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GET /hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/email/5FIMMQBS6DJVU4QEMIF7W64QQDYKACX3/
{ "url": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/email/5FIMMQBS6DJVU4QEMIF7W64QQDYKACX3/", "mailinglist": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/", "message_id": "[email protected]", "message_id_hash": "5FIMMQBS6DJVU4QEMIF7W64QQDYKACX3", "thread": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/thread/5FIMMQBS6DJVU4QEMIF7W64QQDYKACX3/", "sender": { "address": "ke9vee (a) gmail.com", "mailman_id": null, "emails": null }, "sender_name": "Jeff Davis, KE9V", "subject": "[amsat-bb] The Road Ahead", "date": "2007-12-12T20:46:42Z", "parent": null, "children": [], "votes": { "likes": 0, "dislikes": 0, "status": "neutral" }, "content": "Folks,\n\nFirst, I'd like to apologize for having kicked off a thread that ended\nup being derisive on the BB yesterday -- that was not my intent.\nHaving the facts, as disappointing as they may be for those of us who\nhave been waiting over a decade for an HEO replacement, at least\naffords us an opportunity to reconnoiter.\n\nIt's no one's \"fault\" that the business of launching a satellite has\nbecome so costly to an organization like ours. But facts are facts and\nif we complete Eagle and carry it to the front door of some launch\ncompany and are presented with an invoice for $6 million dollars, then\nit's safe to say that new satellite will never leave the ground.\n\nIn an ideal world we would build several satellites and have them\n\"ready\" to go just in case some launch company calls to say they have\nroom for an \"extra 200kg at discount rates\" but as we have painfully\nlearned in the past, you never know what that launch configuration\nmight be capable of supporting so how can designers \"guess\" in 2007 at\nwhat a configuration for launch in 2011 might look like?\n\nPresident Hambly has pointed out that any ideas about P4 are just that\n-- ideas and plans and negotiations. But I can see a significant\nadvantage in that we wouldn't have to \"guess\" at what a launch adapter\nmight look like years in advance -- all we would have to assemble is a\ncommunications payload and let a 3rd party handle the physical\nintegration.\n\nIt would really be nice if we would step back for a few days and allow\nall this to marinate in the brain before folks start tossing around\nthreats to withhold donations, etc.\n\nI suspect that this turn of events has much deeper implications than\njust the disappointment of HEO enthusiasts (of which I am one).\nConsider for a moment how this will impact those among us whose\nprimary interest was in designing spacecraft hardware -- or those\nseasoned veterans who may not live to see another high orbit bird in\nour fleet come to fruition.\n\nI can see a future where AMSAT will pursue opportunities wherever\npossible but we might have to learn to do other things too -- perhaps\none day AMSAT will take on high altitude balloon projects,\npartnerships with SETI, more interesting payloads for University\nsponsored LEO sats, etc.\n\nIt's also pretty obvious that this is a challenging time for AMSAT\nleaders who have volunteered to lead us through these perilous waters.\nLet's give them a hand by supporting them and some of the tough\ndecisions that no doubt will need to be made to keep things moving\nforward.\n\nHonestly, I had decided not to renew my Presidents Club support next\nyear but that was before all this came up. While I'm disappointed, I'm\nalso impressed with the candor that has been shown in giving us these\nfacts.\n\nI'm going to renew my support because this looks like an enormous\nchallenge and frankly, that's what makes life interesting. I have no\ninterest in doing easy things -- I much prefer to battle the odds and\nsee how much we can accomplish with the cards that have been dealt to\nus.\n\nAgreed?\n\n73 de Jeff, KE9V\nAMSAT-NA\nAMSAT-DL\n", "attachments": [] }