ARCHIVED MINUTES

Business Meeting
October 23, 2004

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at Bebe's house, Houston, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 6:55 pm.

Attendance:

Betty Byford
Webb Byford
Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Marianne Dyson
Ted Dyson
Steve Jordan
Bebe Kelly-Serrato
Amiee Quon
Terry Smith

President:

  • Put off accepting/modifying minutes
  • Asked Tam to ask for volunteer help with 501(c)3 in the next newsletter.
  • P.O. Box paid through the next six months, next payment due February 1
    • NSS paid most recently, we pay next

Vice President: (open)

Treasury:

  • Carl will send outstanding receipts to Marianne for reimbursement
  • $150 in the checking account is earmarked for the 501(c)3 fee
  • Marianne has been promoted from Assistant Treasurer to Treasurer
  • Carl and Marianne are the only signatories on the checking account

Secretariat:

  • Carl will fill in any missing info on the thank you letter template
  • Change procedure for minutes: directly email minutes to all who attended and any regulars who missed the meeting
    • In the email, remind people to check their action items

Membership:

  • We have a mailing list
    • Possible problem: Bebe got the newsletter at her work address
  • Change the newsletter distribution procedure: Tam should send the finished newsletter to Steve for distribution
    • Steve will email Tam to tell him about the change
  • If anyone wants to join the mailing list, the info should go to Steve

Webmaster:

  • Added an “updated date” to the website
  • Beginning work on redesign of website
  • Still waiting on Tam for information on items from previous meeting

Political Action:

  • Chapter Challenge is donation-based
    • To get credit for a donation, donators should send the money to the national organization, indicating that it’s for Houston
  • Kerry supporters should write to him and urge him to support space

Events/Outreach/Cooperation:

  • Bebe is trying to get a Mission Control speaker for November
  • The Mars Red Christmas Party is Saturday, December 4 at Anita Gale and Dick Edwards’ house
  • The MSOH banquet will be February 17, 2005.
    • Bebe will send the information about the banquet to Carl so he can request General Howell as a speaker
    • If Lockheed gets advance notice, they will purchase tables
    • If Marianne is notified a month in advance, she can send invitations to local NSS members
  • Bebe will send Stacy a list of proposed events for posting on the website
  • Artist Pat Rawlings will fill in an existing logo for MSOH t-shirts
  • We are interested in getting one of Clear Channel’s “non-profits only” billboards
    • Billboards printed at SignTech cost $1-$1.50 per square foot.
    • We could include a picture of Webb’s Mars rover model
  • Steve will send contact info for Toronto’s Mars Society president (Matt Bamsey) to Carl
  • Stacy has requested information on PSAs from Channel 55
  • Steve will send the membership list to Bebe for the Christmas party
  • The NASA grant has a mid-January deadline
    • Current thought is to have a traveling display, possibly including rover models, dioramas, etc.
    • Some pro-space 4th grade teachers in Pasadena ISD may be willing to help us with grant writing
    • The easiest way to do this would be to have a college professor spearhead the grant (possible professors include Dr. Jim Jordan at Lamar University or Dr. Patricia Reiff at Rice University)
    • We probably cannot get everything together in time for the mid-January deadline.
      • We should set up the project and submit it next year.
      • Carl will write up a summary of the proposed project.
  • Other outreach ideas are an art car or a parade float
  • We could run a Mars summer camp through San Jacinto College
    • We would need to provide a blurb and instructors for the camp
    • Camps are usually all day (9-5) for a week
    • No initial costs; instructors are paid.
    • We would get some money back
    • The college requires at least 10 kids to sign up or the camp will be canceled
    • If we lined up a corporate sponsor, we could have handouts or souvenirs for the kids (inflatable Mars?)
    • Marianne will write a short proposal/description of a camp program as well as what we would need to provide (time, teachers, etc)
  • We could put together a short course on Mars for adults through the Bay Area Arts Alliance
    • The course could also be run through the LPI, but the Arts Alliance’s distribution would be beyond the science community, which is an advantage

Upcoming Events:

  • November: Mission Control lecture
  • December: Mars Christmas party
  • February 17: Mars Society of Houston banquet
  • March: LPI Conference chili judging
  • April: Lecture by Dr. Steve Clifford from LPI
  • May: Meeting/social event with NSS, AIAA, Planetary Society
  • June: Beach party
  • August: Mars Society convention

Action Items:

