planets around
other stars, it is time to start this realistic discussion on
what we may one day find. The discovery of alien life would be
one of the most profound events in all of human history, and it
is our generation that may be in a position to be the first to
answer this enduring riddle. Come join Professor Zuckerman for
this exciting program.
This event is the fourth in the "Space--The Final frontier"
series created by Dr. Bruce Cordell and hosted by Fullerton
College. It will take place in Room 224 at the college. The
building is located just east of the pedestrian bridge over
Chapman. The room is upstairs. OCSS is expected to have a
display to coincide with the event, so be sure to say hello when
you arrive.
Michelle Evans,
President, Orange County Space Society March 12, 2008 Hello all,
Coming up fast on our March meeting for OCSS. It will be an
exciting meeting, preceeded by a program--the first at our new
location at the Irvine Heritage Park Library.
At 2:00 pm we will have the presentation, "The First Space Race:
50 Years of Mystery" from OCSS Board Member and aerospace
historian James Busby. Jim will talk about the early space race
between the Soviets and Americans, and will provide many
tantalizing bits that have been hidden from public view for a
half century. This should be an excellent kick-off event for our
new lecture series. Our new program director, Ray Montgomery, is
working on several great follow-ups for the months ahead, so be
sure to come to the meeting, read your newsletter, and check
your OCSS emails for more details as they become available.
Anyone who has contacts or ideas for future programs, is
encouraged to write back and let us know.
At approximately 3:15, after a short break following Jim's talk,
we will then have our regular March OCSS general membership
meeting. A lot of ground to cover with agenda items such as our
upcoming events on March 28 ("Physics of Teleporters, Time
Travel and Black Holes" at the Aliso Viejo Barnes & Noble),
April 15 ("Extraterrestrials in Our Future" at Fullerton
College), April 20 (April OCSS Meeting), and April 26 (Long
Beach Science Fair).
We will also be discussing many other items of interest to our
members, so I hope you'll be able to join us. Bring your family
and friends. Check the OCSS web site at: http://www.ocspace.org
for a map to our meeting location.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society February 14, 2008 This coming
Sunday, February 17, OCSS will hold our first meeting at our new
location of the Irvine Heritage Park Regional Library. The
meeting starts at 3:00 pm and I hope we'll have a great turn out
to kick off this new location and time. If you need directions
to the library, please go to: http://www.ocspace.org and you'll
see a link to a map.
There are a lot of items on our agenda this month including a
recap of the Rusty Schweickart asteroid event on the 5th and the
upcoming, Colonizing the Moon and Mars by Dr. Bruce Cordell, on
February 26. Also on the agenda will be a discussion of the
current STS-122 mission, the upcoming Long Beach Science Fair,
and Spacefest 2009.
Remember that our meetings are always free and open to anyone
who wants to attend, whether OCSS member or not, so be sure to
bring a friend or two. I think everyone will enjoy our new
location as access is much easier and the noise factor will be
greatly lessened. Hope to see you there.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society February 1, 2008 OCSS is off to a
running start for 2008. We completed our first presentation of
the year at the Arc Light Theater in Hollywood on January 30th
by presenting a large display in conjunction with a special
American Film Institute Cinerama screening of the classic film
"2001: A Space Odyssey." The 850-seat theater was completely
sold out and we had people stopping by our display for several
hours before the showing even started, and for quite a while
following the movie, too. There will be a page 3 photo article
in the March issue of O.C.Space, so be sure and check it out.
Special thanks to Bob Kline and Dennis Gilliam, who both helped
to make the display a huge success.
On to the main topic: This is a reminder that next Tuesday
evening at 7:00 pm at Fullerton College will be a special
presentation from Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart entitled:
"Asteroid Impact: Protecting the Earth." With the recent close
flybys of both Mars and Earth of asteroids that could have
caused great harm to both planets, Rusty will be making a very
topical and important talk about what we need to do now in order
to protect ourselves and our civilization from possible
catastrophe in the event of a possible future asteroid impact.
The event will be held the Wilshire Auditorium at the college.
Be sure to arrive early for good seating. The college is located
a few blocks west of the 57 freeway at the northern Chapman exit
(north of the 91 freeway). The address is 321 East Chapman,
Fullerton.
For further information about this exciting event, please check
out these links:
http://fcfutures.fullcoll.edu/futures.events.s.08.htm
http://www.b612foundation.org/
Many thanks to OCSS member Dr. Bruce Cordell at Fullerton
College for setting up this event and keeping our membership in
the loop. Dr. Cordell will also be making a presentation at
Fullerton College on Tuesday, February 26, entitled: "Colonizing
the Moon and Mars," so don't miss either program.
And a few notes about other upcoming events to mark your
calendar for:
February 7: Space Shuttle Atlantis has been given the go-ahead
for launch next Thursday at 11:45 am PST. This will be the much
delayed launch of the European Space Agency's Columbus module to
the ISS.
February 9: OCSS Board member Jim Busby will be giving a talk on
"Explorer 1: T-Plus 50 Years and Counting." The talk is
sponsored by our sister chapter, OASIS, and will be at 3:00 pm
at the El Dorado Park Branch of the Long Beach Public Library,
2900 Studebaker Road, Long Beach (Near the Intersection of
Studebaker Rd & Spring St).
February 17: Our next OCSS general membership meeting at our new
location of the Irvine Heritage Park Regional Library. A map to
the library is now available on our web site at: http://www.ocspace.org
So, as you can see, lots of great events already on the schedule
for the year. I hope to see many of our members and friends at
the various programs.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
January 30, 2008
VOTE For Questions for the Presidential
Debates
You may have noticed that space exploration is appearing in this
presidential campaign more than in recent memory (see links
below). We need your help to keep this momentum going!
Later this week, both the Democratic and the Republican
candidates for president will be participating in the
CNN/Politico/LA Times debates (the Republicans will debate on
January 30th and the Democrats will debate on January 31st). The
debate organizers will select the questions that recieve the
largest number of votes. We need to make sure that a "humans to
Mars" question is one of those questions. Please vote for a
space question <http://dyn.politico.com/debate/#%23>
now!
You can see which questions have the most votes this far by
clicking the "Most Popular" icon at the top of the Democratic
and Republican pages. Both have a number of space questions,
including one submitted by a Mars Society member that goes as
follows:
"NASA can and should send humans to Mars in the short term. Will
you support a manned mission to Mars, or will you keep NASA's
hands tied by not giving them this mission that is worthy of the
$16 billion they spend each year?"
You CAN have an impact. If thousands of members of The Mars
Society (and as many of their friends and family as possible)
vote for space questions, the debate organizers WILL notice.
Let's work together to force humans to Mars into the
presidential debates - again!
You should also send a fax to the candidates, letting them know
that voters care about Mars, through the Mars Society's
automated fax system <http://fax.marssociety.org/>.
This is particularly critical given Tuesday's upcoming Florida
primary, and next week's Super Tuesday primaries across the
nation, which may determine the nominees for both parties. The
candidates will be paying more attention to the voters this week
than nearly any other time during the campaign--so be sure to
make your voice heard!
1.Go to http://fax.marssociety.org
2.Fill in your name and address and then write your letter. The
fax generator will automatically send faxes to the candidates or
your United States Senators and Representative. It will also
provide the proper heading to the fax. You do not need to add a
heading.
3.If you have any problems getting the fax generator to work,
contact Alex Kirk at alex@marssociety.org.
Candidate Space Policy Statements
Hillary Clinton:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3566
Barack Obama:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=26647
Rudy Giuliani:
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080126/COLUMNISTS0205/801260311/1138/OPINION
Mitt Romney:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2008/01/romney-articula.html
John McCain:
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2007/02/21/mccain-says-something-about-space/
Candidate positions (doesn't include recent statements):
http://www.space.com/news/071231-candidate-positions.html
January 14, 2008 This is going to
be an exciting week in space exploration. First up, on Monday
morning January 14 at 11:04 am PST, the Messenger spacecraft
will make it's first close approach to the planet Mercury. It
will pass within 200 miles of the surface, the first spacecraft
to visit the innermost planet in over 30 years! Please visit the
Messenger web site (http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/) to get the
latest updates and photos as there are released in the hours
following the flyby. Messenger is about half way through its
mission to eventually go into orbit around Mercury, but this
won't happen without some additional maneuvering, and about four
more years of flight through the inner solar system. Stay tuned
for some great photos!
Also, a quick note that this coming Sunday, January 20 at 4:00
pm will be our first OCSS meeting of 2008. We will be at our
regular Discovery Science Center location upstairs in the Board
Room. Please note that this is also the first day of a new
exhibit at DSC so there may be crowds and parking difficulties.
You may find that parking off site such as at the Main Place
Mall is a convenient alternative. Also, due to increasing
difficulties with using the Discovery Science Center as a venue
for OCSS, this may be the final meeting we hold here. This will
be a major topic on our agenda at the meeting.
We also have a lot of other great things to discuss, so this
should be an informative and lively meeting. This will also be
the first meeting where we have partnered with the SoCal Science
Cafe to get the word out, and many non-OCSS members may be
joining us for the first time. So, we are looking forward to a
great meeting in less than a week. Hope to see lots of familiar
and friendly faces. 2008 is already shaping up to be a busy one
for space and for OCSS.
Take care,
Michelle Evans
President
Orange County Space Society December 5, 2007
Hello everyone,
A few notes to pass along as the holiday season closes in all
around us.
