Can the Clear Lake Area Chapter Continue?

It’s time for some straight talk about the future of our local Chapter. I know that our lives are all full of distractions, and that we’ve lost key members to the Grim Reaper and other perils.

We did cancel our June meeting due to forecast inclement weather. However, both the August and the September meeting failed to gather a quorum of members. If our upcoming annual meeting this coming Tuesday, October 15th, also fails to gather a quorum, I’m going to be forced to look into officially downgrading our Chapter to an Outpost.

I really don’t want to do that. We’re squarely in the heart of manned spaceflight activity for this nation. But, with rare exceptions, we’ve failed to make any connections with today’s space professionals.

We do have planned activities coming up. For next month, on November 19th, if his health permits my father Kenneth Bowen will return and share some of his memories of the Apollo and Shuttle programs…and this time, cross your fingers, we’ll do so with a better audio/visual and recording setup. And while we’ll never be able to replace Miss Anita Gale’s legendary hospitality, my parents have also volunteered to host us in their home for a Christmas season get-together on December 7th. Our friends from the North Houston chapter are welcome to join us for that, as well!

So let’s hope that we can see some of the faces which may not have graced our conference room in months, or years. The Clear Lake Area Chapter will meet on Tuesday, October 15th in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. The address is 5002 NASA Road 1; Seabrook, Texas. The Community Center is north of NASA 1, away from the lake; enter through the side door adjacent to the parking lot as the main entrance may be locked after 5:00 p.m. A Zoom meeting option will also be available for the Chapter business portion of the meeting; information is posted below and on our Chapter web site.

We will be voting on Chapter officers and directors at this meeting, and we are looking for some new blood! So we welcome your input, your nominations, and your future participation. Remember, candidates for Chapter office must be, or must agree to become, members in good standing of both the National Space Society and the Moon Society. Director eligibility is as listed:

• President (currently held by Eric Bowen)
• Vice President (currently held by Doug Hall)
• Treasurer (currently held by Jay Lewchanin)
• Secretary (currently vacant—volunteers?)
• Director, Position 1 (currently held by Marianne Dyson)
• Director, Position 2 (currently held by Keith Dauzat)
• Director, Position 3 (vacant)

For the Director position, Position 1 must be held by a member of BOTH the National Space Society and the Moon Society. Position 2 must be held by a member of the National Space Society, and Position 3 must be held by a member of The Moon Society.

This meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and run to just before nine (when the facility closes). The business portion should start about 7 p.m. We’re planning to offer a few light refreshments and bottled water; your own contributions are also welcome of course!

Eric Bowen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Clear Lake Area Chapter Annual Meeting
Time: Oct 15, 2024 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86114110778?pwd=GiaRQQtYl06yyBusTtlZwJuWSpzPlW.1

Meeting ID: 861 1411 0778
Passcode: 029746

—

One tap mobile
+17193594580,,86114110778#,,,,*029746# US
+19292056099,,86114110778#,,,,*029746# US (New York)

—

Dial by your location
• +1 719 359 4580 US
• +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
• +1 253 205 0468 US
• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
• +1 309 205 3325 US
• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
• +1 360 209 5623 US
• +1 386 347 5053 US
• +1 507 473 4847 US
• +1 564 217 2000 US
• +1 646 931 3860 US
• +1 669 444 9171 US
• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
• +1 689 278 1000 US

Meeting ID: 861 1411 0778
Passcode: 029746

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kmXm6gRuR

Unfortunately, I experienced car trouble on the way home from work which prevents me from making tonight’s meeting. I apologize for this and for the short notice, but it was unavoidable. The October 17th business meeting should still go off as planned, and in accordance with our bylaws you may still submit your nominations for candidates for Chapter officers and directors via email to info@nss-houston-moon.org up until 11:59 p.m. on October 13th.

The Clear Lake Area Chapter will meet on Tuesday, August 15th in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. The address is 5002 NASA Road 1; Seabrook, Texas. The Community Center is north of NASA 1, away from the lake; enter through the side door adjacent to the parking lot as the main entrance may be locked after 5:00 p.m. The conference room is on the right down the hall as you come in that side entrance door. A Zoom meeting option will also be available; link to the information is given below.

Our meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and run about two hours. We’re planning to offer a few light refreshments and bottled water; your own contributions are also welcome of course!

Our next regularly scheduled meeting following this one is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19th, and our Chapter’s annual meeting is scheduled for October 17th.

The meeting documents (agenda for this meeting and minutes from last meeting) will be available soon on our chapter web site, or send an email inquiry to info@nss-houston-moon.org. See you Tuesday the 15th!

Zoom Meeting Info:

Please note that we are going to a new format for our Zoom meeting information. The meeting info here should remain the same for future meetings; however, one condition is that we cannot post it publicly on web sites or social media. I’m setting up an ‘autoreply’; if you send an email to zoominfo@nss-houston-moon.org you should receive full particulars.

As I type this we’re at the meeting site ready to go but our Zoom organizer (which we do not control) has yet to start our meeting. My apologies for the ongoing technical delay, but we have a quorum and we’re going to get started in-person. If the Zoom meeting does get started you’ll join us in progress. Again, my apologies.