  • Carl will fill in any missing info on the thank you letter template
  • Carl will send outstanding receipts to Marianne for reimbursement
  • Steve will email Tam to tell him about the change in newsletter distribution
  • Bebe will send the information about the banquet to Carl so he can request General Howell as a speaker
  • Bebe will send Stacy a list of proposed events for posting on the website
  • Steve will send contact info for Toronto’s Mars Society president (Matt Bamsey) to Carl
  • Steve will send the membership list to Bebe for the Christmas party
  • Carl will write up a summary of proposed NASA grant project.
  • Marianne should write a short proposal/description of a camp program as well as what we would need to provide (time, teachers, etc)

Next Meeting:

  • December 4, before or during the Christmas party

Adjourned at 8:15 pm

Amiee Quon

Business Meeting
September 25, 2004

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at Joe's Crab Shack, Houston, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 2:10 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Patt Czarnik
Tam Czarnik
Steve Jordan
Bebe Kelly-Serrato
Amiee Quon

President:

  • September and March minutes were approved as written.
  • We no longer seem to have a CPA to help with the 501(c)3
    • A volunteer CPA could be solicited through the newsletter
  • MSOH again won the chapter contest for having the most new members
    • We still have ~15 autographed The Case for Mars books from winning last year
    • As this year's prize, we have our choice of books: The Case for Mars, First Landing (fiction), or Mars on Earth (non-fiction)
      • Chose First Landing for a contrasting genre to The Case for Mars
  • Houston won the challenge against Illinois, but San Diego beat all of Texas
  • The coming year's contest will be for amount of money donated to the Mars Society.
    • Small group challenges will not be allowed

Vice President: (open)

Treasury:

  • P.O. Box has been paid for six more months

Secretariat:

Membership:

  • Need a member and non-member list (non-members signed up to receive informational emails but didn't join the organization)
  • We need to get Maggie's newest mailing list
  • Steve should bring the membership list to each meeting so it can be updated

Webmaster:

  • Will add a button on the website for signing up to receive the newsletter
  • Will add a link for Paypal donations
  • Will add a link to the Political task force website's letter template
  • Stacy needs announcements for the web page

Political Action:

  • Newsletter (general news, information, events, etc) is aimed at all of Texas
    • Will be sent out monthly; will not delay sending to wait for news
    • Will be sent out on the 28th or 29th of September
    • Any events, information, national or local news should be emailed to Tam
    • Will include an email address (from Maggie) for Paypal donations
    • Will be sent with addresses in the BCC field
    • Will add an address for unsubscribing at the end of the newsletter emails
  • Political news is sent to the Texas members list
  • 468 letters in support of the Moon-Mars Initiative were written at the letter-writing table at the convention
  • Possibly create a flyer with the URL for the letter generator
  • Thanks to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: the Senate approved $16.38 billion for NASA ($200 million more than NASA asked for)
    • The House of Representatives wants to trim $1 billion
    • $200 million is earmarked for the ISS
  • If MSOH produces a PSA (Public Service Announcement), it should be apolitical.
    • For radio: information on the benefits of space and humans in space, focus on investing in our future rather than the current initiative

Events/Outreach/Cooperation:

  • Think about content for student-oriented brochures (under 18 and college-age), possibly in conjunction with the NASA education office
    • Would be for the "Mars Generation" chapter (a youth version of the Mars Society)
    • Could be handed out at events or useful for school science outreach
  • Many of Houston's billboards have been designated for ads by non-profit groups
    • Steve will find out the price from ClearChannel, the owner of many of the billboards
    • If the national organization is interested, they might be willing to fund it.
  • Ideas for a NASA grant should be sent to Marianne
    • Could build a playground or have outreach activities
    • Proposals are due in January and must be education-related
    • Could build an exhibit that could travel to area schools
      • Activities could include RC rovers on a sample Mars base

Upcoming Events:

  • November: MER panel lecture
  • December: Mars Christmas party
  • February 17: Mars Society of Houston banquet
  • March: LPI Conference chili judging
  • April: Lecture by Dr. Steve Clifford from LPI
  • May: Meeting/social event with NSS, AIAA, Planetary Society
  • June: Beach party
  • August: Mars Society convention

Action Items:

  • Carl will fill in any missing info on the thank you letter template
  • Tam will email Maggie to ask for the email address for Paypal donations
  • Stacy will add a button to the webpage to allow people to sign up for the newsletter
  • Patt will get the newest membership list from Maggie and forward it to Steve
  • Steve will bring the membership list to each meeting
  • Tam will give Stacy the contact information for the New Mexico chapter (they use Google ads)
  • Stacy will add a Paypal link to the website
  • Stacy will forward Robby Gaines' address to Tam for inclusion in the newsletter (Gaines periodically publishes an interesting, space-themed newsletter)
  • Stacy will add a link to the political support letter templates
  • Patt and/or Tam will brainstorm ideas for a PSA
    · Steve will find out the price for billboard advertising from ClearChannel
  • Patt or Tam will ask Maggie whether the national organization is interested in the billboard once Steve gets the cost information
  • Carl will come up with ideas for a traveling Mars yard with rovers and send it to Marianne

Next Meeting:

  • October 23, 6pm

Adjourned at 3:47 pm

Amiee Quon

Business Meeting
August 14, 2004

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at The Outpost, Clear Lake, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 2:30 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Patt Czarnik
Tam Czarnik
Marianne Dyson
Amiee Quon

President:

  • Working on contact with the volunteer CPA, don’t want to commit to 501(c)3 without advice
  • P.O. Box rental fee is due in August

Vice President: (open)

Treasury:

  • There are no tax implications or obligations for the DBA and no renewal is needed.
  • Compass Bank (free) checking account currently has almost $300.
  • Selling or reselling items requires the vendor to pay sales tax at the location of the sale. (8.25% in Houston, 7.25% in Texas outside of Houston, none for out-of-state internet orders)
  • If the vendor is a distributor for a non-profit organization, there is no tax. (If items are sold to a school for school use, no tax.)
  • 501(c)3 is usually retroactive, so if it has not been filed by year end, will file sales tax

Secretariat:

  • Think about Thank You note/letter templates for speakers, etc

Membership:

  • Steve is currently on crew for MDRS (Mars Desert Research Station)
  • Should offer members the opportunity to join Robby Gaines’ list (cool space stories)

Webmaster:

  • Stacy renewed www.marshouston.org domain name for $10.
  • Web company hosts Ch55 site. Can find out what the requirements would be to use Ch55 studios to film a PSA.

Political Action:

  • 15 August 2004 is the deadline for the chapter challenge
    • The California three-way challenge groups have been very active
    • Our challenge with Illinois has been less vigorous
    • At conference ceremony, will only mention points accrued by winner.
    • Will ask for volunteers to do next year’s scoring and suggest improvements to the scoring system.
      • Possibly offer prizes (besides bragging rights) like rebates to chapters or sending a high-profile speaker.
    • Challenge was successful in encouraging outreach.
  • The Moon Mars blitz went well: 76 people visited over 200 congressional offices.
    • Budget appropriations for NASA are grouped with HUD (Housing and Urban Development), VA (Veteran’s Affairs) and independent agencies.
    • NASA lacks the grassroots lobbying support of both HUD and VA.
      • Tom Delay called in a favor with Bush to veto the budget if it includes a $1 billion space budget cut.
  • Texas state senate passed a resolution in support of the space Vision, joining eight other states in doing so.
  • The new space budget cut ISS money, but kept Shuttle and Mars.
  • McCain did introduce an authorization bill for space money, but it’s still in committee.

Events/Outreach/Cooperation:

  • Steve Clifford from LPI (Lunar and Planetary Institute) will probably be the first speaker. He’s a Mars water consultant on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
  • A partnership with NSS (National Space Society) could be helpful because the local chapter lacks people but is well-funded.
    • Before proposing, must first decide how to resolve disputes in mission or priorities.
  • Could have a breakfast event at the Gilruth Center to view Burt Rutan’s first flight for the X-Prize competition. Flight scheduled for Wednesday, September 29.
  • Would like to recruit CEOWG (Community Education Outreach Working Group) chair Gary Kitmacher for help with events.
    • Useful partnership because CEOWG’s priority is ISS (International Space Station) outreach, followed by space Vision support, which we can help with.
    • NASA put out an RFI (Request for Info) for educational project proposals to build public support for the space Vision.
      • Winning proposals would get money plus NASA web services.
      • An example of a previous project if TSGC’s (Texas Space Grant Consortium) NASA Means Business Student Competition.
  • Bay Area Economic Development has a cable show (1 hr/wk), sometimes has aerospace info.
    • We could provide content, ideas for the show.
  • Think about partnership with businesses: possibly Scott Bleisath of Rocket Town (order t-shirts/polos through him, he stocks a few extra, we get a few percent from those sales) or Ignite Foundation’s catalog (space-related fundraising for non-profits).
    • Locally or nationally approach Scholastic about purchasing 200-300 copies of Marianne’s Mars book, then resell independently.
      • Through Scholastic’s book club, scholastic.com/space ($4.95 for first book, $13 thereafter)
  • NASA Alumni League is looking for 10 schools/year to sponsor for a Challenger Center Mission.
  • A NASA Alumni League partnership would be advantageous because they can get high-profile speakers. We could partner or facilitate their mentoring program (possibly with Rice or other universities). Setting up a display table at one of their events would be good publicity.
  • We should have a newsletter for the website every month.