Holiday Party Saturday:
We're only a few days away from the OCSS Holiday Party at North
Woods. If you haven't had a chance to RSVP, please let us know
if you'll be there and how many in your party, so we know how
big an area to ask for when we arrive. We're currently at 16, so
it should be a lot of fun with great friends (not to mention the
great food they serve). Remember we are meeting at 2:00 pm and
the map to get to the restaurant is available at: http://www.ocspace.org.
Human Spaceflight program:
We currently have a government stated goal of returning humans
to the Moon and ultimately going onward to Mars, hopefully
within our lifetimes. This goal is something I believe most
everyone in OCSS endorses. With that in mind, we are only 11
months away from electing new leadership in America, and this
could directly affect the goals we hope to achieve, so I believe
it is important for all of us to become aware of what the
candidates think, and to be proactive at letting those
candidates know our feelings if they want our vote. We discussed
this issue at the November meeting, and will continue to do so
throughout the coming election year.
With that in mind, there are currently only four candidates that
have stated any position on the human spaceflight program.
Without any prejudices for or against anyone, I am presenting
what is currently known below.
Democrats--
Hillary Clinton, is the only candidate from either party, so
far, to issue a firm space policy paper. This includes a major
endorsement of plans to send humans to the Moon and Mars,
basically continuing, and possibly even accelerating current
plans.
Barack Obama, has said specifically he wants to cut NASA funding
in order to fund his education initiative. This appears to be a
preliminary position and he has not released a policy paper.
Republicans--
Mike Huckabee, has stated public support for human spaceflight
in a recent debate, but has not given specifics about how far
reaching that support goes.
Tom Tancredo, has stated he is definitely not in favor of
expanded human spaceflight, such as going to Mars, and feels
much of NASA is a waste of taxpayer dollars.
A transcript of a recent debate that includes this info is
available at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/28/debate.transcript.part2/index.html
No further info is currently available on any other candidates
from either major party. If any member gains info from any
candidate, they are encouraged to forward it to us for
dissemination.
We further encourage our members to contact the candidates in an
effort to get them to talk about our future in space and make it
a matter of national debate throughout the primaries and general
election in 2008.
Thanks to our friends in The Mars Society, and through OCSS
member Ray Montgomery, you can do just that by using a fax
generator set up by The Mars Society to send a message to all
presidential candidates at one time by simply filling out an
online form. To access fax the program:
1. Go to http://fax.marssociety.org
2. Fill in your name and address and then write your letter. The
fax generator will automatically send faxes to the candidates or
your United States Senators and Representative. It will also
provide the proper heading to the fax. You do not need to add a
heading.
3. If you have any problems getting the fax generator to work,
contact Alex Kirk at
alex@marssociety.org.
Personal Note:
I also want to thank the additional personal support that has
come in since my last email from many members and friends of
OCSS. As those of you who are already aware, this is a personal
situation with myself, but it does directly affect OCSS, so for
that reason I am working to bring this all out in the open with
as little disturbance as possible. I have received assurances
from many of the people we work with on a regular basis for
space education and outreach, that our standing will not change
in any way, and for that I am extremely thankful for their
support for what we do.
With that, I will leave you for now. I'm hoping to see many
friendly faces this Saturday at North Woods. It should be an
interesting afternoon!
Take care,
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
November 28, 2007 The holiday
season is upon is again, and that means it is time for OCSS to
take a break from all the work we do throughout the year to
celebrate with our annual Christmas/Holiday party. This year it
will be at our regular location of North Woods Restaurant in La
Mirada at 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 8. A map to the location
is available on the www.OCSpace.org web site. It is easy to get
to, just travel north on the I-5 freeway to a few miles past the
junction with the 91 freeway. Exit at Valley View. Hard to miss
the large log cabin-type building with snow on top!
Please drop us a note and RSVP if you'll be attending and how
many in your party. Remember that you can bring family and
friends. Everyone is always welcome at this and all OCSS
functions. It is very helpful to respond since it gives us an
idea of how many people to tell the restaurant to expect, so
your RSVP is appreciated.
I also want to take a moment to give our members a heads-up
about a change that is happening within OCSS, actually for me
personally, that affects OCSS. For everyone who has been able to
attend our last two meetings (October and November), you are
already aware of what is happening, but many of those who are
not in the local area have not yet been notified. I won't go
into too much detail at the moment as I am still working on
exactly what I would like to say, so please suffice it say at
this point that it will hopefully be something that the majority
of our members will be able to support.
The membership of OCSS is made up of a great variety of people,
but above all you are without question one of the most
wonderful groups of people on this planet. This has certainly
been highlighted recently as I began talking with our members
about what is happening with me. I have found full support so
far from all who were notified personally and at the meetings.
This is not to say I expect everyone will be supportive of what
I have to say, but so far, that has been the case within OCSS,
and all I can say is that it has been amazing!
I want all of you to know how much I appreciate that support
through this difficult time. For those of you that I have not
been able to talk with personally, I apologize for this due to
the large geographic area and membership rolls of the society.
Anyone who would like to talk with me personally about this
situation, or ask any questions whatsoever, is invited to drop
me an email or give me a call. I will be giving additional
details later in December and will have my editorial in the
January issue of OCSpace devoted to this situation. So please
bear with me and hopefully all will become clear soon.
Again, thank you to all who have supported me, and I look
forward to discussing this with the entire membership very soon.
Also, I hope to see many of you at the party on December 8.
Please don't forget to RSVP.
Take care and have a safe holiday season.
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
November 22, 2007 It is with great
sadness that I have to report the loss of one of our long time
OCSS members, Dee Bower. Anyone who got to know her always loved
being around her. She was tiny, but feisty, and she had a great
sense of humor and a wonderful love of space exploration. Dee
was with OCSS for nearly eight years, and passed away on
September 11.
In her youth Dee had great diversity in her life, including
performing as a wing-walker! Now that takes some guts, and she
definitely had that. She was a reporter and later started her
own public relations firm. Long before she came to OCSS she even
created and produced her own space display for the Dana Point
Yacht Club. Way back at the beginning of her career, one of the
first stories she ever wrote as a reporter was about the very
first flight of the X-15 rocket plane, that would eventually
take astronauts out of the atmosphere for controlled flight into
space. Her love of flight and space permeated her whole life.
While with OCSS she joined in at nearly every meeting and event
we presented. Dee was everywhere, and always as helpful as she
could be. At displays we produced, she would gladly talk with
guests about the wonders of spaceflight, and always had a
helping hand.
Our hearts go out to her family. Dee will be greatly missed.
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society October 16, 2007 A busy
weekend is in store for our society. Our regular monthly
membership meeting is this Sunday at 4:00 pm at the Discovery
Science Center (followed by dinner at Polly's Pies!). We will
have a lot of interesting things to cover, including the
astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria event the previous day
(Saturday, October 20--see below). Another important bit of
business for this meeting will be nominations for 2008 OCSS
Officers and Board Members. If anyone has a desire to help your
society and wishes to place your name, or the name of a fellow
member, into nomination for any office or board slot, you may do
so at the meeting, or send an email reply to this message and
your wishes will be counted. Offices to be filled include
President, Secretary, Treasurer, and four Board of Director
positions.
Saturday, October 20: Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria will be in
Mission Viejo to lead the annual Walk Against Drugs. The walk
takes place between 8:00 and 9:00 am, followed from 9:00 am to
noon by a community fair. OCSS has been asked to be a part of
the fair and we will have a booth set up, supposedly right next
to the astronaut booth.
This should be a really fun event, and a different sort of thing
for us to participate in. Michael Lopez-Alegria was born in
Spain, but raised in Mission Viejo, so he calls this town his
home. It is fantastic that OCSS can participate in this. It is
rare to have an event so close to home! He has flown four
spaceflights (STS-73, 92, 113, and Expedition 14) and holds the
current record for time spent doing spacewalks (67 hours and 40
minutes over 10 EVAs--five of those on his flight aboard the ISS).
On his most recent spaceflight, he served as commander of the
International Space Station for 215 days from September 2006
through April 2007.
We encourage members to join us at this unique event. Michael
will be headlining the walk, which starts at Mission Viejo High
School (25025 Chrisanta) and goes approximately two miles to the
Norman P. Murray Community & Senior Center (24932 Veterans
Way--just east of Margarite Parkway off La Paz Road). Our booth
will be set up at the Senior Center. We will be there for setup
of the OCSS booth at approximately 7:00 am on Saturday morning.
Anyone who will be able to assist with the setup, manning, and
tear down of the booth, is most welcome and should drop me a
note or give me a call (949-770-0702). Same if you have any
comments or questions.
Directions: Take the La Paz exit from the I-5 freeway and go
east approximately a mile or so to Margarite. Cross Margarite go
past the shopping centers on either side of the street, and you
will see the Oso Viejo park on your left side. Turn left and you
will see the senior center.
Hope to see a great turn out both Saturday and Sunday.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
September 12, 2007 First,
I wanted to mention that it appears we will be going to an early
afternoon showing of “In the Shadow of the Moon,” this Saturday,
Sept. 15. Actual theater location and movie time will be known
on Friday. Anyone wishing to participate in this is asked to
drop me a line or give me a call (949-770-0702).
This Sunday, Sept. 16th, will be the first official OCSS meeting
since June. The meeting starts at 4 p.m. at our regular
Discovery Science Center location. We have a lot to discuss
because of all the things that have happened since June,
including our picnic with international guests, the Spacefest
event in Arizona, a day with Moonwalkers in San Diego, and much
more. It should prove to be a lively meeting so I hope we'll
have a great turnout. We will also be discussing many upcoming
events surrounding the 50th anniversary of the first ever
spaceflight--Sputnik 1. Can anyone believe it is now half a
century into the Space Age?
