This is our second issue. Frontlines is a formatted monthly Moon Society news report. We had originally thought of a formatted periodic email. But we believe this is a less intrusive way to provide the news to those who want to receive it

Frontlines comes out monthly just after the first (of two) Management Council meetings each month. These report will be archived, so members and visitors can check past reports.

Frontlines reports on Society activities, efforts, and projects. You pay your dues, and have a right to know what we are doing to make your membership worthwhile and to address your interests in a place for humans on the Moon.

We have been making steady progress on a wide variety of fronts. We want you to hold us accountable for continuing to do so!

 At the May 7th Meeting, the 2008 Elections Ballot was finalized. See below

Fundraising - We are looking at various ways to raise money for projects that cannot be supported by membership dues. This is important if we are going to continue to aggressively work towards our goals. We succeeded in raising 60% of the funds needed for our 2006 Moonbase Exercise at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, from outside sources. Our current Solar Power Beaming Demonstration project, to be debuted at ISDC 2008, received less than 10% outside funding. The Planetary Society raises close to 100% of funding needed for its many exciting projects. If we are to be effective, we must do likewise.

We are discussing a proposed “Game Plan” to promote the idea of Solar Power Satellite systems constructed of lunar materials. The draft plan addresses the issue of advancing the “readiness state” of key technologies (Lunar Building Materials) and Systems (transportation to/from the Moon) and other elements necessary to make this dream a reality. If you would like to read a copy of this proposal, email president@moonsociety.org and we will send you a pdf file attachment.

We are also discussing various action items in a Draft Strategy report on how to grow the Society both in numbers, in name recognition, and in effectiveness in advancing towards our goal, the opening of the Moon to civilian pioneers.  If you would like to read a copy of this proposal, email president@moonsociety.org and we will send you a pdf file attachment.

We managed to find one volunteer per available slot. Fortunately, each of these members are highly qualified. More than a dozen other nominations were solicited. Ben Nault (Tucson) and Fred Hills (Virginia) will run for both 2-year board of directors slots. David Dunlop (Green Bay, WI) and our Director of Project Development (unpaid staff position) will run for the remaining year of the director slot vacated by Randall Severy who has been overburdened. Peter Kokh (Milwaukee) is willing to run for a third term as President. And Chuck Lesher (Phoenix) has volunteered to be appointed Secretary (he is two weeks shy of the length of membership requirement for election, but has already renewed). His name will not appear on the ballot.

Several years ago, we added a new feature, a top central image/illustration/photo that was to be changed regularly. The idea was to highlight various things of interest. More recently, we added software to change this picutre at random everytime the homepage was opened or refressed. We started with 40 images. This past month 51 new images were added, to give you a glimpse of what life on the future lunar frontier may be like. Do click on the image for a larger view with added text to explain what you are looking at. We created this feature to encourage visitors and members to visit our homepage often, for up-to-date information on the Society’s progress.

MMM #214 - April 2008 was published April 11th and hardcopies are in the mail, if you have not already received yours. MMM #215 was published to the pdf file directory May 9th, with hardcopy publication to come as soon as the database (which includes 8 other organizations) is ready.

Growing MMM File sizes - Because of a computer switch, we had to switch to MS Word instead of Appleworks, for the April issue, and while there will not be any significant difference in appearance, the identical files in MS Word are 3-4 times as large (1.5 to 7.2 mb) because of the convoluted character of Microsoft software. (Appleworks is a Mac OS-X program.) This means that it will take you longer to download the pdf files.

This may mean that we will have to end the MMM  Classics program at the point were we are now, with the first eighteen years archived in one pf file per publication year. The MS Word pdf files may simply be too large, but we hope we can find a way to continue.

MMM Covers - We created a new directory /publications/mmm_covers/ in which we have uploaded the covers of issues #207 through current, in pdf format. Issue #207 was the first issue in which we began running a large color image on the front cover. This directory is not username and password protected, and the idea is to give visitors and prospective members a feel for what they would be getting as a newsletter should they choose to join the Society. Meanwhile, for cost reasons, the mailed hardcopy remains in graytones, but any member, whether subscribed to the hardcopy or not, has (or can have) username and password access to the full color pdf files.

We have completed and tested our first hands-on technology project. The idea is to create a working demonstration of how Solar power Satellites would work, with the aim of boosting public support for this initiative. Solar Power Satellites have been receiving renewed interest since the release of the National Space Security Office report [http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/space_solar_alliance.html] on October 10, 2007. We could not have tackled this project without the expertise of two persons: Vice-president Charles F. Radley, and Board Chairman R. Scotty Gammenthaler. The Board has given them full support including needed funds, to carry this project through to completion. We are considering building additional units for other groups, so that more people can see how Solar Power Satellites and Power Beaming works.  [http://www.moonsociety.org/projects/spb-demo/project-status.html]

Ways to tie in to Google Lunar Rover X-Prize. Suggestions range help with publicity to designing something small (1 kg) and cheap to hitchhike  a ride to the Moon on one of the X-Prize candidate rovers. [example, the color-calibration “sundials” on the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. This possibility has not gone beyond the bare conceptual stage.

University of Luna Project: [http://www.moonsociety.org/university/] This project, introduced at ISDC 2007 in Dallas, has aroused a lot of excitement throughout the Lunar community, but we have as yet to find the resources and funding to make it functionally real. Moon Society Director of Project Development, David Dunlop, has an idea he is currently pursing in this regard. Telling you about it would be premature.