Upcoming Events:

  • September 29: Breakfast viewing of SpaceShipOne’s first flight in the quest for the X-Prize, Gilruth Center, Johnson Space Center.

Action Items:

  • Carl will ask the mailing list if anyone is willing to help with Treasurer duties and financial forms.
  • Marianne will send Stacy the hyperlink to the NASA site listing state resolutions in support of the Vision.
  • Stacy will post a request for members to send thank-you notes to state senators for supporting the Vision-support resolution.
  • Patt will add thank-you notes to the letter-writing table at the Mars Society conference.
  • Marianne will forward the RFI info to Patt.
  • Patt will bring up the RFI at the Mars Society steering committee meeting next week.
  • Bebe will give Marianne the contact info for the Gilruth Center for planning the Sept 29 breakfast event.
  • Steve will work on format for email to general membership.
  • Tam will send a sample of a monthly newsletter to Carl.

Next Meeting:

September 25th

Adjourned at 4:00 pm

Amiee Quon

Business Meeting
March 13, 2004

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at The Outpost, Clear Lake, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 3:08 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Patt Czarnik
Tam Czarnik
Marianne Dyson
Steve Jordan
Amiee Quon

President:

  • Accepted December's meeting minutes
  • MSOH now has a checking account; account was started with $250
  • A CPA volunteered to help with 501(c)3
  • In January, paid six months rent on the P.O. Box shared with NSS
  • Everyone should give any MSOH event receipts to Carl
  • Carl will have Bebe get permission to use part of corporate donations for miscellaneous reimbursements
  • Boeing will not continue to sponsor the Popcorn Series lectures
  • Carl was interviewed by ABC-13 in January and by Channel 24 (Cable) News in March at the Mars Settlement Design Competition
  • The Space Initiative is acceptable because it's politically realistic.
  • Carl, Marianne, and Bebe introduced resolutions in support of Bush's Space Initiative at Tuesday's elections

Vice President: (open)

Treasurer:

  • The checking account is free; MSOH must pay for checks (currently using Smithsonian Space checks)
  • 501(c)3 is on hold until the CPA is free after tax season
    • Will ask if CPA is willing to manage the books or set up an accounting system and/or check the books once a year

Secretary:

  • Think about Thank You note/letter templates for speakers, etc

Membership:

  • Added one new member at the Solar Refrigerator lecture at Rice University
  • Possibly create a quarterly newsletter to members from the MSOH President
    • Carl will think about ideas for the newsletter
  • Need two mailing lists: one for members, one for non-members who want information
  • Steve will bring the latest lists to each meeting for comparison

Webmaster:

  • Posted info on the UHCL lecture on early results from the Mars rovers (lecture unaffiliated with MSOH)
  • Location changed for next couple of lectures: next one is at the Gilruth, JSC, April 15

Political Action:

  • Members need to get in touch with their representatives (like Kay Bailey Hutchison) because the space initiative budget needs to be approved
    • Members can get a list of nine talking points in support of the space initiative
  • The Mars Society has people helping to write candidate Kerry's space policy
  • Members should volunteer to be political convention delegates (need to have voted in the primaries to be eligible)
  • Zubrin's request for member/chapter support for fixing Hubble was not forwarded because it is not the official position of the Mars Society

Events Coordinator:

  • Next lecture: Solar Refrigerators by Mike Ewert at JSC
  • Patt will do a display table for the LPI Conference at South Shore Harbor
  • Carl, and Steve are willing to talk with Tom Delay, the new representative for the JSC area (Delay replaces Nick Lampson)

Old Business:

  • Midwest vs. Wild West Challenge
    • MSOH is currently far ahead of Illinois
    • Other people are not reporting their points as they accumulate
    • Should propose new rule for next year: points must be reported as they are earned
    • The political district convention will be March 27 at UH's Hoffheinz Pavilion. Tam will check if precinct resolutions count for points.
  • James Cameron will be at the Mars Society convention this August
  • Note: the new head of the Russian space agency is from the military; he replaces a civilian