With that in mind, I want to pass along a link to a whole series
of events happening at the San Diego Air & Space Museum during
October:
www.aerospacemuseum.org/upcoming/eventlisting.html
A brief rundown of the events (see the SDASM web link for
detailed info):
* Dawn of the Space Race: The Day the World Changed. Saturday,
Oct. 13, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
* Magnificent Desolation: Exploring the remotest regions of
Earth, and Life on other Worlds. Sunday, Oct. 21, 1 p.m. to 2
p.m.
* The Age of Personal Space Flight is Here! Saturday, Oct. 27,
1:30 p.m. to
2:30 p.m.
Each of these events sounds like it is worth the trip. Normally
these events would be free with regular admission to the Museum,
however, our good friend Francis French has offered that anyone
from OCSS who would like to attend any of these events may do so
completely free of charge. All you would need to do is drop me
an E-mail and let me know you would like to attend, how many in
your party, and which event you will go to. I will then pass
this list along to Francis. NOTE: To get the free offer, you
must let me know ahead of time. OCSS may also be participating
in some way with a display at one or more of these events, but
that is still to be worked out. Please note that the Oct. 21
event happens on our OCSS October meeting day.
So, that's it for now. Hope to see lots of friendly faces at the
Discovery Science Center this Sunday. Remember that if you need
directions or want to pass along the info to your friends, a map
is always available on our website at:
http://www.ocspace.org
I also want to add an important note to our members. There is
currently a version of the NASA FY 2008 budget being considered
that will include wording to prevent NASA from working on or
spending money on any program that is exclusive to sending
humans to Mars. This is a ridiculous and short-sighted attempt
to stall human space exploration. I encourage all our members to
write to Congress to eliminate this idiotic wording. The Mars
Society has a site set up where you can do this very simply. Go
to:
http://fax.marssociety.org
You can E-mail congress by filling in some basic info and then
writing a quick message to show your support for human
spaceflight and specifically a long range goal of landing on
Mars. Please take a moment to do this important thing for our
future.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society September 1, 2007 Hi all,
Several things to report to keep everyone updated on happenings
in the space community. There are two events happening this
weekend I wanted to pass along. First is the Mars Society's 10th
annual conference. This starts Thursday and runs through Sunday
at the University of California at Los Angeles. I know several
OCSS members had planned to attend. For more info, go to the
Mars Society website at:
http://www.marssociety.org/portal
The second event this weekend is an unusual meteor shower: The
Aurigids. Thanks to one of our
members in the Phoenix, Arizona area, Rob Lanktree, for the info
on this display. These are unusual because they do not happen
each year as many showers do. The last time this one happened
with in 1986. also, when it does happen, it happens very quickly
and only lasts a couple of hours. It will occur around 4:30 am
PDT on September 1 and is well positioned for people in Southern
California to see. The Moon will be four days past full, which
may hamper viewing, but if you can find a dark area and keep the
Moon behind some obstruction, you should have a good view of
some very bright meteors. Check out this NASA site for further
info:
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/aurigids.html
Our September OCSS meeting will be on Sunday, September 16 at
our regular Discovery Science Center location at 4:00 pm. This
will be our first general business meeting since June because of
our
July picnic and August Spacefest event, so I hope we'll have a
great turnout to catch up with each
other on everything that's been happening. Also, our October 21
meeting may feature a special guest, but it is too early to make
any announcements concerning this yet. Watch your newsletter
and emails as we'll definitely be making announcements if this
goes through.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
August 22, 2007 Finally got
back from the Spacefest event in Mesa, Arizona and wanted to
pass along a few thoughts
to our members.
First, I want to thank everyone from OCSS who came to the event,
and especially to those who gave of their time to help out with
the setup and tear down of the OCSS display booth, and for being
at the booth to answer questions. Robert Lanktree, his wife
Lynn, and son Nathan, were all there to help out and were
instrumental in the setup and tear down process. (Extra thanks
go to Rob for grabbing those cookies for me when my blood sugar
went through the floor!) Special kudos to Bob Kline for
completing our two new display cases, along for the setup and
tear down help, as well as transporting those cases across state
lines for OCSS. We couldn't have done this booth without those
cases. His excellent craftsmanship is always amazing. Rudy
Ouzounian spent a lot of time at the booth throughout the three
days to talk with interested parties.
As for the event, it was really well received. The only real
problem being that it was just too darn hot! The Phoenix area is
about a day away at last count from setting a record for the
days over 110 degrees. I think it topped that number every day
we were in town.
The astronauts were all great. It was the first time I've seen
members of all six lunar landing missions in one room before.
That was worth the price of admission all by itself. Also,
getting to meet many others from space art, and the test flight
world, were also standouts.
If anyone who attended would like to send me comments about
their experiences at the event for possible inclusion in a
future article for O.C.Space, that would be greatly appreciated.
One of my favorite moments was getting to touch base with our
long-time OCSS member John Smith and his daughter Margie. He
continues his support of OCSS from Virginia, but we haven't seen
him or his family since 1999. Great to see you again John and
Margie. And congratulations to Margie on her son, Adian (hope I
spelled that right Margie). He's a year old now, but great to
meet him for
the first time, along with her hubby, Bob.
The event was well attended so I have a feeling it will be back
again next year. Just wish we could order cooler weather!
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
July 31, 2007 Hi all,
We had a really fabulous picnic on Saturday at Brookhurst Park.
We had close to 50 people altogether who took part, so this sets
a record for a summer picnic. Thanks to everyone for
participating and special thanks go to Debbi Bennett and Jim
Busby for arriving extra early to hold our great spot in the
park, and for Arthur Kienle for the great job as our chef. When
it became obvious we needed more grilling power to handle the
large crowd, he ran home and brought his own gas grill back to
press into service.
The group of Chinese students from Shanghai had a wonderful time
and I appreciate the extra efforts by some many from OCSS to
make them feel welcome. Tim Cassidy-Curtis was excellent at
answering their questions when they first arrived and I saw many
others throughout the day spending time with the kids. Robert
Kline, our resident Rocket Scientist really capped off the day
for them with his rocket launches. He had three successful
launches to the amazement and amusement of everyone. The kids
literally had a blast!
Important Request:
I am going to be sending a CD with photos from the picnic to
Anna Wang, the contact person for the Chinese student group. It
would be appreciated if anyone at the picnic who has photos they
would like to share, could email them as jpeg files directly to
me at:
Mach25@sbcglobal.net
We have been exceptionally busy recently with two weekends in a
row of major events. San Diego Air and Space Museum last
Saturday and then our biggest picnic ever this weekend. It will
be nice to
take a short breather before our next big event, Spacefest, in
Mesa, Arizona August 17-19. Many OCSS members from around the
country will be gathering to take part, so I know I am really
looking forward to seeing many faces that I haven't had the
chance to see for a long time.
Remember that Spacefest will take the place of our August
meeting. Our next regular monthly business meeting will take
place on Sunday, September 16 at the Discovery Science Center.
Thanks again to all the people that have made the last two
weekends possible.
Take care and see some of you in a few weeks in Arizona.
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
July 26, 2007
Hi all,
Just a short reminder that our annual OCSS summer picnic is
just around the corner. The picnic will be this Saturday,
starting at noon at Brookhurst Park in Anaheim. A map and other
details is available on our web site at www.ocspace.org, the
click on the Map To Meeting link.
We are expecting about 50 people this year, including 20
students from China. Should be a fantastic day.
If you are planning to attend, but have not yet RSVPd, then
please be sure to drop us a note to let us know the number in
your party. With a group this size, we don't want to come up
short on food and drink!
Also, it will be a huge help for anyone who has extra ice chests
and chairs, to bring them along. It may be hot, so you can't
have too much ice. We have an awning that will also help with
the shade, but if anyone has something else along these lines, I
think it would be great if you could bring it.
If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to drop me a
note. Looking forward to seeing a
lot of familiar faces on Saturday afternoon.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space society
July 14, 2007
Hi all,
We have two major events coming up in the next couple of weeks
for Orange County Space Society members, family, and friends.
Saturday, July 21 at 10:30 am: Space Cowboys at the San Diego
Air & Space Museum. Meet and talk with astronauts from the early
era of space exploration: Scott Carpenter (Aurora 7) from the
Mercury program, Gene Cernan (Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo
17), and Thomas Stafford (Gemini 6 & 9, Apollo 10, and
Apollo-Soyuz). They will be presenting a talk, followed by a
question and answer session, and then a book signing. This is a
wonderful opportunity that should not be missed.
OCSS will be at the event with our new display cases from Bob
Kline, so come on down and have a great day with your fellow
members. And afterward, we'll be making a stop by the infamous
Killer Pizza From Mars for dinner on the way home. Be sure to
leave extra early that morning to make sure you arrive on time
in San Diego. We suggest people arrive no later than 10:00 am.
some of us will be there as early at 8:30 am to set up our
display, so you are always welcome to join us to help out. Our
friends at the San Diego chapter of The Mars Society will also
be joining us.
Saturday, July 28 at noon: OCSS Annual Picnic at Brookhurst Park
in Anaheim. The following Saturday after the San Diego event we
will be having our summer picnic with a lot of special guests.
Besides OCSS members we will have friends from the Aerospace
Legacy Foundation, and also a group of Chinese students. What a
fantastic day it should be.