The annual business meeting and election of officers for the Clear Lake Area National Space Society & Moon Society chapter will be on Tuesday, October 18th in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park at 6 pm. The address is 5002 NASA Road 1; Seabrook, Texas. The Community Center is north of NASA 1, away from the lake; enter through the side door adjacent to the parking lot as the main entrance may be locked after 5:00 p.m. There is also a Zoom option for remote attendees; see info at bottom.

Election of Chapter Officers:

The annual election of Chapter officers and directors will be held at this meeting. Positions up for election are:

• Chapter President – Currently held by Eric Bowen.
• Chapter Vice-President – Currently held by Doug Hall.
• Chapter Treasurer – Currently held by Jay Lewchanin.
• Chapter Secretary – Currently vacant.
• Director, Position 1 – Currently held by Marianne Dyson.
• Director, Position 2 – Currently held by Keith Dauzat.
• Director, Position 3 – Currently held by Larry Friesen.

To be eligible for all officer positions and Director Position 1 a candidate must be, or must be willing to become, an active member in BOTH the National Space Society and The Moon Society. A candidate for Director Position 2 must be an active member of the National Space Society. A candidate for Director Position 3 must be an active member of The Moon Society.

Nominations will be accepted from the floor before the election is held. The new officers will take their positions as of January 1st. (Positions currently vacant will be filled immediately upon election.)

Our next get-together as a chapter will be our Movie Night at the home of Anita Gale on Saturday, November 19th beginning at 3 p.m. In December we’ll be resuming our chapter Christmas party on Saturday, December 17th, also at Anita’s. Meeting dates for 2023 will be announced after the first of the year but at this time we are not planning a January meeting; our first meeting of the year is normally held in February.  Meeting documents are available below.

Zoom Meeting Info (We are grateful to the Clear Lake GTO club for sponsoring our access):
Eric Stevens is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: CLA-NSS/MS Monthly Meeting
Time: Oct 18, 2022 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85004690047?pwd=T2p6aU5jN2RuNlRlZ1Q2V2VEVHMxZz09

Meeting ID: 850 0469 0047
Passcode: 462282
One tap mobile
+16469313860,,85004690047#,,,,*462282# US
+19292056099,,85004690047#,,,,*462282# US (New York)

Dial by your location
        +1 646 931 3860 US
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
        +1 309 205 3325 US
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 564 217 2000 US
        +1 669 444 9171 US
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 719 359 4580 US
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 386 347 5053 US
Meeting ID: 850 0469 0047
Passcode: 462282
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb6MMFuKi0

Here’s the ZOOM meeting info for those who want to join Tuesday night’s meeting through cyberspace! We’re indebted to the GTO Club (as in Pontiac) of Clear Lake, which our own Dave Cheuvront is also a member of. They’ve agreed to let us take advantage of their account when not needed for their own purposes, so the meeting will not be cut off after 40 minutes (cheers & applause)!

Anyway, here’s the invite:

Topic: NSS CLA/MS Meeting
Time: Sep 20, 2022 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83615684756?pwd=UStTcElRTmt6ckRVdnpKYnJCcFBGUT09

Meeting ID: 836 1568 4756
Passcode: 256149
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,83615684756#,,,,*256149# US (Houston)
+12532158782,,83615684756#,,,,*256149# US (Tacoma)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 669 444 9171 US
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 719 359 4580 US
        +1 646 931 3860 US
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
        +1 309 205 3325 US
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 386 347 5053 US
        +1 564 217 2000 US
Meeting ID: 836 1568 4756
Passcode: 256149
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keohQeMCxH

We hope to see you there, either in person or on line!

The Clear Lake Area Chapter will meet on Tuesday, September 20th in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park at 6:00 p.m.. The address is 5002 NASA Road 1; Seabrook, Texas. The Community Center is north of NASA 1, away from the lake; enter through the side door adjacent to the parking lot as the main entrance may be locked after 5:00 p.m. The meeting will conclude by 8:00 p.m. when the Center closes, but our members often continue conversation at a local restaurant (TBD).

At this meeting nominations will open for chapter officers and directors for 2023. Nominations will also be accepted via email to info@nss-houston-moon.org up through 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 14th and voted on at our October business meeting. Nominations require a second if made in person or two independent nominations if made by email. You can only nominate one candidate for each position, whether in person or by email. You must be a member in good standing of the National Space Society and/or the Moon Society and have indicated that you wish to be considered a member of this Chapter.

For information, the current slate of officers and positions is as follows:

• President: Eric Bowen
• Vice-President: Doug Hall
• Treasurer: Jay Lewchanin
• Secretary: Vacant
• Director, Position 1: Marianne Dyson
• Director, Position 2: Keith Dauzat
• Director, Position 3: Larry Friesen

Candidates for all officer positions and for Director, Position 1 must be or must be willing to become members in good standing of BOTH the National Space Society and The Moon Society. Candidates for Director, Position 2 must be a member in good standing of the National Space Society. Candidates for Director, Position 3 must be a member in good standing of The Moon Society.