Upcoming Events:

  • April 15: Solar Refrigerators by Mike Ewert, Gilruth Center, JSC

Action Items:

  • Bebe will get permission to use part of corporate donations for miscellaneous reimbursements
  • Carl will contact CPA about 501(c)3 forms after tax season
  • Amiee will create a Thank You note template
  • Carl will think about ideas for the quarterly newsletter
  • Steve will bring the latest mailing lists to each meeting
  • Patt will do a display table at the LPI conference
  • Tam will check if precinct resolutions count for the challenge

Next Meeting:

To be rescheduled in May

Adjourned at 4:43 pm

Amiee Quon

Business Meeting
December 20, 2003

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at The Outpost, Clear Lake, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 2:23 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Patt Czarnik
Amiee Quon

New Business:

  • Minutes tabled
  • All members should sign up for the national Mars Society email newsletter
  • The political officer urges all members to write letters to and/or visit their Congressional representatives
  • The website has an online report form for political activity.
  • Tam is putting together an email for all Texas Mars Society members urging them to contact their representatives in support of a Mars effort.
  • Email will include the names of Congresspersons who have already been contacted.
  • Carl will ask Bebe for details about the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Mars Landing event
  • Patt is willing to follow up with HMNS
  • Patt will check if the Lunar and Planetary Institute will charge a non-profit to exhibit at its conference
  • If Carl gets a contact person for the Astrodome remodeling project, he will pass on the information to Patt

Upcoming Events:

  • January 17, 2004: Houston Museum of Natural Science's Mars Landing event
  • February 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at JSC
  • March 2004: Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference
  • April 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at Rice
  • May 2004: Gretchen Thomas' INTEGRITY project lecture at Rice

Adjourned at 3:23 pm

Amiee Quon

 

Business Meeting
October 25, 2003

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at Mission Burritos, Houston, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 3:11 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Tam Czarnik
Steve Jordan
Amiee Quon

Officer Reports:

  • President: Carl Carlsson
  • Welcome letter to membership/soliciting involvement
    • No new responses
  • Upgraded display
    • Has picture frames for a new, more durable convention display
    • Is taking ideas on how to make the display
  • Vice President: open
  • Treasurer: Marianne Dyson, assistant
  • 501(c)(3)
    • no further progress
  • checking account
    • no further progress
  • Lockheed Martin invoice for August event (Carl to pursue)
    • Carl created a draft invoice that asks for a check payable to the Mars Society of Houston, care of the national Mars Society
  • Secretary: Amiee Quon
  • no issues
  • Membership: Steve Jordan
  • Seven new members as a result of the Chang-Diaz and AIAA talks
  • There were two email bounce-backs from the new list
  • Ideally, members will receive ~2 emails per month
  • Webmaster: Stacy Clifford
  • The banquet sign-up link is now online
  • In the future, most submissions for the website should be in .pdf format.
  • Political Action: Tam Czarnik
  • Dr. Robert Zubrin is testifying before Congress next week. MSOH members should contact Kay Bailey Hutchison's office in support of the legislation. Contact information is available on the website.
  • In recent testimony to the House Science Committee, three of five scientists supported a trip to Mars. MSOH members should contact members of the House Science Committee in support of the legislation. Contact information is available on the website.
  • Carl is still trying to get an appointment with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
  • Events Coordinator: Bebe Kelly-Serrato
  • The banquet has been planned.
  • The MSOH officers decided to offer the MSOH discount to AIAA members for the banquet.

Old Business:

  • Rep. Lampson's Space Exploration Legislation (re-introduced)
  • MSOH members should use the web site's link to sign the petition in support of Rep. Lampson's legislation.
  • Midwest vs. Wild West Challenge
  • Illinois currently has 0 points, Houston has 25.

New Business:

  • Idea for class:
  • Create a class where students study currently available data on space radiation, microgravity, and propulsion. From the data and forum-type discussions with NASA scientists, students will report on the feasibility of long-duration spaceflight and ways to mitigate risks.
  • The most recent AIAA speaker expressed interest in repeating his presentation at Rice.

