What’s New in the Moon Society?

Frontlines
Volume 2008, Issue December


Current Management Council Actions & Discussions
Moon Miners' Manifesto, other MS Publications
Chapters & Outposts                        
Events
Publicity
Meetings Calendar
Pre-Frontlines Reports

2008.02.15
2006.01.30
All Reports
Frontlines past issues:
2008 - April
2008 - May
2008 - June
2008 - July
2008 - August
2008 - September
2008 - October
2008 - November

About Frontlines

This is our ninth issue. Frontlines is a formatted monthly Moon Society news report that comes out each month just after the first (of two) Management Council meetings each month, and/or after the publication of the month's issue of Moon Miners Manifesto. These reports are being 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!

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Current Management Council Actions & Discussions



Refreshing the Artemis website, asi.org - since the transfer of membership services from the Artemis Society to the new Moon Society in July, 2000, the asi.org site has suffered from lack of attention. Many links are broken and need correction, replacement, or renewal. A draft proposal of revised pages is under construction.

We continue to work on our Solar Power Beaming Demo project. The unit is now in Green Bay, Wisconsin under refurbishment before making the rounds on display in Wisconsin and Illinois and neighboring states. Pending confirmation of two order requests made at ISDC 2008 last spring, we will begin work on an updated, more sturdy, less damage resistant model, and then put together an online kit so that others can follow our lead.

A Questionnaire has been drafted that asks members and former members "how did you first hear about The Moon Society?" It has been drafted in two versions:
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1) to be tucked in all MMM December hardcopy issues. This version invites replies from current members as well from non-members who get MMM as a membership benefit from a National Space Society chapter.

2) put online to be downloaded with a notice sent to all past and current members in our database for whom we have current email addresses.

The hardcopy version insert can be removed from the centerfold, filled out, folded and mailed in.
The download version can be printed out, filled out, folded and mailed in.

Questionnaires should be sent to:


Moon Society Program Services
PO Box 395
Milwaukee, WI 53208

NOTE: do read over all the optional answers before deciding which one to check as fitting your own experience.

It is not necessary to give your name and current contact information.


But the names of those who do, will go into a drawing for a free one-year membership renewal. A second drawing for former members who respond will be for a one-year reinstatement. A third drawing for readers who get MMM as a membership benefit via an NSS chapter will be for a free subscription for a friend or library of their choice.

Our website: Not too long ago, our homepage got a thorough revision and a fresh new look. But most other pages look like they did eight years ago. We are looking to give them a new look too, and in the process fix errors and broken links and make sure that they are otherwise updated.


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Moon Miners Manifesto & Other Moon Society Publications

MMM #221 - December 2008, was published December 8th. This issue contains the 5th and last installment of Phil Harris' major article, "Lunar Enterprises and Development" which has run exclusively in Moon Miners' Manifestos. This issue began our 23rd year of continuous production.

MMM is not published in January (or in July) to give the editor a twice-a-year break to forestall burnout and and allow recharging of batteries.

In January, look for MMM Classic #19 which will re-edit and republish all the "non-time-sensitive" material from MMM's 19th year, covering issues #s 181-190. This will be a free access download at:
http://www.moonsociety.org/publications/mmm_classics/

MMM #222 will appear in February 2009.

Members can download MMM pdf files here (username password required) If you have no username and password, or have forgotten it, please contact us as soon as possible and we'll get you up and running

MMM-India Quarterly. The first edition was published November 14th. The 2nd Quarterly issue is scheduled for February. This publication is a free access pdf file available to our members and friends everywhere, not just in India.

Masthead of new MMM-India Quarterly 
Note the silhouette of India behind the words "Moon Miners' Manifesto"
The use of an "india" subdomain (in place of www) is a proposal under discussion


MMM-Europe Quarterly. At the present time, this is no more than a proposal.

We have sent out feelers to the Europe-based Lunar Explorers Society about coming aboard as a co-sponsor, contributing a co-editor and some articles. If they are not enthused about the idea, we may think twice about this project. This idea has not yet been put to the Membership Council as feelers put forth by Editor Peter Kokh and Director of Project Development, David Dunlop have not had time to attract European input.

The idea behind both issues is to make The Moon Society "proactively international"as opposed to just waiting and hoping that International members find their way to us. Both markets have very large populations of English-speaking readers. That is not the case in China or Japan. In both markets, our goal is to support the growth of space advocacy and support among the general population.

Moon Society Fiction - Second Issue of "Moonbeams" in the works, under Editor Chuck Lesher.

Work has already begun on the second issue. The plan is to publish quarterly.