Our next regularly scheduled meeting following this one will be our annual business meeting on Tuesday, October 18th; same time and place. Looking forward to seeing you then, too!

More information is available on our chapter web site, or send an email inquiry to info@nss-houston-moon.org. Zoom meeting info will be posted on this web site prior to the meeting.

• 

• 

The Clear Lake Area National Space Society and Moon Society Chapter met on August 16th at the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park. Director Keith Dauzat introduced a resolution that the Chapter recognize and honor the life and work of Star Trek actress and long-time NASA recruiter Nichelle Nichols, which the Chapter was eager to unanimously adopt. Accordingly,

The Clear Lake Area Chapter of the National Space Society and Moon Society honors the life, work and legacy of Nichelle Nichols for both her pioneering work as a Black actress and star on the groundbreaking television and film series Star Trek and especially for her subsequent work as a recruiter for NASA for nearly five decades. She has shown the way for three generations to turn science fiction into science fact, and that legacy will only continue to grow. This resolution is to be entered in the Chapter minutes, posted on the Chapter’s web site, and submitted to NSS Downlink in anticipation of publication. Adopted by the Clear Lake Area Chapter August 16th, 2022. Ad Astra.

We also heard from speaker and NASA veteran Dave Cheuvront about the workings of the Space Settlement Design Competitions and some of his favorite anecdotes. Dave had a presentation which, unfortunately, had to be abbreviated due to time and technical difficulties, but it can be downloaded from our web site at http://nss-houston-moon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CLA-NSS-Space-Settlements.pdf. Dave also encourages you to view a recorded copy of the presentation which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyn7AQkTQbk as well as other material from the F4F (Foundation For the Future) YouTube channel.

In other news, the Chapter will be resuming social events this fall! One of our popular “Science Fiction/Science Fact” Movie Nights will be held at the home of Anita Gale the afternoon and evening of Saturday, November 19th; for details see the post on our web page. And our Chapter Christmas party will return after a three-year hiatus at Anita’s home on December 17th!

The Clear Lake Area Chapter’s next meeting will be at the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park, just down NASA 1 from the Johnson Space Center, at 6:00 p.m. on September 20th, 2022. Everyone’s welcome!

The Clear Lake Area Chapter will meet on Tuesday, June 21st in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park beginning at 6:00 p.m. The address is 5002 NASA Road 1; Seabrook, Texas. The Community Center is north of NASA 1, away from the lake; enter through the side door adjacent to the parking lot as the main entrance may be locked after 5:00 p.m. A Zoom meeting option will also be available for the Chapter business portion of the meeting; see information below.

COVID Information: Masking and/or vaccination is not required by either the Chapter or by Harris County at the present time. Those who attend in person are encouraged to protect themselves as they in consultation with their medical advisors deem best, whether that be vaccination, masking, or prophylactic medicines and/or nutritional supplements (adverse outcomes from the virus are strongly related to deficiencies in Vitamin D3). We ask that you remain at home if you are running a fever over 99.6F or are suffering any symptoms of respiratory illness. Take care and see you there!

There will be no refreshments provided at this meeting although you are welcome to bring your own or purchase drinks from the county’s vending machine. We will attempt to conclude our business by 7:30 and then those who wish may adjourn to a local restaurant for refreshment and continued conversation on a ‘Dutch treat’ basis; exact location to be determined at the meeting.

UPDATE: Our next regularly scheduled meetings have been arranged for Tuesday, August 16th and Tuesday, September 20th. At the September meeting nominations will open for our annual business meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18th. All meetings will start at 6 p.m. in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center. At tonight’s meeting we will also discuss the possibility of scheduling new social events for October, November and/or December.

Zoom Meeting Info: Please note that at present we are limited to a maximum of 40 minutes via Zoom, so the Zoom meeting will open at 6:15 p.m. and close about 30 minutes later. We will do our best to schedule any business requiring votes during this window. After the Zoom meeting closes we will be looking at recent space news and events presented by Doug Hall.

Eric Bowen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Clear Lake Area NSS/Moon Society Online Meeting
Time: Jun 21, 2022 06:15 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78379901041?pwd=xjN0HZODVdshJAXFjBQKRRuPLvpeG5.1

Meeting ID: 783 7990 1041
Passcode: 3BeVft

Here’s the Clear Lake Area Chapter’s meeting schedule for the first half of 2022. Please note that our meeting venue is not accepting bookings more than six months in advance at this time. In-person meetings are now scheduled for:

• Tuesday, February 15th, 2022
• Tuesday, April 19th, 2022
• Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

All meetings are currently scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Bay Area Community Center at 5002 NASA Parkway in Seabrook (north half of Clear Lake Park). Meetings will conclude at approximately 7:30 as the Community Center is currently closing at 8 p.m. While we have no refreshments planned at the meeting itself, we will attempt to schedule a social time on a “Dutch treat” basis at a local restaurant following each meeting.

We are also considering a social gathering on or shortly before April 12th in honor of “Yuri’s Night.” Details should be available at the February meeting.