Upcoming Events:

  • November 6, 2003: Banquet at Bay Oaks Country Club
  • December 20, 2003: Christmas Party at Dick Edwards' and Anita Gale's house
  • February 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at JSC
  • March 2004: Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference
  • April 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at Rice
  • May 2004: Gretchen Thomas' INTEGRITY project lecture at Rice

Propose date/time/location for next meeting:

  • November 22, 2003 at 3 pm at The Outpost

Action Items:

  • Steve will send bounced-back emails to Tam
  • Any officer renewing a Mars Society membership will inform Tam (for Challenge points)
  • Someone will convert the Bonnie Dunbar's profile from .ppt to .pdf for Stacy.
  • Stacy will work on converting the .pdf schedule to .html.
  • Tam will send the political action summaries to Stacy and Amiee
  • Carl will send Amiee a summary of his ideas for a "space research" class

Adjourned at 4:20 pm

Amiee Quon

Business Meeting
September 27, 2003

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at The Outpost, Clear Lake, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 3:12 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Patt Czarnik
Tam Czarnik
Marianne Dyson
Jon Eckberg
Rick Giusbi
Jennifer Glidewell
Karen Mauer
Kathleen Poe
Amiee Quon
Marty Smith

Officer Reports:

  • President: Carl Carlsson
    • Had a "letter to the editor" published a few weeks back
    • Carl gave Stacy a "How to Get Involved" page for the web site
    • Carl is currently working on an Op Ed piece
    • Carl got some (free) castoff picture frames from his company that could be made into a nice tradeshow display
  • Vice President: vacant
  • Since the bylaws call for hand-over in December, the VP position will remain vacant until then.
  • Treasurer: Marty Smith
    • Marty is relocating to Denver; Marianne will continue to serve as assistant Treasurer
    • The chapter can be covered as a non-profit under the umbrella of the national organization, according to the IRS
    • However, still need to get an employee tax ID
    • If donations for the chapter are sent to the national organization (currently necessary due to lack of non-profit status), the national Mars Society will keep 10% and forward the rest.
    • Lockheed Martin needs an invoice for their $250 pledge
    • Marianne confirmed that MSOH mail will be delivered to the P.O. Box
    • Marty gave Marianne the employee tax ID forms
    • The forms require an exemption number
    • If the national Society files forms to extend non-profit coverage to the Chapter, use the national number. Otherwise, get and use the Chapter number (getting the number requires a $150 filing fee).
  • Secretary: Amiee Quon
    • How has/will the Chang-Diaz talk at Rice been/be publicized?
    • Rice's fall break is October 13-14, the Monday and Tuesday before the Thursday lecture
    • Rice's faculty newspaper is published every Thursday. Calendar items must be submitted by noon on the Wednesday before publication.
    • Rice's student newspaper is published every Friday. Calendar items must be submitted by 5 pm on the Monday before publication.
    • If necessary, Marianne is willing to write and send the calendar blurbs to the Rice newspapers.
  • Membership: Steve Jordan - absent
  • Webmaster: Stacy Clifford
    • Will post Carl's "How to Get Involved" page this weekend
  • Political Action: Tam Czarnak
    • We have recently met with staffers for Kay Bailey Hutchison, John Cornyn, and Nick Lampson; all appeared very interested in the Mars Society's efforts. Follow-up visit are planned.
    • The Austin chapter has yet to meet with their representatives
    • Ohio reneged on the Chapter Challenge
    • Illinois has stepped in; all 21 points from the Ohio challenge are now void.
    • Houston is currently four points ahead in the Midwest vs. Wild West challenge
    • The three California chapters have challenged each other; all are ahead of Houston
    • The chapter is currently working on setting appointments with Sheila Jackson Lee, Chris Bell, and others.
    • Next year's national Mars Society convention will be in Chicago at the Park Lane Hotel
    • VistaPrint.com makes free business cards. The catch: the VistaPrint logo is on the back of each card and we cannot have our logo printed for free.
  • Events Coordinator: vacant
    • Bebe will remain in charge of events, though we are looking for assistants who may eventually be able to take over her duties
    • The banquet has been planned
    • The chapter membership list will be finalized so invitations can be sent out

Old Business:

  • Rep. Lampson's Space Exploration Legislation (reintroduced)
  • See Political Action report
  • Fall Banquet
  • See Events Coordinator report
  • Ohio Rivalry
  • See Political Action report
  • Bank Account/501(c)(3)
  • See Treasurer report
  • Business Cards
  • See Political Action report

Upcoming Events:

  • September 30, 2003: NASA Alumni League Dinner. David Criswell, retired UH professor, talks about power in space.
  • October 16, 2003: Franklin Chang-Diaz's VASIMR presentation at McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall, Rice University
  • November 6, 2003: Banquet at Bay Oaks Country Club
  • November 2003: Don Henninger's INTEGRITY project lecture at JSC
  • TBD: Christmas Party at Dick Edwards' and Anita Gale's house
  • February 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at JSC
  • March 2004: Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference
  • April 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at Rice
  • May 2004: Don Henninger's INTEGRITY project lecture at Rice

