[amsat-bb] Re: Trolls on the -bb

[Bruce Robertson]

On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 2:04 PM, John B. Stephensen<kd6ozh at comcast.net> wrote:
> Projects that we can afford means LEOs. P3A through P3D were built for
> identified launches. AMSAT shouldn't just sit around waiting for the right
> political climate for P3E.
>
> 73,

I think that despite the difficulties in communication and personality
clashes, there is a great deal of agreement on the list about what we
want as a group.

We all want a HEO amateur communication satellite in orbit, some of us
because we've never had that experience, others because it is our
fondest memory of AMSAT operations. Barring that, or perhaps in
addition to that, we want to ensure that there are long-range
linear-transponder birds available in the future. Oddly enough,
despite all the rancor in recent days, none of it seems to be around
this core purpose of our group.

Some of our members seem to be concerned that because AMSAT is not
pursing this in a wholly direct way or because it is undertaking
projects of increased technical difficulty, it is therefore delaying
the fulfillment of the above primary goal.

It is my impression that the board members do not share this view.
They feel that the current impediment to a HEO launch in full-price
launch costs is so great that, for instance, the thousands spent on
SuitSat2 would never make a difference, since it is less than a
thousandth of the full price. Instead, we should make the best of
opportunities in LEO that might support our future work in HEO, MEO,
or wherever.

SuitSat2, since it will be the inaugural flight of the long-planned
SDX, is seen as fitting the strategy well. SDX is part of P3E and
proof that we are technically adept. This proof will be handy for
AMSAT-DL as it pursues the clearest path to the launch of P3E, namely
through government money that anticipates the mission to Mars.
According to this argument, pulling for P3E is no longer a matter of
saving pennies, but rather a matter of strutting our stuff, and SS2 is
a great way to strut and strut quickly. In this climate, enthusiasm
for SDX, SSE and, ultimately, P5 might be worth 100x any amount in
cash that we could give individually or as an organization.

Finally, SS2 provides a way of testing a core technology that might
become part of a module of a future bird, one built rapidly around a
launch opportunity.

I have to say that this strategy for fulfilling our common wishes
makes good sense to me.  It is predicated on some facts which I accept
at second hand: the high cost of HEO; the lack of government sponsored
launches in NA. I'm sure that the board would be delighted to have
their dismal assessment of *that* situation refuted conclusively. If
it cannot, then we must accept that sometimes the fastest route is not
the straightest path, but if we feel that this board is not guiding us
well towards our goals, we have the opportunity to replace our
pathfinders.

73, Bruce
VE9QRP

> John
> KD6OZH
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs at tin.it>
> To: "John B. Stephensen" <kd6ozh at comcast.net>; "Luc Leblanc"
> <lucleblanc6 at videotron.ca>; "AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 09:51 UTC
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Trolls on the -bb
>
>
>>> It seems more reasonable to focus on projects that we can pay to launch
>>
>> All joined AMSAT togheter in the world has not the financial capability to
>> pay for a HEO launch and this matter has been already discussed several
>> time on this BB
>>
>>> or  where someone has already donated the launch.
>>
>> Nobody has donated a launch for free or about for free on HEO except ESA
>> for
>> OSCAR-10 OSCAR-13 and AO40 upon political strategy conducted mostly by
>> AMSAT-DL and this is why we must pull for P3E.......I agree completely
>> with
>> Luc, VE2DWE
>
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