Star Party; SpaceVision Volunteer info (You MUST READ if you plan to volunteer!!)

Hello everyone,

SEDS is planning on joining an Astronomy Club star party this Friday, October 23rd. The plan is to meet at Which-Wich on University at 4 pm to eat beforehand. If you can't make it to dinner, you should plan to meet up with everyone at 5pm in the Steward Observatory/ Sonett parking lot by the SEDS office. They will be heading up to Windy Point near Mt. Lemmon, so please keep in mind that it will likely be VERY cold, so dress appropriately. If you are interested in attending, please email Kevin at kevinkhu@email.arizona.edu .

If you are planning on volunteering for SpaceVision 2009, the SEDS national conference, you must read the following information:

SpaceVision 2009 is the SEDS national conference being held here at the University of Arizona from November 12-15, 2009. Our conference website can be found here: http://spacevision.seds.org/ . Our current speaker list is as follows:

• Brant Adams (General Manager, Research Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering (ROME) at NASA Langley Research Center, Jacobs Technology)
• Keith Beck (General Manager, NASA Test and Evaluation Contract Group at NASA White Sands Test Facility, Jacobs Technology)
• Ben Brockert (Aerospace Technician, Masten Space Systems)
• Lynn Cline (Deputy Associate Administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA HQ)
• Ken Davidian (Program Lead, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation)
• Peter Diamandis (Chairman & Founder, X-PRIZE Foundation)
• Jeff Foust (Senior Analyst, Futron Corporation)
• Richard Garriott (Private Space Explorer)
• Gabrielle Giffords (US Congresswoman; Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics)
• James Head (Chief Scientist, Raytheon)
• Chris Impey (Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona)
• Mark E. Kelly (NASA Astronaut)
• Dante Lauretta (Deputy Principal Investigator, OSIRIS Mission)
• Richard Leis (Operations Specialist, HiRISE)
• Chris Lewicki (Chief Engineer, LewickiDyne Systems)
• Taber MacCallum (CEO, Paragon Space Development Corporation)
• Jim Muncy (President & Founder, PoliSpace)
• Bob Richards (Founder & CEO, Odyssey Moon Limited)
• Marcia Rieke (Principle Investigator, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam))
• Guillermo Söhnlein (Managing Director, Space Angels Network)
• Simon "Pete" Worden (Director, NASA Ames)

If you cannot tell already, this conference is a huge undertaking that cannot possibly be successful without your help. Based on my estimate, we will need about 100 hours of volunteer time from local SEDS members like you.

If you are a dues paying member, for 4 hours of volunteering, you will receive free conference registration ($15 value) as well as a free conference T-shirt ($10 value). In you are not a dues paying member, but still a student, for 6 hours of volunteering, you will receive free conference registration ($25 value) as well as a free conference T-shirt ($10 value). If you are still interested, please take a look at the following spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnOpfNFc5JHVdHJBRXIteC1pbmFTUkNfVXpZekl0U0E&hl=en

This spreadsheet contains every conceivable volunteer opportunity for our conference. If you would like to volunteer for SpaceVision 2009, please do the following:

1. Read over this spreadsheet until you understand it (hopefully it is clear). The yellow tinted rows are a higher priority over the white rows, so please focus on those first. I have listed the conference activities you would be missing by volunteering at a certain time so you can make sure not to miss talks/ events that interest you most.
   
2. Find a combination of 4-6 hours (or more!) that you are able to volunteer.
3. Reply to this email with a list of reference numbers (the first column - "Ref #") corresponding to the times you would like to volunteer. For example, if you would like to help assemble conference bags and take the first shift for conference registration on Thursday, you would give me reference numbers 1 & 6. In your email, please also make sure to include your full name and cell phone number.
   
4. Once you email me this info, I will respond as soon as possible letting you know that I added you to the spreadsheet. Please check to make sure that I added you correctly, and email me if a change needs to be made.

Spots will be filled on a "first-come-first serve" basis. As a volunteer, you will be required to attend one volunteer orientation. I will be holding at least two different orientations the week of SpaceVision to accommodate everyone's schedule (I'll send exact times for these next week).

