[amsat-bb] Who I'm voting for (long)

[Bruce Perens]

I see a lot of "old space" vs. "new space" in what you wrote, Steve. To
start with:

Some, if not all of the NDAs state that the content of the NDA and its
existence will not be disclosed by AMSAT.

The big difference here is confidentiality vs. transparency. New space is
represented by organizations that are extremely transparent. LibreSpace
<https://libre.space/> is a good example: everything they do is 100% Open
Source, and they built the satellites that AMSAT-EA is launching, and a
huge worldwide ground station network. Those Genesis N and L satellites
<http://perens.com/static/AppliedIon/AMSAT-EA-Newsletter_11-2019.pdf> have
electric thrusters by Applied Ion Systems <https://appliedionsystems.com/>,
A USA-based researcher, also 100% Open Source. ORI is similar: USA based,
100% open.

About those thrusters. Those AMSAT-EA satellites are going to

Then, there is AMSAT. You imply (if not confirm) that AMSAT has agreements
so secret that they can't tell the membership that they exist.

Why are all of the other guys open? Because 100% openness is the only
strategy that protects you from ITAR/EAR and its equivalents in other
nations. It is proprietary research that is protected by ITAR, not the
stuff you publish. Ask commercial companies like 3D Robotics
<https://www.3dr.com/>, who have the US Government as *their major
customer,* and participate in Dronecode <https://www.dronecode.org/>
because 100% public disclosure is the only good way to get around ITAR.

There used to be a justification for AMSAT's secrecy, in that we thought
that nobody would launch our satellites if we didn't act like old space.
But those other organizations are getting more satellites launched than
AMSAT has been. They are also building more, and designing more.

It illustrates the problem that you were made afraid, by AMSAT's ITAR
preoccupation, to publicly distribute the plans for *a plastic model of the
appearance of a cubesat.* There just can't be anything that isn't public
knowledge about that.

If we all continue to vote for more of the same old stuff, I am convinced
that AMSAT will continue its slide toward bankruptcy and irrelevance, and
will have a smaller and smaller working group, and eventually there won't
be an AMSAT and the open guys will take over anyway. It would be much
better for AMSAT to join the present.

I will be voting for Bob and Howie, because they are unquestionable space
professionals with a long history of innovation, and after Tom steps down
we won't have anyone else who is close to Bob and Howie's level. And Jeff,
because while he's more of a regular ham than a rocket scientist, he is
open to the future where others are not.

    Thanks

    Bruce