Lunarpedia: Our everything-about-the-Moon online encyclopedia got off to a good start, but our efforts to attract additional contributors have had limited success. This project replaces the old Artemis Data Book project of the Artemis Society. We have now formed a Lunarpedia Promotion Group. If you want to help, please write James Gholston at jamesg@dimensionality.com

Design Competition: a Fuel Depot in orbit  - this is a proposed collaboration with LunarWire.com. We’ve learned the hard way that few participate in contests and competitions unless attractive prizes are at stake. If we get past that hurdle, we will be making a joint announcement.

Why the diversity of Projects? That's an easy question to answer. Not only is there so much that needs attention, but we know that our members have a diversity of interests, and as we want to deserve your renewals year after year, we are seeking a wide variety of practical projects. It is important for members to let us know what types of projects would gain their support, and better yet, their involvement. We will be polling members to get a better handle on their interests and abilities. At the same time, we are limited to projects that are financially doable, either from membership dues alone, or from successful fundraising efforts. If you are in a position to do so, your special donations for projects that interest you will be most helpful.

Our 2006 2-week moon base exercise at the Mars Desert Research Station was a toe in the water: The idea was to learn how the Mars Society's program was run, to determine in which way our goals should be similar or different, and in what ways we would want to design a facility of our own, in similar fashion or quite differently. In the aftermath, we determined that there would be a major difference in goals, in design approach to the station, and in operation. We have a draft proposal in pdf format and in ppt format. This is very much a work in progress and subject to revision. The design can be realized in a number of phases, so that we can start small, and keep growing.

This is a project that can not be financed out of member dues. We will have to seek funding from major sponsors and collaborators, as well as member donations. In the past month, we have had the offer of major assistance in the area of architecture and utility systems, and perhaps funding. The team trying to advance this dream has grown from two to four. Realizing even the first phase of this proposed installation is still a ways off. But suddenly it looks a little bit less of a pipe dream.

There is so much research that is currently "orphaned" because NASA does not have the budget, and/or, because of budget considerations, the Agency is not looking much beyond the establishment of a permanent structure that can be revisited now and then. Our goal is to use our facility to develop and demonstrate the technologies needed to go beyond what NASA has been restricted to planning.

MarsDrive: Google Group: Railroading on Moon and Mars - In the past month, a lot of material has been posted to illustrate the design challenges involved. As of May 9th, the group had grown to 25 members, and we have had some great contributions on ideas. Now we are ready to unveil this project to a wider audience: railroad buffs and model railroaders at large who may never have looked at the Moon and Mars as future human frontiers, much less as settings for railroads, an ideal infrastructure to expand human presence globally on both worlds.

LunarWire.com: A Design Competition for an Orbital Fuel Depot. Both parties are now working to identify funding and sponsors for attractive prizes as well as to pin down the design entry constraints.

American Lunar Society: We have been collaborating for years, sharing publications, sharing articles, and sharing ALS’ Lunar Study and Observation Certificate Program. Now with 2009 being named International Space Astronomy Year, we have proposed a joint effort to put together a definitive Position Paper on Astronomy from the Moon.

To do something, that is to conduct a project, means someone has to step up to the plate and take charge. Most active persons in the Society already have their plates full. There is so much more we could be doing, but it won’t happen without "take charge" volunteers.

We are actively seeking a PR Person, a Fund Raiser, Writers, Modelers, Artists, Project Managers, and more. Tell us about your talents, areas of expertise, and available free time. Then we’ll see how we can match you up with a need. volunteer@moonsociety.org

International Space Development Conference: ISDC 2008: This “big tent” annual conference, hosted by the National Space Society, is held this year in downtown Washington DC, the weekend after Memorial Day Weekend. Moon Society Director of Project Development, David Dunlop, is chair of the Moon Track.

 We expect to have our completed operational Solar Power Beaming Demonstration unit to contribute to the Exhibit Area. And as usual, we will be talking collaboration with some of the many groups represented. As we have signed (at ISDC 2005) a mutual affiliation agreement with NSS, which is working well for both parties, this is our logical big gig each year, and an opportunity to meet enthused individuals and movers and shakers in the back to the Moon movement. Next year’s event will be in Orlando, FL.

There are many other space conferences where it would be good to have a real presence. See Conferences List 2008. But the Society is unable to provide travel and other conference cost subsidies, which makes it difficult for Society leaders to attend. We had several members present at the recent Lunar & Planetary Institute conference in Houston, and at least one at the Space Access conference in the Phoenix area. If you are going to a conference or even to a science fiction convention and are willing to put out flyers, let us know! president@moonsociety.org.

St. Louis, Houston, and Phoenix report meetings and other activities. Phoenix took part in a major Your's night celebration. The Phoenix and Houston chapters are responsible for a third of new members joining the Society in recent months. Congratulations and thanks!

Outpost Formation Plug - take a look at our Chapters & Outposts map [http://www.moonsociety.org/chapters/chapter_outpost_map.html]

Outposts are active local support groups of 1 or more members not yet organized as a chapter. We have active outposts in the South San Francisco Bay Areat (Silicon Valley / San Jose), Tucson, Longview/Kilgore TX.

Partner Groups - We are also represented by three NSS chapters and one Canadian independent chapter who partner with us, in Portland OR, the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Calgary. We hope to add San Diego, Seattle, and Chicago to that list. Several other NSS chapters get MMM and can read the Moon Society Journal section: Sheboygan WI, Denver, and Philadelphia. All these chapters will welcome you if you live in their area.

If you live in an area where the Society is not represented, please consider serving as a local contact person, whether or not you are willing to try and start an outpost in your area (two or more members not yet organized and functioning as a chapter.)

Write: chapters-coordinator@moonsociety.org