The picnic costs only $5.00 for each person, which covers all
the basics of food, drinks, chips, utensils, and such things. It
is important that if you are planning to attend that you respond
to this email with the number of people in your party so that we
have enough food for everyone. You may pay in advance or at the
picnic, but we really need your RSVP. A map with directions and
further information is available on our OCSS web site at:
http://www.ocspace.org.
Looking forward to seeing lots of friendly faces at both of
these events. As is usually the case, I'm sure there will be
lots of surprises, along with a great time.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
June 20, 2007 We had a
great Father's Day meeting this past Sunday. Thanks to all who
came in on a holiday to join us. More info about the meeting
itself will be in our Secretary's column of the July O.C.Space,
that will be out before the first of the month.
There are several events coming up that I wanted to drop you a
note about.
First up, let me tell you that there are two excellent viewing
opportunities for our Southern California members for the
International Space Station this week. I have included the
specific info for South Orange County below, but please remember
that the times can shift slightly, and vary depending on your
exact location. Go to
http://heavens-above.com to verify info for your specific
site. Members elsewhere in the country and overseas are always
encouraged to keep up with this site for viewing opportunities
in your area.
Thursday, July 21:
Max Magnitude -0.8
Start--9:43:55 pm at 10 degrees up in the NW
Peak--9:46:45 pm at 65 degrees up in the NE
End--9:46:50 pm at 65 degrees up in the NE
Saturday, July 23:
Max Magnitude -0.5
Start--8:50:13 pm at 10 degrees up in the NW
Peak--8:53:01 pm at 55 degrees up in the NE
End--8:55:12 pm at 15 degrees up in the ESE
Note that both of these passes end as the station goes into
orbital sunset, so those are very cool to watch.
Saturday, July 21 at 10:30 am: The San Diego Aerospace Museum
will be hosting a Space Cowboy event with astronauts Tom
Stafford, Scott Carpenter, and Gene Cernan. The astronauts will
give a talk, answer questions, then have a book signing where
you'll have the opportunity to personally greet them. OCSS has
been asked to participate so we will have an official presence
there with a space display, along with the San Diego chapter of
the Mars Society. We've been doing several events with them
recently and we always have a great time together. This is an
early morning event, which will actually make travel to San
Diego from OC much easier. And, of course, on the way home,
we'll be making a traditional stop at Killer Pizza From Mars in
Oceanside.
Saturday, July 28 at noon: Our annual July picnic at Brookhurst
Park will take place one week later than normal in order to
accommodate the July 21 event in San Diego, as well as to allow
a group of 22 Chinese students who are interested in space and
science to come and join us. This should be a great, fun day at
the park, and a chance to meet and talk with these kids from
overseas who are visiting many space-related places as they tour
the country.
The cost is $5.00 per person to come to the picnic. For this we
will cover the basics such as hamburgers, hot dogs, chips,
drinks, plates and utensils, BBQ stuff, things of that nature.
Anyone who would like to bring something special is always
encouraged to do so. As always, this event is open to all
members, their family, and friends. Please RSVP so we know how
many to purchase for. As long as we know you're coming, you can
pay at the event, or else mail a check to our PO Box, or go to
our web site at
http://www.ocspace.org, and use a credit card or PayPal
account. Just note with your payment what it is for and how many
people in your party. We'll have the map to Brookhurst Park
available on our web site and I hope we'll have a great turnout,
as is usually the case.
August 17-19 (Friday thru Sunday): Spacefest in Mesa, Arizona.
OCSS wll be there with our new display cases. This will be a big
event with lots of astronauts and other space experts,
autographs, and programs, along with a banquet with your
favorite astronaut. Many OCSS members have already signed up at
http://www.spacefest.info. Looking forward to seeing some of
our out-of-state members who will be attending.
August OCSS meeting: It was decided at the June meeting, that
because of the Spacefest event, we will forego our regular
meeting at the Discovery Science Center for August, and
reconvene there on September 16. For those OCSS members who
attend Spacefest, we will put together a time for a meeting
while we are in Mesa.
I'm sure that other things will happen throughout the summer,
and I'll be sure to keep everyone informed. Anyone with info
about other events, TV programs of interest, astronaut
appearances, etc, is always encouraged to drop us a note and
we'll get the info out to everyone.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President, Orange County Space Society
May 10, 2007 Several
space events coming up next week that I wanted to info our
members about.
Tuesday, May 15: Star Party in Bellflower
Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20: Jet Propulsion Lab Open House
Sunday, May 20: OCSS Meeting and special book signing event
1. Star Party, Tue, May 15 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Pam Leestma has set up a star gazing event at her school for
next Tuesday evening. This will be for her entire school and
anyone from OCSS is welcome to come join us. Besides the star
party, there will be several presentations, including one from
yours truly. In the event of weather hampering telescope
viewing, the presentations will still take place. Other
participants include the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and
Griffith Observatory. There will be many telescopes set up. If
you own a telescope yourself, feel free to bring it. The first
hour meet in the school's multipurpose room for presentations
about telescopes, the Moon, and the May evening sky. Watch a
demonstration of how to make a comet. Enjoy displays and snack
on Moon Pies and Tang! The second hour will be outside star
gazing.
Address and Directions:
Valley Christian Elementary School
17408 Grand Ave.
Bellflower, CA 90706
(562) 920-9902
Directions from Orange County: Take 5 north to the 91 west. The
off ramp right past the 605 interchange is Studebaker. Turn left
on Studebaker. The first main light is Artesia Blvd. Turn right.
Go through a couple of stop lights and look for Grand Ave (on
the corner look for some apartments; this street does not have a
traffic light). Turn Right on Grand. You will see the school on
the right side.
2. JPL Open House, May 19-20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days:
This event is always great to attend as the spaceflight facility
throws open nearly their entire facility. You'll be able to see
from where the Mars Rovers are controlled, as well as missions
under construction, historic exhibits, cool souvenirs, and
demonstrations. Get there early and remember that the OCSS
meeting is at 4 p.m. on Sunday, so come share your experiences.
Check the JPL website for further info and directions:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm
3. OCSS Meeting, Sunday, May 20 at 4 p.m.
Our regular monthly meeting takes place on our regular third
Sunday time at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. There
will be a special event at this month's meeting so be sure to
attend. Our good friend, Francis French, will be attending our
meeting and doing a short talk and then signing his new book
(co-authored with Colin Burgess), "Into That Silent Sea." This
is a fantastic book about the first pioneering flights from both
the Russian and American space programs, from 1961 through 1965.
I have read this book and can highly recommend it for all our
members for the look inside the lives of the astronauts and
cosmonauts that we have never seen before.
Francis is currently the Director of Education at the San Diego
Aerospace Museum and he will be bringing copies of the book that
you can purchase that afternoon. To see more info about the
book, go to amazon.com and type in the book title. OCSS wants to
congratulate Francis on his first book and I know that many
people will want to read what he and Colin have written.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society May 6, 2007 Hello
everyone,
First, we would like to thank everyone who helped with our
long-running program to help the Joe Walker fund which has been
featured on our website, www.ocspace.org. That program has now
passed, but it has been replaced with another cause, this one
closer to home.
For quite some time, OCSS has had in its possession a scale
model of the Lunar Module, this one used for filming in the
movie "Apollo 13." Before it could be tossed into a scrap heap,
like so many other great pieces of film history, we were able to
rescue it with the hope of refurbishing it and giving it a great
home in a museum or science center.
We are looking not only for skilled model makers and those with
a handy side, but also for funds and materials so we can finally
get this project underway -- and out of member Ray Montgomery's
garage!
Please visit our website and click on the link on the front page
to see a little writeup and photos of our project.
Also, for those of you who have the Science Channel, they will
feature their Space Week this week. The following is the
schedule:
5/7 Monday at 9 p.m.: Base Camp Moon. In 2018 astronauts will
revisit the Moon. Get inside their mission to develop the
technologies for a mission to Mars and beyond.
5/8 Tuesday at 9 p.m.: Starship Orion, the Future of Space
Travel. Board the next generation of spacecraft that can fly on
its own and take humans further than ever.
5/9 Wednesday at 9 p.m.: Mars Underground. Go beyond theory and
into the reality of humans on Mars.
5/10 Thursday at 9 p.m.: Roving Mars, the film shown in IMAX
theaters about the mission of Spirit and Opportunity. This is a
world television premiere of this movie.
Note that all these programs will air several times on the dates
listed, so check your local listings.
Sincerely,
Jeff Howe
OCSS
May 3, 2007 For anyone
who is not aware, we have lost another of the original Mercury 7
astronauts, Wally Schirra. He passed away from a sudden heart
attack late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.
We have had the great pleasure to work with Wally on several
occasions and he was a true gentleman. As the only astronaut to
fly in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, he was unique.
The first thing that comes to mind with Wally was his sense of
humor. He enjoyed life and was infectious to everyone he came in
contact with. He will be greatly missed.
There are many other items of interest coming up for our
members, but I feel it more appropriate to send those later
under a different email.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
April 18, 2007
This week will feature two connected events concerning the
Apollo program that should be of interest to our members.
First, on Friday evening at 6:30 pm, April 20, at the Newport
Beach Film Festival will be a premiere showing of the
documentary "The Wonder of it All." The film features interviews
and film footage from the Moon landings and sounds like it will
be well worth checking out. Any time you get to see footage from
Apollo on a big screen instead of a television, it is always a
treat. The screening is scheduled to include live appearances by
three Moonwalkers: John Young, Alan Bean, and Buzz Aldrin, and
will take place at the Edwards Island Cinemas.