Propose date/time/location for next meeting:

  • October 25, 2003 at 3 pm at The Outpost

Action Items:

  • Marianne will ask the National Space Society about setting up umbrella non-profit coverage, then pass the information on to Carl
  • Carl will talk to Maggie Zubrin about having the national organization set up non-profit coverage for the chapter on IRS form 1023
  • Carl will put together an invoice for Lockheed Martin's $250 pledge
  • Carl will notify the national Mars Society that the $250 from Lockheed Martin is to cover expenses (so 100% will be forwarded)
  • Patt and Tam will look over the membership list and correlate members with representatives
  • Carl will send Patt the comments on Rep. Lampson's legislation
  • Carl will investigate free business cards from VistaPrint.com
  • Carl will ask Stacy to replace his company email address with his MSOH email address on the web site

Ongoing Action Items:

  • Everyone will inform Stacy when parts of the web site need to be updated
  • Tam will track progress on the Illinois challenge.
  • Steve will keep the meeting sign-in book (to be used for the book raffle)
  • Carl will print out the Action Item list (provided by Amiee) for each meeting
  • Everyone will give all Mars Society-related receipts to Marianne.
  • The chapter will compile a teacher list and offer $250 to each teacher (up to $5000 total) for students to go on a mission at the Challenger Center. (money from the NASA Alumni League)

Adjourned at 3:55 pm

Amiee Quon (edited by Carl Carlsson)

Business Meeting
August 23, 2003

The officers of the Mars Society of Houston met at The Outpost, Clear Lake, Texas.

The meeting was convened at 3:20 pm.

Attendance:

Carl Carlsson
Stacy Clifford
Marianne Dyson
Steve Jordan
Bebe Kelly-Serrato
Amiee Quon
Marty Smith

Old Business:

  • Status of email list / format for distributions-in progress
  • Public Service Announcement-tabled
  • Will eventually ask for volunteers to form a committee
  • Fall Banquet
  • November 6 (new date) @ Bay Oaks Country Club
  • Status of Ohio Rivalry Proposal
  • Ohio has accepted the Houston challenge
  • Challenge period started on August 13, the first day of the 2003 Mars Society National Convention. The challenge will end on the first day of the 2004 convention.
  • See attached challenge guidelines.
  • Managing Action Items
  • The Action Item list will be brought to each meeting.
  • Completed Items will be signed off by the designated actionee.
  • Bylaws-passed at the last meeting
  • 501(c)(3)
  • Bebe will try to get a $150 donation to cover the 501(c)(3) filing fee.
  • The shared P.O. Box address is P.O. Box 890588, Houston, Texas 77289-0588.
  • Bank accounts
  • Carl, Marty, Marianne, and Bebe signed the DBA forms [NOTE: still pending as these signatures must be notarized]
  • The DBA will allow the chapter to open bank accounts under the organization name.
  • Any checks will need to be paid to the order of "Mars Society of Houston". (This is the organization name listed on the DBA.)
  • The accounts will be two-signature accounts.
  • Required opening deposits: $25 for savings, $25 for checking.

New Business:

  • Conference Report/Summary-plenary sessions, papers, main issues
  • See attached conference notes
  • Political push to preserve heavy-lift launch capability
  • National Mars Society President Robert Zubrin wants to preserve heavy-lift launch capability.
  • Discussed importance of capability preservation
  • Chapter membership prize-books for giveaway
  • Won the national new-membership prize for 29 new members (17 at the Chang-Diaz VASIMR presentation, 12 from John Connolly's presentations)
  • Won a case of Zubrin-autographed The Case for Mars books.
  • Decided to raffle one book at each presentation based on the sign-in list.
  • Welcome to new members / Chapter update e-newsletter
  • Carl will write a welcome email for new members
  • New web page for members ("How can I get involved?")
  • Carl will put together a "How to get involved" page for the web site
  • Carl will write a short "Message from the President" for the web site
  • Radio Free Mars
  • The chapter received an offer to take over the Radio Free Mars web site. (The owners either want to sell it or donate it.)
  • The web site will be added to the list of possible projects.
  • Business Cards
  • Bebe will bring a sample business card to the next meeting.
  • Mars Music CDs from Prometheus Music
  • The CDs are almost finished-they lack a quote from Robert Zubrin.
  • CDs could possibly be sold in gift shops at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Space Center Houston, and The Space Store, as well as online.
  • Space book library
  • Marianne has 40 space books that could be loaned to teachers as two class sets.

