One of the possibilities I have not seen relayed well from the meetings to general knowledge is that it may be possible for Intelsat to attach Eagle to one of their satellites, and drop us off in GTO on their way to GEO. This possibility alone is worth working this opportunity out to it's conclusion.
It has become very apparent to me that we will not fund a HEO solely on our current membership donations. Ever. We have to go for the outside funding Tom mentioned, and the best way to do that is a simple, tool-like application like a GEO, geared heavily towards EMCOMM. Too many of us have taken the wait and see approach when it comes to supporting a HEO project. The money has to come first, then the satellite gets built and launched, not the other way around.
73, Drew KO4MA