Second, on Saturday, April 21, at 10:00 am will be a talk by
Apollo Moonwalker and Space Shuttle Commander John Young.
This link will take you to the film's web site and there is a
link for the film festival to buy tickets and has additional
info on Young's talk:
http://thewonderofitallfilm.com/
OCSS will officially be participating in the Young talk on
Saturday with a display. Hope to see many of you there. Should
be an exciting weekend of space events.
OCSS members may call 310-396-0750 to reserve your tickets for
the John Young talk. Mention that you are with OCSS and you
will get your tickets for 50 percent off. Once the reservation
is made you don't need to pay for the tickets until arrival at
the Radison on Saturday morning.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
April 14, 2007
Hello everyone,
I know this is a tad later than normal, but don't forget about
our April meeting of the Orange County Space Society. It is this
Sunday, April 15 at 4 p.m. at the Discovery Science Center.
Don't let the day be too taxing -- come to the meeting! (Yes,
pun definitely intended!) We'll report on Yuri's Night, as well
as the upcoming shuttle mission.
Sincerely,
Jeff Howe
OCSS
April 7, 2007
This coming Thursday will be significant for several reasons. As
you've read previously, there will be the annual Yuri's Night
celebration held at Griffith Park and numerous other locations
throughout the world. For our local members, there will also be
a chance to literally get in on the ground floor of a new
space-related facility.
At 4:30 pm on April 12, at the former site of the Rockwell Space
Division in Downey, groundbreaking ceremonies will be held for
the new Columbia Memorial Space Science and Learning Center.
This is a free public event and I hope many members will make a
point to take off work a bit early and come join in this
historic occasion.
The address is 12214 Lakewood Blvd., Downey, outside the Downey
Landing Studios. Cross streets are Imperial and Lakewood. It is
a couple miles west of the 605 freeway at the Imperial exit.
More information is available at the Aerospace Legacy Foundation
website at:
http://www.aerospacelegacyfoundation.org
Follow the links to the Columbia learning center on the home
page.
This will be a homecoming of sorts for all of you who used to go
to the old Family Nights at Rockwell. Once again, once the new
facility is completed and opened in 2008, this site will become
a hub for aerospace activities in the Southern California area.
See you then,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
April 4, 2007
Each year, a special celebration is held to commemorate the day
that humankind first ventured into space. On April 12, 1961
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth one time and we started
down the road to becoming a spacefaring civilization.
These parties and other events are being held all over the
world, so please check at:
http://www.yurisnight.net for the nearest event to where you
are.
For those in OCSS in the Los Angeles area, this year's event
will be held at the newly refurbished Griffith Observatory.
Included below is the communication and details I just received.
It should be an exciting event, and best of all, besides getting
to the observatory itself, it is all free to everyone. Enjoy!
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
APRIL 12 2007
YURI’S NIGHT LA @ GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY!
[FREE Community Event for Space]
Be a part of the global celebration of space exploration at
Griffith Observatory this April 12. Join us as we commemorate
the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961 with a
special day of activities. Doors open to the public at noon.
Mingle with engineers, astronomers, and space enthusiasts
throughout the day. View the new exhibits at the renovated
observatory. Take in a planetarium show* (fees apply). Then join
us for our special evening event with George Takei and Ray
Bradbury in the brand new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater at
7 pm. Spend a spectacular evening under the stars at the crown
jewel of the Hollywood Hills.
The entire event is free. You must make bus reservations to
reach the Observatory (see details below). Seats for the evening
event are on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: This event
is free to the public. Griffith Observatory requests the use of
their parking & shuttle services. For transportation
arrangements, see www.griffithobservatory.org/vshuttle.html.
The special evening event with Ray Bradbury and George Takei is
open to the general public and seating is first come first
serve. Please arrive early.
YNLA Special Event Featuring Ray Bradbury
[With VIP MC's Rod Rodenberry and Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides ]
Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has
changed the way people think. His more than five hundred
published works—short stories, novels, plays, screenplays,
television scripts, and verse—exemplify the American imagination
at its most creative.
Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and
most beloved books—THE MARTIAN
CHRONICLES, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, FAHRENHEIT 451 and SOMETHING
WICKED THIS WAY COMES—are masterworks that readers carry with
them over a lifetime. His timeless, constant appeal to audiences
young and old has proven him to be one of the truly classic
authors of the 20th Century and the 21st.
George Takei
George Takei, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the
acclaimed television and film series Star Trek, has more than 30
feature films and hundreds of television guest-starring roles to
his credit.
Recognized worldwide as a member of the original Star Trek cast,
George received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame in
1986 and he placed his signature and hand print in the forecourt
of the landmark Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood in 1991.
George is a recurring character on NBC-TV’s Heroes, playing
Kaito Nakamura, the father of time-traveler Hiro Nakamura
(Golden Globe nominee Masi Oka).
*******************************************
Noon-7 pm:
Space Exhibitors on the lawn, including local LA high school
FIRST Robotics teams, and the Traveling Space Museum
7-8 pm : Special Event Featuring Ray Bradbury + George Takei
*******************************************
Many thanks to our sponsors:
BOEING, NORTHROP GRUMMAN, AIAA, CELESTRON
March 28, 2007 Long Beach
Science Fair:
OCSS participated for the first time in the Long Beach Science
Fair over the weekend and I want to let everyone know that it
was really a great event. This is the first time we have done
this fair and no one quite knew what to expect. I believe it was
a lot bigger than any of us expected and would definitely be
considered a very successful event. I know this has to be a very
low estimate when I say that I think it was attended by about
2,000 people. Susan Garcia of the Long Beach School District was
extremely pleased with our display and definitely wants us back
next year, possibly with an even larger display than we had this
year.
I also want to make sure to thank everyone in OCSS who
volunteered and spent their day answering questions about space
and science from the students, and their parents and teachers. A
huge thanks goes to Jim Busby, Ray Montgomery, Pam Leestma, Geza
Binger, Ramona Montayne, Cherie Rabideau, and Cris Smith.
Space Day Riverside:
OCSS has again been asked to participate in this years Space Day
event at Longfellow Elementary School in Riverside. This event
has been a tradition for OCSS for a long time and I have already
heard from several members who would like to participate again
this year. The event is run by Lockheed Martin. Our contact
there is OCSS member Kay Armstrong. She does fantastic work at
putting this all together each year for the kids. Special notice
of course must also always go to Ivor Dawson and his Traveling
Space Museum who really pulls out all the stops for this event.
If you have never done this event, or have done it in the past
and want to do it again, please put the date on your calendar.
This year it will be on Monday, June 11th. Please drop an email
to Kay Armstrong to tell her you are interested and also check
out the Space Day website. We will be discussing the event
starting at our April 15th OCSS meeting.
web:
http://www.spaceday.org
email:
darrylkay@aol.com
I hope everyone is doing great and that you'll enjoy your April
newsletter that goes out in a few days. This month will feature
an article by Pam Leestma about the Educator's Conference at the
Johnson Space Center, with a page 3 photo article about the
ongoing science versus science fiction
show Star Wars--Where Science Meets Imagination. This runs
through April 29th at the California Science Center.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
March 20, 2007 We had a
great meeting on Sunday at the Discovery Science Center. One of
our larger groups attended and we got to talk about a lot of
interesting subjects for our organization and spaceflight in
general. We had three student guests from Beverly Hills High
School that joined us thanks to Buzz Aldrin. We are hoping to
work with them to produce some sort of student science/space
competition. More on that idea as it develops.
Most of our new OCSS shirts arrived and were handed out to
members. Several people have mail ordered shirts and those will
hopefully go out sometime in the next week. I have heard from
several people that said they would also like to place orders,
so I would ask that you get those into me as soon as you can.
Remember that we offer T-shirts, Long-sleeve T-shirts, Polo
shirts, Sweatshirts, and baseball caps. All are available in
embroidered or 3-color screen print. Feel free to drop me a line
for any additional info.
Next Saturday, is the Long Beach Science Fair. Anyone who is
planning to attend this event with us, is asked to be sure to
drop me a note for info and directions, if you were not able to
attend the meeting.
Also, on the horizon is the ground-breaking ceremonies for the
Aerospace Legacy Foundation's new facility in Downey, at the
former Rockwell Space Division, which is now scheduled for April
12. Not sure yet if this event will be open to the public, but I
will keep everyone informed.
Thanks for your time and continued support of OCSS.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society Feb. 20,
2007 At our February meeting we were
able to show off our new embroidered and screen printed logo
shirts for OCSS. There was great interest in placing orders, so
I want to contact all of our membership to get this initial
order put together as quickly as possible. Anyone with shirts
they would like to order are asked to write back to me with the
information as to the type of shirt, quantity, size, color, and
if they need to be shipped or picked up at the March meeting.
Availability:
Embroidered shirts: The embroidery stitching is in either white
or black, depending on the color of the shirt. Most popular
colors for the shirts are the OCSS Royal Blue or Deep Space
Black, but additional colors are available upon request. The
logo is approximately 4 inches across and done on the front left
breast. We are also offering baseball caps for the first time.
Screen Print shirts: The logo is in 3 colors: red, white, and
blue, and includes the OCSS oval, name, and tag line. It is
about 4 inches across on the front left breast and about 12
inches across on the back shoulders of the shirt.
Shirt types: We can have any style shirt with embroidery or
screen print, including polo shirts, t-shirts, long-sleeve
t-shirts, and sweatshirts.