Upcoming Events:

  • August 27, 2003: Mars Approach Party at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (3600 Bay Area Blvd, on the corner of Middlebrook Dr.)- 8-10 pm.
  • September 30, 2003: NASA Alumni League Dinner. David Criswell, retired UH professor, talks about power in space.
  • October 16, 2003: Franklin Chang-Diaz's VASIMR presentation at McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall, Rice University
  • November 6, 2003: Banquet at Bay Oaks Country Club
  • November 2003: Don Henninger's INTEGRITY project lecture at JSC
  • TBD: Christmas Party at Dick Edwards' and Anita Gale's house
  • February 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at JSC
  • March 2004: Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference
  • April 2004: Mike Ewert's Solar Refrigerator lecture at Rice
  • May 2004: Don Henninger's INTEGRITY project lecture at Rice

Propose date/time/location for next meeting:

  • September 27, 2003 at 3 pm at The Outpost

Action Items:

  • Carl will get Steve a new copy of the email list
  • Steve will bring the current email list to each meeting
  • Bebe will try to get a $150 donation to cover the 501(c)(3) filing fee.
  • Carl will write a welcome email for new members.
  • Carl will put together a "How to get involved" page for the web site
  • Carl will write a short "Message from the President" for the web site
  • Marianne and Bebe will work out how to lend class-sets of Marianne's book to teachers.
  • Bebe will bring a sample business card to the next meeting.
  • Marianne will make sure the USPS will deliver mail addressed to "Mars Society of Houston" to the P.O. Box.
  • Bebe will contact Maggie Zubrin to get a Robert Zubrin quote for the Mars Music CD.

Ongoing Action Items:

  • Tam will track progress on the Ohio challenge.
  • Steve will keep the meeting sign-in book (to be used for the book raffle)
  • Carl will print out the Action Item list (provided by Amiee) for each meeting
  • Everyone will get all Mars Society-related receipts to Marty.
  • The chapter will compile a teacher list and offer $250 to each teacher (up to $5000 total) for students to go on a mission at the Challenger Center. (money from the NASA Alumni League)

Adjourned at 4:50 pm

Amiee Quon (edited by Carl Carlsson)


"Chapter Challenge" Scoring System

[copied from Mars Society web site 09-09-03]

Welcome to the Mars Society's 2003-4 Chapter Challenge; congratulations on challenging an opponent, or accepting their challenge!
Please report any scorable activity to me at least once a month; cumulative scores will be displayed on a webpage linked to the Mars Society website, so you can keep an eye on the competition! Current scores are here.
Here's the list of scorable activities:

1. Public Outreach

  • 1 point for every display table or presentation about the Mars Society, its projects and/or research.
  • 1 point for every ten contacts made (name & email address recorded & relayed to Headquarters)
  • 2 points for every member interviewed on radio/television/newspaper concerning Mars exploration ('Mars Society', "Robert Zubrin" and/or "The Case for Mars" to be mentioned at least twice)

2. Political Activism (Meetings with Elected Representatives)

  • 4 points for every staffer met with
  • 5 points for meeting with actual Representative

3. Scientific Research ('Mars Society' to be mentioned in the title)

  • 2 points for every article published in a non-peer-reviewed periodical describing past or present research in the Mars Society.
  • 3 points for articles published in peer-reviewed journals

4. Support to the Mars Society

  • 1 point for every $100 of cash contribution collected
  • 1 point for every $200 of in-kind contribution collected
  • 1 point for every evening spent on Mission Support

5. Membership

  • 1 points for every member renewed
  • 2 points for every new member joined.

Efforts will be regarded as cumulative, so that (for instance) 5 $20 contributions or 2 informational tables generating 10 contacts each would each be worth 1 point.

Good Luck to all competing Chapters!

Summary
6th Annual Mars Society Convention
August 14-17, 2003
Eugene Oregon

The convention took place over 4 days in the Eugene Hilton. It was nice to have all the sessions in one location. I attended the 4th annual convention at Stanford University two years ago. While the campus was beautiful, it was a chore to have to walk across campus to try to attend various sessions.

Each day had plenary sessions in the large meeting room until lunch. In the afternoons, four separate tracks were held in smaller venues, with each track composed of half-hour presentations. The tracks included papers on topics including Educ