If you have a "high frontier" tale in you, work it out and email it to moonbeams@moonsociety.org

To download the first issue, go to the archive site. Moonbeams issues are freely available in pdf file format, and members and visitors are welcome to circulate them freely and widely. The purpose is to provide fictional illustrations of what life could like on the Lunar Frontier and elsewhere within the Solar System.


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Chapters & Outposts Report


The Phoenix chapter has put together a web-team to build its new interactive website. We are looking forward to its debut and may want to borrow some of its proposed features for the Moon Society's website.

The Tucson Outpost now has the required minimum three members to become a chapter, but has not yet had time to organize as such, which involves selecting acting officers. Meanwhile, there are reports that a new Moon Society chapter in the Dallas-Fort Worth area may be in the works.

An Outpost consists of one or more members in a local community that serve as (a) local contact(s) for area members and prospective members of the Society, and which have not yet met the qualifications to be given a chapter charter. To establish an outpost and become a local contact person for the society, write the Chapters Coordinator.

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

If you live in an unrepresented area, why not take the plunge?
We are ready to give you plenty of help and direction, including names and addresses of current and former members in your area (xx miles form your zip code)

There is plenty of material and how-to information on the Space Chapters Hub website that we share with the chapters of The National Space Society and The Mars Society..

Write: chapters-coordinator@moonsociety.org
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Events: Annual Events, ISDC, other conferences, other events and observances

International Space Development Conference: ISDC 2009 will be held May 28-31 (revised dates) in Orlando, Florida.
Our David Dunlop is already signed up as chair of the Moon Track.


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Publicity Report

Interviews

On Wednesday, December 10th, President Peter Kokh was interviewed by Julie Pryor for an upcoming National Geographic Channel documentary "Return to the Moon." She had found the Moon Society website, looked all through it, and download all free issues of Moon Miners' Manifesto and read through those before contacting me. She was already familiar with some "MMM-speak" terms such as "middoors." We have never before been interviewed by anyone who had done as much homework! This hour long phone interview may be followed by a videotaped session. They are looking for input from "visionaries," not just from NASA. The program would use a lot of animated illustration. Tentative airdate Spring 2009.

We have also been approached by a writer for the London Times. An interview was set for Friday, December 12th.
MMM Library subscriptions project courtesy of the Lunar Reclamation Society, publishers of MMM. We have received 6 so far. If you would like to have MMM go to your local library, send ch/mo for $10 (one year) to the publishers,
“Lunar Reclamation Society”
PO Box 2102
Milwaukee, WI 53201
(include the name and address of the library)

Looking for volunteers to put out flyers at various space conferences and science fiction conventions they may be attending. Let us know about space conferences and science fiction cons that you are planning to attend. Write president@moonsociety.org
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Moon Society Fiction - Second Issue of "Moonbeams" in the works, under Editor Chuck Lesher.

The second issue is already in the works. If you have a "high frontier" tale in you, work it out and email it to moonbeams@moonsociety.org

To download the first issue, go to the archive site. Moonbeams issues are freely available in pdf file format, and members and visitors are welcome to circulate them freely and widely. The purpose is to provide fictional illustrations of what life could like on the Lunar Frontier and elsewhere within the Solar System.
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Leadership/Management Council MeetingsTown Meetings

We meet on the ASI-MOO on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday nights monthly, 9-11 pm ET, 8-10 pm CT, 7-9 pm MT, 6-8 pm Moon Leaders room. Directions from the Commons: "north", then "moon-leaders"

Anyone may choose to audit our meetings and to contribute input to discussions. Use your Moon Society username and password, or sign in as a guest. Note: let us know in advance so we can tell the Door Dragon to let you in!

Next:  December 17, January 7 & 21, February 4 & 18, March 4 & 18

Town Hall Meetings - This is something new, and our next will be our first. These meetings will be held in the ASI-MOO in the Auditorium. Directions from the Commons: "NorthWest" - The meetings will have no agenda, though there may be introductory remarks, and the President may suggest topics needing input at various times during the meeting. We will try this on the 2nd Wednesday evening (same place, same time slots as the leaders/management meetings) of each quarter except Fall (when our annual membership meeting is scheduled:  (2009) January 14, April 8, July 8, October 14. This is a tentative schedule, and we will see what happens at the first such meeting on January 14th.

Why Wednesday and why that time slot? Well, that's what the Society leaders are used to. They will not be "expected" to attend, but of course are most welcome to do so. In these meetings, we want to hear from members (current and former), from visitors, from friends, etc.

If you have never been on the ASI-MOO, check out this page.

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