Sizes: Small through 4X-Large
Prices:
$20--Polo shirt
$15--T-shirt
$20--Long-sleeve T-shirt
$30--Sweatshirt
$15--Baseball Hat
The embroidery setup is complete and OCSS has covered all
charges for that service, so we are just paying for the
individual shirts. The screen print requires a minimum order, so
the setup is not complete on that until we meet that minimum
order, however OCSS will again cover all setup costs once that
is ready to go. Once completed, we will be able to have ongoing
orders, so if you want more later on, that will not be a
problem.
Remember to please get back with me as soon as you can so we can
get the initial order placed. The plan is to have the initial
order to hand out at the March 19 meeting. Prices include all
taxes. Shipping is extra. Contact me for pricing if you need to
have your order shipped. Feel free to drop me a line with any
comments or questions.
Thanks for your time and I hope everyone enjoys this new line of
apparel from OCSS.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society Feb. 8,
2007 After a bit of a hiatus, we have
gotten back on track for our members to be able to order their
OCSS logo shirts. A sample of the new logo on a polo shirt will
be shown at the February 18 meeting and a photo will be
available on our web site at about the same time for those who
cannot attend that afternoon or do not live in the local area.
We are also working on expanding what we offer our members by
having a 3-color screen print type available with our full color
logo in red, white, and blue. Screen printing is a bit more
labor intensive than embroidery, so we have to set up an initial
order of a minimum of 15 shirts. Please get back with me to let
me know if you are interested in this screen print shirt, and
also if you are interested in our new embroidered shirt.
The embroidered logo will be a single color and can be placed on
various design shirts such as polo, t-shirt, long-sleeve t, and
sweatshirt. We can also put this onto baseball caps. Various
colors will be available and sizes go from S through 4XL.
The screen print shirt will have a large version of the OCSS
logo on the back and a small version over the front left breast.
Our initial thought is to offer the t-shirts in black, but if we
have enough interest in other colors that may be considered,
too. These should be available in standard or long-sleeve and
also in sizes S through 4XL. The full color logo can be seen on
the front page of our web site at: www.ocspace.org.
I do not have the final pricing but believe it will be close to
the following:
$15 for t-shirts
$20 for long-sleeve t-shirt
$20 for polo shirts
$30 for sweatshirts
$20 for hats
Embroidered and screen printed should be the same price.
Please drop me a note and let me know of any interest in these
items, so we can place our order soon. I am estimating our
initial order will be prepared soon after our February 18
meeting so they will be ready in time for the March 18 meeting.
Anyone who is not local or would like to mail order any item is
certainly encouraged to do so. If that is the case, be sure to
let me know and I will have to check on shipping charges.
Thanks to everyone for your patience. I think you will all be
extremely excited by these new items for OCSS.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Feb. 1, 2007 Hi all,
We had a great preview screening last night for the new movie,
The Astronaut Farmer, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Virgina
Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Bruce Willis. Everyone in our group
really loved the movie and its message about never letting your
dreams die. A great combination of comedy and drama, with the
dream of spaceflight thrown in to boot!
We have a second preview screening coming up on Saturday,
February 10 at 10:00 am at the Regal Cinemas at The Irvine
Spectrum. Remember that this screening is completely free and I
have plenty of passes at this time. Anyone who is interested in
attending, please drop me a note and tell me how many are in
your party. Family and friends are welcome to join us. The movie
will be released nationwide on February 23.
Also of note, this Sunday, February 4, we will be running an
exhibit at the Sally Ride Science Festival at UC Irvine. We have
several people already signed up to help out. We'll be there
from about 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and you even get free lunch! If
anyone not already signed up would like to join us for this
really fun day, please drop me a note and I'll get you all the
details.
And a quick media alert. There are several excellent programs
now making the rounds on the Discovery Channel and Science
Channel. There is a three part series called 2057 that explorers
life 50 years from now, and then Voyage to the Planets and
Beyond, which is a fictional account of a future human
expedition to explore the outer planets, followed by Spacecraft
Trailblazers, about the early years of the space program. Check
you local listings for times.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Jan. 23, 2007
First, I have just been in contact with Warner Brothers Pictures
about the release of their new film, The Astronaut Farmer,
starring Billy Bob Thornton as a farmer in Texas who decides to
build a rocket into space. I have seen reviews that look
excellent for this film and it is certainly timely with all the
activity in private spaceflight. Warner Brothers is sending OCSS
free tickets for advanced screenings of this film and I need to
know how many people might be interested in joining us.
There are two screenings planned:
1: Tuesday, January 30 at 7:30 pm at the AMC Theaters at the
Block in Orange
2. Saturday, February 10 at 10:00 am at the Irvine Spectrum
Regal Cinemas
Please send me a note if you would like to attend either
screening and the number in your party. As long as I have enough
tickets, please feel free to bring friends and family, too. The
tickets are being sent to me today, so I will have the exact
count as soon as they arrive and will fill them first come,
first served.
Also, at our meeting Sunday evening we have decided that we will
definitely be doing the February 4 Sally Ride Science Festival
at UCI. Anyone that can make this event to volunteer your time,
please send me a note to confirm.
We also decided that instead of the Sally Ride event at Cal Tech
on March 24, we will be participating in the Long Beach Science
Fair that day since we have never worked with this group before.
Again, if you can volunteer to help out at this event, please
let me know.
One last item I would like to pass along to everyone who was not
able to get to the January meeting: The OCSS Board took a vote
to honor one of our members and this presentation took place
that evening. For 11 years, Robert Kline has given more than any
other person to OCSS in the form of his talents and time. Bob
designed our OCSS logo and has provided us with exceptional
materials such as our display case. Bob often goes way beyond
the call of duty with the donation of the materials and does not
even ask OCSS to reimburse for his direct costs. When he does
take a check from us, I usually have to force him to do so!
With all this in mind, the Board voted unanimously to award
Robert Kline a Lifetime Membership in OCSS, and this was backed
up by every member present at the meeting. Bob received a
certificate conferring the award. For those of you who who have
not had the opportunity to meet Bob, he is one of the best
friends space advocacy can have, not to mention just being a
great friend to all of us in OCSS. Everyone in OCSS
congratulates Bob and we look forward to many more years of
working with him.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Jan. 19, 2007
Time to start out 2007 for the Orange County Space Society with
our first meeting of the new year. It will take place this
Sunday, January 21, at 4:00 pm at our regular Discovery Science
Center location. A full agenda of events and space activities
will be discussed, and time permitting, we have some excellent
video of the last shuttle launch that will blow your socks off.
I hope to see many familiar faces and even some new ones on
Sunday. Be sure to come hungry and join us at Polly's after the
meeting (where all the real business takes place!).
Our website has a map to our meeting location if anyone requires
it, or they would like to pass it along to a friend. See you
then.
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
http://www.ocspace.org
Jan. 15, 2007
Welcome everyone to 2007. This is already shaping up to be a
busy one for the space community and OCSS. I want to touch base
and let you know of some upcoming events and to ask an important
question.
First off, we have again been asked by the Sally Ride Science
group to do their festival at UC Irvine. The problem is that we
have sort of short notice and before I commit to an OCSS
presence there, I would like to ask who would be able to attend
and volunteer their time that day? The event is on Sunday,
February 4. I believe this is Super Bowl Sunday so I know that
might put a crimp on people's plans, so please let me know as
soon as you can if the Sally Ride event is a possibility.
We have also been invited to participate in a second Sally Ride
Science festival coming up on Saturday, March 24 at Cal Tech in
Pasadena. This is the first Cal Tech event for Sally. We will
discuss both events further at our meeting this coming Sunday,
on the 21st.
Also at UCI, this coming Tuesday the 16th at 2:00 pm, astronaut
Piers Sellers will be giving a talk entitled, "What's it Like to
be in Space?" Sellers was aboard two space missions to the ISS,
including the Return to Flight mission of Discovery last July 4.
The talk is free and open to the public at the Howard
Schneiderman lecture hall at the UCI campus near University and
Campus Drive.
Our first OCSS meeting of the year will be next Sunday, January
21st, at our regular Discovery Science Center location at 4:00
pm, followed by dinner at Polly's.
We have an interesting agenda to start out the year and I hope
many of you will be able to join us. One major event that
several members have already signed up for is the Spacefest 2007
in Mesa, Arizona, in August. OCSS has been asked to participate,
so we will be there with a display and possibly do a talk or two
during the event. This is hosted by Kim Poor of Novaspace
Galleries and will feature a huge lineup of astronauts that you
won't want to miss.
Take care and Happy 2007. And congratulations to the team at JPL
for three years of operations with the Spirit and Opportunity
rovers. Three years isn't too bad when the warranty was only for
three months!
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society Dec. 6, 2006
Hello everyone,
Well, 2006 is finally winding down. It was another highly
successful year for your chapter and I want to take this
opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support.
Whether near or far, everyone is important and nothing would be
accomplished without you. At the end of this E-mail is a list
that will be included with our National Space Society Annual
Report that summarizes what was accomplished by OCSS during
2006.
But wait! First, there's more!
Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Pacific is the launch time currently
scheduled for STS-116. Any of our members on the east coast may
see the spectacular trail going up the seaboard as the shuttle
program carries out its first night launch since the Columbia
accident.
Also, we have one last official OCSS activity happening during
December, our annual holiday party at North Woods Restaurant.
Many people have already sent an RSVP for the event, but if you
plan to join us, please be sure to send an email with the number
of people who plan to attend. The party starts at 2:00 p.m. this
Saturday, and a map to North Woods is available on the front
page of our website at www.OCSpace.org. Hope to see lots of
familiar faces. We will gather just inside the restaurant,
probably on the left as you walk in the door. If our group has
already been seated when you arrive, just ask for the Orange
County Space Society party.
