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The Moon Society blog to twitter feed is now working.
by cfrjlr 
The Moon Society blog to twitter feed is now working.
Everything we post to the blog will now be automatically sent out over our twitter feed.
The twitter feed, in turn, feeds into our linked in group news tab.
Our facebook page also feeds into the Twitter feed.
Moon Society has resources, e.g. fora, on most internet social networks. Join us!
Thanks to Robert Brand in Australia (Echoes of Apollo) for giving us this idea.
10/15/09 10:59:13 pm, 
Moon Society Endorses Aldrin's Proposal for a Lunar Infrastructure Development Corporation
by cfrjlr
Link: http://digg.com/d3176tD
Buzz Aldrin published a proposal for a public/private/international plan to open the Moon for exploration and development in the Huffington Post
Below are key excerpts:
* “I propose instead America call the world to the Moon. In a new
global effort to use the Moon to establish a global space consortium
with a lunar surface facility as its epicenter, “
* “... competition, in an Apollo-style race back to the Moon, would
be a fruitless exercise in national hubris whose rewards, if we “won”
again, would prove fleeting”
* “I am proposing a different way back to the Moon: international
collaboration. “
* “... the goal of creating a new public-private partnership to
develop the Moon. I call it the Lunar Infrastructure Development
Corporation (LIDC). The purpose of the LIDC would be to enable the
nations of the Earth to join together and return to the Moon as an
international cooperative venture. The LIDC will pool the financial,
technical and human resources of its member nations to build the lunar
communication, navigation and transportation systems needed for human exploration of the Moon. It would be a public/private global
partnership to make the Moon accessible to all humanity. The LIDC will
build the communication and navigation satellites needed by future
lunar travelers, develop fuel depots using lunar LOX – perhaps derived
from the recently discovered lunar water-and construct habitats that
will shelter space travelers while on the surface. It will enable a
sustainable human presence on the Moon that will be accessible to all
the nations on Earth. “
* “Unlike the International Space Station (ISS), which is governed
by complex treaties, the LIDC will have the same flexibility as an NGO
in working with different nations and private entities to finance
build and operate the facilities and equipment needed for lunar
exploration. “
* “To do so [i.e., honoring the astronauts of the Apollo Era
Missions] doesn’t require rerunning a long-ago Cold War race in which
America plays the role of a space-going Colonial power.
Moon Society Officers and Directors, who collectively make up the Management Committee gave the Moon Society's official endorsement.
The email vote was unanimous. As Ben Nault, Director from Tucson, put
it:
“Probably the main reason the ISS is still "alive" and supported by
Congress is that it is part of a number of international agreements.
Backing out of these agreement would have financial, political and
diplomatic repercussions on the US. Therefore, having an international
component helps large complex programs survive the transition to
different administrations and different congressional moods. The
international angle gives long-term "sustainability" to the Lunar
Infrastructure Development Corporation. “
In asking for Committee member support, we pointed out significant
similarities with our own proposal, also strongly endorsed by
Committee members, for an International Lunar Research Park. Both
proposals are for public/private/international collaboration.
There are, of course, those who would prefer a NASA-stand alone
effort, and those who would prefer a purely private enterprise
approach. But a reality check shows that the public/private/
international approach will be much more robust, and stand a much
greater chance of becoming a permanent beachhead on the Moon. It is
also much more likely to lead to the first civilian industrial
settlement.
And that is precisely the Vision of the Moon Society.
The Moon Society urges other pro-space organizations, the public, and
the media to support Buzz Aldrin's proposal.
For more on the Moon Society International Lunar Research Park
proposal, see:
http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/beyond_nasa.html
Thank you for your support
Lunar Elevator can be built today using commercial Zylon fiber.
by cfrjlr
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_space_elevator
Lunar Elevator can be built today using commercial Zylon fiber.
Lunar Elevator gives cheap access to lunar materials, feedstock for space industries. We can extract oxygen for space tugs delivered to LEO.
Click here for Wikipedia article
We can build large structures in space, from lunar materials e.g. solar power satellites and space habitats. We could also soft-land heavy equipment on to the Moon. Have you read the High Frontier by Gerard O'Neill ?
What if anything is the Moon Society up to anyway?
by kokhmmm
To many casual observers, the Moon Society and its website may seem to be in a state of suspended animation. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, there are web pages that might need updating, and please do us a favor and call our attention to that so we can promptly correct our oversight.
Write a note to president@moonsociety.org Subject: web page needs to be updated
That’ll do it!
We have taken a lot of measures to help new members and older ones to keep up with our efforts.
The Moon Society News section in the center part of our homepage posts major announcements.
The monthly, or almost monthly, Frontlines Report, the one with the prominent bold yellow font just below the above announcements, tries to keep members posted of all that is going on in the Society and there is quite a bit.
So click on that each time a new report is filed. The month of the report is stated boldly, so that you will know the report is new or not.
We inaugurated online Town Meetings this year. At first we thought of doing this once every three months. But the response to the first one was so unexpectedly strong that we are doing it monthly now on the second Wednesday evening. Check the Frontlines Report for instructions to take part. Everyone’s 2¢ is more than welcome. The Town Meeting is “Fresh Ideas City.”
As this month’s August Frontlines indicates, we continue to get some publicity (yes, we wish it was more and more often) and the scope of our operations are now becoming truly international with efforts in India, and Chile, as well as ongoing projects in Sweden and elsewhere.
Our Online Solar Power Beaming Demonstration Kit should be up in a few weeks.
We are working on putting together Essay Contests, Design Workshops and Competitions, a second and improved Apollo Moon Party focused on the Apollo 13 near disaster (Theme; “Human Space Exploration is worth the Risk”) and much much more.
What we can achieve or even undertake is limited to the number of active members. Currently, some 10-15% of our members are active in one way or another, a figure much higher than in other space activist societies.
If you want to help, we want to find a way to empower you to do so. Just send us a message. Tell us about your special interests, abilities and aptitudes, and what you would like to add, or what ongoing efforts you would like to join in. Tell us what buttons to push, and we’ll try to do just that.
Its easy. Just drop a casual note to president@moonsociety.org
And, one more thing. We’re looking for a catchy name for our blog. Got a suggestion? Let’s hear it. I’m sure that we’ll get a ton of good ideas.
And now, there are teasers for recent blogs on our homepage. Just scroll down the center section, and ... there you go!
To the stars!
Peter Kokh, PresidentHappy Space Settlement Blog Day!
by cfrjlr
July 20th 2009 is the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. July 20th is also Space Exploration Day. After 40 years of space exploration it is time to begin space settlement. In order to honor all who risked their lives for space exploration and all who are dedicated to opening the new era of space settlement the Moon Society celebrates this day.
Please check this link on the Space Advocate.
Also check out this cool space settlement video, the best we have seen in years:
From Adam Manning on Facebook: Hi Charles! Thanks for posting about our space settlement film... its on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14LDWt-Q1k as well, do pass the link on! Hoping to do a more full up documentary about Island One later in the year.