One thing I ask is that you read EVERY future email I send to you with [SPACEVISION] in the subject line, as it will contain very important information specific to your volunteering..

If you have any quesitons at all, please let me know.

Thanks,
Kyle Stephens
President, UASEDS
Director, SpaceVision 2009

SpaceVision - Day 3

Day three of the trips (second full day of the conference) saw more speakers, the highlight of which was resoundingly agreed upon to be the Mars Phoenix Lander principal investigator Peter Smith. After the talks there was a formal banquet (which I unfortunately don't have images of) after which the UASEDS telescope was set up to show to the other SEDS chapters. Already there are at least two other chapters interested in building their own telescope, so I think it was a success.


A member from the UCF chapter of SEDS peering at the moon. The seeing conditions weren't that great that night, but the moon never looks bad in an 18 inch telescope.


UASEDS members posing with the telescope at the end of the night. The red glow of a fountain can be seen behind us. In the photo from left to right are Josh Nelson, Zeke, Kyle, Mike, Katie, and Pye Pye.

SpaceVision - Day 2

Second day in Texas, and the first full day of the conference. The day saw a large host of speakers, including Peter Diamandis, founder of SEDS along with a million other space related organizations. The day also featured a number of forums to discuss various aspects of the organization and how to improve and expand it. The day was capped off by a networking party, which due to the number of enthusiasm of the SEDS members attending, was forced to move three times before the night was over.


The campus of Texas A&M University (otherwise known as Aggieland) as seen from the 11th floor of the conference tower at the center of campus.


SEDS members participating in one of the forums. UASEDS members in the picture include Tyler, Triana, Pye Pye, Kyle, and Josh Nelson.

The national conference is one of the few times when SEDS members from different chapters get to interact, and there was far from a dearth of that going on this year.

SpaceVision - Day 1

After driving for 18 hours straight (we left Tuscon at 5pm (UTC -7) and didn't arrive in Houston until noon (UTC -6)) we finally arrived at our destination. For our efforts, we were rewarded with an exclusive access tour of Johnson Space Center. We were given special tours of the Mission Control Center, of full scale mockups of the space shuttle used for training, and of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.


The group with an astronaut who had just finished a training session in the giant pool in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.


The training pool. Full scale models of the space shuttle, ISS, and Soyuz spacecraft are all inside.


The Mission Control Center, hours before being transitioned to having all public locked out so they can run the launch that's scheduled in two days.


A Saturn V rocket. The picture doesn't begin to capture just how big this thing really is.

New Weekly Meetings, Halloween Event, SpaceVision

At our last meeting, we have decided to start having weekly meetings. This makes
our next general meeting this Thursday, October 30th at 4 pm in Steward N305.

Right after the meeting, from 6-9, is the Halloween Event. We will need to setup
early to make sure the telescope is ready for observing at around 6 (or whenever
it is dark enough...). We can probably grab a quick dinner and start setup after
that. According to my signup sheet, we should have about 8 people helping at the
event on Thursday and 6 people on Friday.

Also, fifteen members will be attending SpaceVision. If you are one of these
members, please email me your student ID number (e.g. S01829384) as soon as
possible so we can begin filling out the paperwork for dean's excuses, etc.
Also, at the next few general meetings, lots of discussion in regard to
SpaceVision will occur, so if you are attending the conference, attending these
meetings will be very beneficial.

SpaceVision: Important!

Hello all,

For all individuals who have expressed interest in attending SpaceVision, you
will need to pay your $30 for the trip at the next meeting which will be held
on Thursday, October 23rd at 4 pm in Steward N305. We are asking for the money
this early in order to make definite plans with regard to transportation and
accommodations. If for any reason you are unable to pay SEDS the $30 by this
Thursday, please let either Kevin or I know as soon as possible.

Also, since Pye Pye was the only one who decided to run for Treasurer, she will
become the next UASEDS Treasurer after the official "election" during the next
meeting.

See you all at the next meeting.

Kyle Stephens
UASEDS President