2006 Summary:
09 Public Education Programs
10 Television, newspaper (online and print), radio interviews,
and Editorials
12 Monthly Newsletters published
10 General Membership Meetings
07 Displays (406 – Total number of days OCSS had public
displays!)
10 Miscellaneous Space Activities (space launches, etc.)
04 Conferences
02 Parties and Picnics
And don't forget to mark your calendars for January 21st, our
first meeting of 2007 at the Discovery Science Center in Santa
Ana.
Take care and Happy Holidays.
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Nov. 20, 2006
I would like to
thank everyone who participated in voting for your Orange County
Space Society 2007 Officers and Board of Directors. The vote
count and elections were held at our meeting on Sunday, November
19, at the Discovery Science Center. There were seven people
running for the BoD and it was probably the closest race yet
held for OCSS. A huge thanks goes to everyone who ran and
volunteered their time to be a part of this great organization.
Your OCSS representatives for 2007 are:
President: Larry Evans
Secretary: Debbi Bennett
Treasurer: Cherie Rabideau
Board of Directors:
Geza Binger
Robert Kline
Ramona Montayne
Rudy Ouzounian
I hope we will see many of you on Tuesday, November 28 at
Fullerton College for the talk by John Smart, and also on
Saturday, December 9 at North Woods for our annual Holiday
Party.
Take care and have a great Thanksgiving.
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Nov. 4, 2006
Most of our
members are already familiar with Apogee Books. If you are not,
they produce a great series called the NASA Mission Reports and
many other titles concerning the exploration of space. With the
holidays just a bit over a month away, I thought you wouldn't
mind my passing along some info concerning some special offers
that Apogee is running. These sets are great resources and great
reads.
They currently have two specials on space books: 1) Their pocket
resource guides that include subjects like Apollo, Hubble, Mars,
and even Russian spacecraft, and 2) their new science fiction
series that includes titles like "Edison's Conquest of Mars,"
which is a sequel to H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," and also
"Project Mars," a sci-fi story by none other than rocket
scientist Wernher von Braun. Check them out at this web link:
http://www.apogeespacebooks.com/Books/Specials/Specials.html
Apogee has lots more titles you might like to browse so be sure
to check out the rest of their website, too.
I hope you find this information useful. I have read many of
these books myselfand know they are well worth picking up.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Nov. 2, 2006
There are
currently two opportunities to get your name included on disks
that will be launched aboard NASA spacecraft. Act quickly to
avoid the deadlines. It is always fun to know that when a
spacecraft flies to another part of our solar system it carries
your name on board for now and future generations that might
find it.
First is the Dawn spacecraft that will head to the asteroid
belt. Deadline for entering your name is this coming Saturday,
November 4, so don't delay. Go to this web site and you will see
the link at the top of the page to enter your name.
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/
Second is the Phoenix Mars Lander. You have a bit more time, but
no need to hesitate. Deadline for submission is February 1,
2007. Go to this web site through the Planetary Society to enter
your name.
http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/messages/phoenix_dvd.html
Scroll down the page and you'll see the link on the right to
"Fly Your Name to Mars."
Have fun and enjoy watching these missions unfold over the next
several years knowing that you have a personal stake on the
success of the mission.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Oct. 20, 2006
The Orange
County Space Society will be at the Fleet Science Center in San
Diego on Saturday to work with America's first woman in space,
Sally Ride. Sally will be giving a lecture followed by a
autograph session for her books purchased that day at Fleet.
OCSS will be there with a space exploration display and to
answer questions from the public during the event. We have
several great new display pieces to premiere on Saturday and
have also received a large selection of new handouts for
everyone. Other organizations, such as the San Diego chapter of
the Mars Society will also be with us. Should be a great event
and I hope that many of you may be able to come down to attend.
The event runs from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Saturday, October 21. If
you are coming down from Orange County please be sure to allow
plenty of time as travel south on weekends can be very slow if
you leave too late. For more info about the event and to see a
selection of Sally's books, go to:
http://www.rhfleet.org/site/education/weekendtalk.html#sallyride
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Oct. 5, 2006
Lots of things to catch
up on, so I wanted to fill everyone in on what's happening with
OCSS.
Sunday, October 15, Monthly meeting at 4:00 pm at the Discovery
Science Center. Nominations for 2007 officers and board members
will be taken at this meeting. If you can not attend but would
like to run for any position, please be sure to let us know
before the meeting. Nominations will be accepted up until
midnight October 15.
Saturday, October 21, Sally Ride lecture and book signing event
at the Fleet Science Center in San Diego at 1:00 pm. (And, of
course, a stop at Killer Pizza From Mars on the way home that
evening!)
Several of our members will also be attending the X Prize Cup
events in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at the same time we will be in
San Diego. Should be an exciting time for everyone.
Saturday and Sunday, October 28-29, Edwards Air Force Base Air
Show. I have heard this may be the last air show for several
years because of work on building a new runway at Edwards, so if
you like a great air show, be sure to make plans to go this
year.
We are also working on a project with astronaut Buzz Aldrin that
could be quite exciting. Details are in works, but I want to
give you a heads up about what is happening. The idea is to
create a network of education specialists who would be able to
report to their local congress people on progress concerning our
future in human space exploration, and to brief these Congress
people on these ideas so that it keeps space in the forefront of
their thinking.
What may be involved is to get people across the country
involved. Since we have members all over the country in a wide
range of Congressional districts, I would like to request that
anyone who might be interested in joining this team should drop
me a note with your name, which district you reside in, along
with your congress person's name. This will get us started on
building a database of volunteers for this effort. As I say,
this is still in the very preliminary stage, but I want to gauge
people's reactions and see how much interest there is for taking
this idea further. OCSS is in a unique position to work on this,
so please be sure to drop me a line with your info and
questions.
That's it for right now. Keeping busy as always. Hope everyone
enjoyed their October issue of OCSpace. Our lead article on the
NASA exhibit was also picked up by Space.com and has been a
featured story there for several days. Anyone that would like to
check it out can go to:
http://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_road_vision_061001.html
or go to:
http://www.mach25media.com/spacenews1.html
and click on "NASA's Vision Takes to the Road"
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
Sept. 1, 2006
Several things are
happening in spaceflight, and I thought our members might like
an update. As most of you are probably aware, the planned August
27 launch of Atlantis on mission STS-115 was delayed because of
Hurricane Ernesto. It was originally believed Ernesto would hit
the Kennedy Space Center with high winds and rain so Atlantis
was de-coupled from the launch pad and started its roll back to
a safe haven inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. In an
unprecedented move, halfway to the VAB, the weather report
downgraded Ernesto and it was decided to take Atlantis right
back to Pad 39-B. This has never happened before in the history
of human spaceflight.
Due to the truncated
turn around, NASA now believes it can go for a launch attempt
next week, so tune in and watch events unfold. Launch is now
scheduled for Wednesday, September 6 at 09:29 am PDT.
This week also saw
the NASA announcement of a prime contractor for the newly named
Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. This will be the primary
spacecraft that takes humans into space, to the Moon, and onto
Mars. (The lander portions of Project Constellation will be
named and contracted later.) The Orion winning contractor is the
team led by Lockheed Martin. Our congratulations go out to the
company and its employees. This will be an exciting program to
follow as it becomes reality over the next several years. First
flight is to take place no later than 2014 with humans setting
foot on the Moon no later than 2020.
In addition, I would
also like to let everyone know to always watch for passes of the
International Space Station as it orbits the Earth. These are
exciting things to watch. If the lighting and orbital conditions
are right, the Space Shuttle is also easily visible from the
ground during missions. Check the web site
http://www.heavens-above.com for details at your specific
location. For the Southern California area the following
excellent evening passes are coming up in the next week:
04 Sep Magnitude -0.1
Start: 8:20:56 pm
at 10 degrees in the NNW
High Point: 8:23:43
pm at 39 degrees in the NE
End: 8:24:14 pm at
35 degrees in the ENE
05 Sep Magnitude 0.1
Start: 8:44:04 pm
at 10 degrees in the WNW
High Point: 8:46:45
pm at 43 degrees in the SW
End: 8:46:45 pm at
43 degrees in the SW
06 Sep Magnitude -0.1
Start: 7:32:09 pm
at 10 degrees in the NNW
High Point: 7:35:00
pm at 39 degrees in the NE
End: 7:37:42 pm at
10 degrees in the ESE
I would also like to
take this opportunity to thank all the OCSS members who
volunteered at the recent NASA Vision for Space Exploration
event at the Discovery Science Center. Everyone involved had a
great time interacting with the public over the three day event.
My understanding is that we handled over 2,000 members of the
public during that time. Well done to all.
Clear skies and great
viewing.
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space
Society
June 22, 2006
Hello everyone,
It is time for OCSS to take a small break with our summer picnic
coming up next month. I wanted to
get an early reminder out about the event which will take place
at our usual location of Brookhurst Park in Anaheim. Date:
Saturday, July 22 starting at noon.
There will be a map available at the www.OCSpace.org web site.
Cost will be $5.00 per person and will include the basics of hot
dogs, hamburgers, and necessary utensils and such. We encourage
you to bring a favorite dessert or other dish to add to the
festivities. Many people have already signed up for the picnic
at our meeting last Sunday. Please let us know if you plan to
attend. You don't have to pay until you arrive, but we do need
to know if you will be attending because we'll have to have a
fairly accurate count in order to purchase the necessary food. I
hope to see many familiar faces and even some new ones at the
park. Remember that you can bring friends and family. You do not
have to be an OCSS member to attend.
