I am moving rapidly towards joining the effort at the Hume Center at Virginia Tech.

http://www.cnst.ictas.vt.edu/

as you can see, I am one of its directors (and walking in REALLY tall cotton for a boy from Grove Hill, AL):

http://www.cnst.ictas.vt.edu/people.html

I believe I am the most likely candidate to be its first permanent director.

I met with a DIFFERENT group of people in Chantilly, Va. last week.

http://www.nro.gov/

They have asked me to lead the development of 50 Kg or less spacecraft to ride to 400-500 km in a facility to be built at the Hume Center building on the campus at Va. Tech.

These are pictures of the now fully dedicated SCIF on the Va. Tech. campus.

http://n4hy.smugmug.com/Family/Virginia-Tech-Facility/8472662_3xPxb#557082751_vhvw6

I feel really good about where this is all headed but I sound a note of caution.  I am refusing to allow my hopes to get too high until the dollars show up in the bank and the contract with me is signed.

I have held out for the ability to use the clean room facility to go after Wireless Innovation Forum and Department of Homeland Security money for RideShare first responder communications and Intelsat is the target vehicle.

There is real money for this and amateur radio and satellite service is one of the services to be supported because of the track record in large disasters.

There is nothing like having money, clout, and support but again, until the money is in the bank, and contracts are signed, I believe NOTHING, but I like what I am hearing.

More on Thursday and Friday.

Bob