[amsat-bb] Re: JUBILEE and other frustrations and AMSAT Board Nominations Coming Due,

[Joe Westbrook]

Bill:
Thanks for your response and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was 
offended by comments.

What I was attempting to convey was in regard to attacks on folks for merely 
asking what the latest status is on PE3. Last week a gentleman who was a 
former AMSAT official was just looking for a status update on PE3.  The 
usual folks went into defensive mode, attacking him so I thought I would 
pose the same query.  It turned out to be a self fulfilling profecy.

I should know better, but I have a hard time sitting silent.

Regards,
-  Joe, K7ZT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Ress" <bill at hsmicrowave.com>
To: "Joe Westbrook" <k7zt at suddenlink.net>
Cc: "Bruce Robertson" <ve9qrp at gmail.com>; "Edward Cole" 
<kl7uw at acsalaska.net>; "AMSAT" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 4:40 PM
Subject: JUBILEE and other frustrations and AMSAT Board Nominations Coming 
Due,


> Also regarding AMSAT-NA Board nominations!!
>
> Joe - I think your question about P3E status and the AMSAT-NA donation to 
> P3E is fair. Even a return response saying "I don't have the answer" is 
> much better than no answer at all.
>
> Wayne - you respond to Joe with "AMSAT is a volunteer organization. Are 
> you volunteering to fix this accountability problem?"
>
> Volunteer organization or professional organization - there needs to be 
> accountability. You apparently feel there is an accountability problem. I 
> would agree!!
>
> The operating budget for AMSAT-NA for 2008 is approximately $398.000. 
> That's money from you, me, the rest of the membership, grants, interest 
> and dividends, the President's Club, etc.  That's not pocket change and 
> here we are half way through 2008 and I'd venture to say that only a 
> handful of the membership have any clue where we stand. It has not been 
> addressed in the AMSAT Journal or on this reflector by a Board member.
>
> Perhaps the short answer is - not many care, but I really can't believe 
> that.
>
> Comments have recently been made about Eagle. A look at the 2008 Budget 
> and you'll see "zero" dollars identified for Eagle satellite hardware 
> development. Yet the published "Mission Vision" for AMSAT is "to deploy 
> high earth orbit satellite systems that offer daily coverage by 2009 and 
> continuous coverage by 2012." (see page 2 of the March/April 2008 AMSAT 
> Journal)
>
> Now - do you think that "Vision" is realistic or should there be some 
> accounting for why that is still being touted as a reason to financially 
> support the organization.
>
> The AMSAT Board nominees should be prepared to address this over riding 
> issue of what I'll call "Mission Accountability."
>
> Well, I go put on my flame retardant flack jacket...Bill - N6GHz
>
> Joe Westbrook wrote:
>> Bruce:
>> looks like you have the same question that I have.
>>
>>  I know how to use the on-line translators, but you still won't find the 
>> answers that donners need to know.
>> I'm not suggesting that they disclose sensitive information, simply a 
>> statement like we have identified possible
>> launch opportunities, they cost $xxxxxxx.00, this is the target launch 
>> date we have a remaining delta of $xxxxxxxx.00.
>>
>> I fail to see how that would put a launch opportunity in jeopardy.
>>
>> - Joe
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Bruce Robertson" <ve9qrp at gmail.com>
>> To: "Edward Cole" <kl7uw at acsalaska.net>
>> Cc: "AMSAT" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 6:00 PM
>> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: JUBILEE and other frustrations,
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Sat, May 31, 2008 at 3:57 PM, Edward Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Without getting into the issue too much.  I would remind the project
>>>> managers that their constituency (and contributors or potenitial
>>>> contributors) rely on periodic progress reports on developing
>>>> satellite projects.  This complaint is not new to amsat-bb (we heard
>>>> it for AO-40), so it should not be news to project managers.
>>>>
>>> Isn't the story very simple regarding the critical step of launching
>>> P3E: they're looking for an affordable ride, and there are none on the
>>> horizon?
>>>
>>> I assume it is very hard to enter into negotiations looking for a
>>> cut-rate on a launch while publicly naming the party you are
>>> negotiating with. If I were that party, the first thing I'd insist is
>>> that there be no mention until a deal is reached, because my
>>> organization could end up looking like bad guys for even entertaining
>>> the idea.
>>>
>>> On the technical side of P3E, I think we've been reasonably
>>> well-informed, but then I don't think AMSAT-DL is obliged to report in
>>> English any more than AMSAT-NA is obliged to publish its reports in
>>> Japanese and German because significant donors came from those
>>> countries. We can always get by with online translators if we don't
>>> know German. It works pretty well; I can show you how.
>>>
>>> 73, Bruce
>>> VE9QRP
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>