San Diego Space Society

On Tuesday evening, April 29th, members of the San Diego Space Society, Mars Society San Diego, and UCSD SEDS enjoyed meeting Anousheh Ansari and hearing the exciting details of her time on the International Space Station at a lecture sponsored by the UCSD Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.

The SD Space display table made its debut before the event, joining a SEDS table and the always-impressive Mars Society display. The lecture was well-attended by space enthusiasts of all ages, and we made some new friends. (Hello, new friends!)

More photos (by kind permission of Carol Stone) after the jump. Thanks again to James Pura for putting this amazing event together.

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Come join us on May 10th from 10am to 2pm at the San Diego Air & Space Museum for the 5th Annual Space Day Celebration! Space Day will feature demonstrations, giveaways, and hands-on activities with local and national space experts.

SD Space will show off our new display table; other presenters include Travel Dynamics SpaceTeam, representing Virgin Galactic, NASA, SDAA (San Diego Astronomy Association), DSN (the Deep Space Network), JPL, The Mars Society, Rockwell Collins, SETI, ,UCSD EarthKAM, and The Planetary Society.

Bill Shepherd, former NASA astronaut and the first commander of the International Space Station, will give a dramatic multimedia presentation about his journey into space and experiences living and working there.

If you plan to go, sign up for a special discount coupon to Space Day and the museum.

The next general meeting of the San Diego Space Society is this Sunday from 3:00 to 4:30. On the agenda:

• Board of Directors elections
• a presentation on crowdsourcing and participatory exploration
• choosing chapter projects and assigning teams

The meeting will once again be held at the Serra Mesa Branch Library. [map and directions] We hope to see you there!

April 29th seemed like such a long time away, but now it’s almost here. Tomorrow night at 6:00pm is the lecture by Anousheh Ansari, the first female private citizen to travel to the International Space Station, at Atkinson Hall at UCSD.

Parking for the event will be available at the Hopkins parking structure on campus; day permits are $6. The event itself is free and open to the public.

Questions? Email events@sandiegospace.org. Hope to see you there!

(No, I’m not that slow at counting the ballots, just tardy in reporting them.)

At the April 14th, 2008 general meeting, we voted unanimously to ratify our chapter bylaws. Officers were also elected, with unanimous votes for Jesse Clark (president), Dave Dressler (treasurer), and Chris Radcliff (secretary). Officers will serve a one-year term, with elections held again this time next year.

These mark the last two steps needed to become a legit NSS chapter, so we’re official! Thanks to all the members who showed up to vote, and congratulations, everyone!

Our Yuri’s Night party was a success! Over 50 people ate, drank, and were entertained by Francis French’s excellent talk about Yuri Gagarin and Scott Borden’s exciting presentation on Virgin Galactic. James Pura of UCSD SEDS served as MC for the evening, and all went off without a hitch.

More photos (by kind permission of Gerry Williams) after the jump. My thought for next year: “We’re going to need a bigger room.”

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SD Space is starting off with a blast, and you’re invited! Our very first Yuri’s Night Party is this weekend.

When: Saturday, April 12th from 6-9pm
Where: Killer Pizza From Mars
3772 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA [map]
How much: $10 suggested donation

Special guests include Francis French of the San Diego Air & Space Museum and Scott Borden from Virgin Galactic, plus members of the Mars Society, the Moon Society, and SEDS.

Yuri’s Night is like the St Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo for space. It’s held every year to commemorate the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, and the first Space Shuttle launch on April 12, 1981. It is one day when all the world can come together and celebrate the power and beauty of space and what it means for each of us.

Killer Pizza From Mars is a great place to party; it’s family-friendly, their pizza is really good, and every surface is covered with space photos, movie posters, and spaceship models. Come and have fun with us!

Please RSVP so we know how much pizza to order.

The San Diego Space Society needs you! We’re holding elections for four members of the Board of Directors. Each post lasts for one year; see the chapter bylaws for board member responsibilities.

To nominate someone (or yourself) as a candidate, post the nomination to our mailing list with the following format:

I nominate [person's full name as it should appear on the ballot] as a member of the board of directors.

Nominations must be submitted before May 3rd in order to be on the ballot. (I need time to print the things up!)

Elections will be held at the May general meeting, currently scheduled for May 11th at 3:00pm. See the elections page for more information on the elections and how to vote.

Virgin Galactic and Google have teamed up to create Project Virgle, the first privately-funded Mars colony:

Earth has issues, and it’s time humanity got started on a Plan B. So, starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars.

They’re off to a great start, and they’re asking you to participate. Submit a short video to the Project Virgle page on Youtube, and you might just get picked!

Gerry just sent a message from Dennis Mammana’s Sky Information newsletter:

Tonight (March 25) is your last chance to spot the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) and the International Space Station (ISS) before the Shuttle lands tomorrow.

STS-123 undocked from the station last night, and tonight the pair will appear as two star-like satellites moving together (within seconds of each other) from southwest to northeast. For viewers in Southern California they will pass nearly overhead around 8:08 p.m. PDT.

To get exact times for your area, check out this new website: http://spaceweather.com/flybys/ Just plug in your Zip Code and you’ll know when and where to look.

More details after the jump. I’ll be outside with Ben looking up tonight!

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