Also, below is an invite from the local AIAA chapter for an
exciting dinner event that will occur on June 29. If you might
be interested, I encourage you to check out further info.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
AIAA Los Angeles has an upcoming dinner and speaking event that
you and some local members might be interested in attending. The
event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome to RSVP and
attend.
June 29, 2006 Dinner Meeting
Women Air Force Service Pilots WASP & Flying with the Golden
Knights
Speaker: Violet "Vi" Cowden Pilot, Educator, Skydiver
Come join us and spend the evening with AIAA and SCAA as we have
the honor to host Violet Cowden as she shares with us her many
experiences in flight.
Vi was qualified in and flew over 19 different types of aircraft
from North American P-51 Mustangs to Douglas A-20 Havocs to
Douglas C-47 Skytrains, and many more. In one of her most recent
adventures, the 89-year-old went skydiving and jumped with the
U.S. Army Golden Knights, a team of precision parachutists. So
from flying all types of aircraft to taking her "12,000-foot
plunge," a feat that she was thrilled to do, and one that most
people have never even worked up the courage to attempt, it can
easily be said that Vi Cowden is one remarkable woman.
Vi Cowden was born and raised in a sod house in South Dakota in
1916. She attended Black Hill University in Spearfish, South
Dakota, and became a first grade school teacher. Her love of
flying justified a hectic schedule. She would ride her bicycle
to the airport early in the morning, take a flight lesson, ride
back six miles and teach during the day, and then take ground
school at night. After Pearl Harbor she volunteered to help with
the war effort and heard no reply from Washington for almost a
year. Finally, Vi received a letter inviting her to apply for
the Women's Flying Training Detachment training. Vi was accepted
into the program and in March 1943 began her training in
Sweetwater, Texas, for the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the
first women to fly military aircraft. Vi then went on to serve
her country.
Join us to meet this wonderful lady and hear her speak about her
amazing and truly exciting life.
Dinner: Thursday, June 29th, 6:30--9:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar and Dinner Check-in
The Proud Bird Restaurant Doolittle Banquet Room
11022 Aviation Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
$35 Regular
$30 Educators/Teachers, Young Professionals, and Military
$20 Students
* Show your AIAA membership card for $5 discount
$5 Attendee Only No Meal
Register by 9 a.m. Monday, June 26th to ensure a meal
reservation:
online: http://www.aiaa-la.org/dinnermtgs.html
phone: 800-683-AIAA (2422)
email: susana@westcoastaiaa.org
June 3, 2006
Media alert for OCSS
members:
I apologize for the late notification, but I just returned from
a cross country trek and only now found the info to pass along.
On Sunday and Monday, June 4 and 5, the National geographic
Channel will be airing a special program called: Space Race--The
Untold Story. This is a two night event and each episode is 2
hours long. Don't worry if you get this message after the Sunday
event because part one will also air again on Monday before part
two. I also assume they will be rerunning this several times
later on.
Show info:
Sunday June 4 airing at 6:00 and 9:00 pm PDT
Space Race--The Untold Story, Part 1: Secret Weapons
Monday June 5 airing at 6:00 and 10:00 pm PDT
Space Race--The Untold Story, Part 2: Race for the Moon
Part 1 also repeats at 4:00 and 8:00 pm PDT
And if you are so inclined, there is another show on the same
channel called Conspiracy Moon Landing which will air before
Part 1 on Sunday at 5:00 and 8:00 pm PDT.
I believe I have seen this one previously and they do a pretty
good job at debunking the Lunar Landing hoax claims with god
scientific evidence, so might be good to check out, especially
for the educators in OCSS.
Lots of other exciting events happening in the near future. Have
to get back with you once I get my feet on the ground again from
this latest trek (7,157 miles of driving in the last three
weeks, but who's counting!).
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
April 19, 2006
Hello everyone,
This is just a quick reminder that the April meeting of the
Orange County Space Society has been moved to this Sunday, April
23 at 4 p.m., and is at a new location for this month: Santa Ana
College's planetarium.
A map is available on the OCSS website: www.ocspace.org
Just click on "Map to Meeting" on the home page and you're ready
to go!
We've moved this meeting to the planetarium to highlight OCSS'
trip to Turkey for the total solar eclipse earlier this month.
Exciting images will be presented on the planetarium's dome,
making for one of the most interesting and engaging meetings we
have had in some time.
This is an excellent event, and if you make only one meeting a
year, this is certainly the one to attend!
Sincerely,
Jeff Howe
OCSS
April 18, 2006
Hello everyone,
I have just received word from Kay Armstrong that the annual
Space Day to be held at Longfellow School in Riverside has been
been changed from May 23rd to Tuesday, June 13. I know that
several members of OCSS have planned to participate this year
and want to make sure that everyone is aware of the date change
as soon as possible. I hope that everyone will still be able to
participate as planned.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
April 10, 2006
Hi all,
I still have a lot of work to get everything updated on my
website concerning the total solar eclipse tour recently
completed by OCSS. However, I have gotten a major portion of
what I want to accomplish on the site for everyone to check out.
Included are photos from throughout the eclipse day, as well as
the eclipse itself.
Please go to the following web address and then you can follow
the links on that page to see more:
http://www.mach25media.com/eclipse2.html
One thing you will find there is a graphic representing the
exclusive T-shirt designed for our tour group. I have been asked
by several people in OCSS if this shirt would be available for
ordering. This will be a limited edition shirt only available to
the tour participants and members of OCSS. If anyone is
interested, please drop me an email and I'll get you more info.
Pricing is as follows:
$17.95 for a black 100 percent pre-shrunk cotton T-shirt. The
design artwork will be on the front right breast and larger
across the back of the shirt. Polo shirts are also available
that will have the design limited to the front right breast area
(inquire for polo price).
XXL shirts will be $1.50 additional
XXXL shirts will be $2.50 additional
Shipping (if requested) will be $2.50
I hope to place the order in the next week so that the shirts
might be ready by our next meeting.
Speaking of our meeting, our April meeting date has fallen
directly on Easter Sunday. This is the first time I recall this
happening. With that in mind we have slipped the meeting by one
week until Sunday, April 23 at 4 p.m. In addition, because of
the special nature of the meeting, we have moved the location
from our normal Discovery Science Center room to the Tessmann
Planetarium at Santa Ana College. I will be making a special
presentation about the solar eclipse, and Don Prescott from
Tessmann will also be showing off the new planetarium equipment.
This will be an extra special meeting and program for everyone.
For those who have not been to Tessmann previously, it is only a
few miles from DSC. We will have a map on the OCSpace website
and will send out additional info prior to the meeting. Those of
you on the PDF newsletter distribution list will also receive an
E-mail with the directions attached. I hope we can count on a
large turnout for this special event.
Take care,
Larry Evans
President
Orange County Space Society
March 29, 2006
Larry Evans's firsthand account of the
total solar eclipse, seen from Turkey
What a fantastic day here in Manavgat,
Turkey! Several members of the Orange County Space Society are
here with our special tour group to witness an event that has to
be experienced to be believed. With an 11-hour time difference
from those of you back on the West coast, the eclipse started
here on the southern Turkish coast of the Mediterranean with the
first bite being taken out of the Sun at 12:38 p.m. Not much
difference in lighting conditions occurred until the sun was
about 70 percent blocked. Then, weird things start to happen,
with miniature suns being seen on the ground where shadows are
cast. The light is lessened, but extremely distinct due to
polarization. Then the last few percent of the sun starts to
disappear behind the moon and the rest starts to happen very
quickly.
In moments, even with the sun 55 degrees above the horizon at
1:55 p.m. it gets very dark and looks like a sunset all around
us. Everyone was staring upward and shouting as the sliver of
the sun left, replaced by the prominences and corona of
totality. People start to laugh and cry; the human psyche
doesn’t understand how it should react to such a spectacle.
There is a large hole in the sky where the sun was just moments
before. The rest of the sky is the deepest blue that cannot be
captured on film.
For us today, the skies were absolutely clear for the event.
Throughout our trip we had been threatened by rain that never
materialized. Each day of our trip has proven to be more
exciting than the last. One day we were in the 2,500-year-old
ruins of Ephesus and the next day playing on the simulators at
Space Camp Turkey. Now we have all had our lives changed by the
most beautiful natural event anyone could conceive. You can see
photos, watch a video, and nothing can even come close to
expressing and capturing the eclipse. Even with 99 percent of
the Sun covered, unless it completes that final 1 percent, it
will be impossible for anyone to understand unless they have
seen it for themselves.
Just a few short minutes after totality began (3 minutes 41
seconds from our location), the diamond ring effect was seen
again as the first pearls of sunlight poked through the
mountains on the moon’s limb. Many members of our 17-person
group have seen eclipses previously (when you’ve seen one total
eclipse you will be drawn to more), however there were many who
were here for their first sighting. After today, everyone in our
party, and the thousands more all along the eclipse path, have
seen something that many people go their entire lives without
experiencing. I will be posting photos and writing for OCSpace,
but trust me when I say that nothing I can do will ever do this
justice.
Just down the coast from where we saw the eclipse lies the
ancient site of the Temple of Apollo. The idea of being in a
country such as Turkey and being so close to these types of
places where civilization began makes what we have seen today
even more awe inspiring. We have spent a week in Turkey so far
and have four days to go before returning to California. In just
a few hours we will |
