The Futuof the National Space Society

> This Friday I'm meeting with a few people at NSS HQ. My agenda is
> pushing Internet activism -- and some other changes.
>
> Vis-a-vis the Internet: We need to examine things like Slashdot and the
> Dean campaign (whatever else you think of the guy, he seems to have come
> up with an effective Internet strategy). The current NSS website is
> very lame.

While I think Slashdot like discussions are generally good ideas
(although there are many such boards which are empty -- mailing lists
tend to work better for many reasons), I'd like to encourage you to
suggest to NSS the idea of using the internet to connect people already
interested in space technology to actually design space related things
under free licenses, as opposed to use the internet mainly to encourage
activism to get the government to spend more money on contractors who
make (proprietary) space things. You can look at this paper I presented
at the 2001 SSI conference for some related ideas:
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/oscomak/SSI_Fernhout2001_web.html

> Another thought: the Sierra Club survived for decades as an outdoor
> organization with occasional political activism on a small scale.
> Perhaps we could learn something from them as well.

That's exactly how I see such an internet based free space technology
designing organization working. Instead of outdoors activities we're
talking inddor ones designing space habitat or SPS or moonbase or Mars
etc. (through the internet or even with occasional local group
meetings), and then perhaps a little activism on the side will naturally
grow out of that or be spun off.

All the best.

--Paul Fernhout