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Selected Articles from the
June 1999 Odyssey

Editor: Craig E. Ward

OASIS Wins NSS Community Service Award
AgamemCon III Report

NSS Chapters Community
Service Award for OASIS

by Seth Potter

NSS Chapter President showing Community Service Award
Photograph courtesy Craig E. Ward.

At the International Space Development Conference Awards Banquet, our chapter won an award for Community Service. In announcing the award, NSS Chapters Vice President Greg Allison did not mention any one thing,but rather the many activities, such as our work at sf conventions, Spaceweek, etc. I accepted the certificate for the chapter and will bring it to the next business meeting. All OASIS members present at the banquet were asked to stand for the presentation of the award.

[Editors Note: The OASIS Annual Report was published in a previous edition of the Odyssey and is also on the OASIS web site.]

I also represented OASIS at the Chapters Assembly meeting. Craig Ward was with me part of the time. There were about 18 chapters represented. Ronnie Lajoie and Bennett Rutledge ran the meeting

New Chapters Assembly officers were nominated and elected. The new Chapters Assembly President will be Moon Miner’s Manifesto editor Peter Kokh. Bennett expressed concern about chapters turning in their annual reports on time, as this is an IRS requirement. Of course, Craig and I were not oncerned about this because OASIS has a very effective Treasurer.

An informal poll was taken of the chapter representatives about various issues concerning the relationship between chapters and Headquarters. Many expressed the opinion that NSS needed better communication with the chapters.

As for the rest of ISDC, the online issue of SpaceViews carried an excellant report. Lots of great programming.

This ISDC was one of the best.

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AgamemCon III Report

by Craig E. Ward

OASIS provided a full track of science programming and staffed an information table at AgamemCon III the weekend of June 11-13.

AgamemCon is a science fiction convention celebrating the universe of the Babylon 5 television series.

Topics presented included Space Medicine, Advance Spacecraft, Reusable Launch Vehicles, Space on the World Wide Web, Space Art, The Search for Extra Solar Planets, Near Earth Asteroids, Mars Sample Return, and Space Power Satellites. The largest crowd, however, was for the panel on the International Space Station.

NSS Board of Governors member Bruce Boxleitner served on the panel with

ISS Disucssion Panel (l-r): Steve Bartlett, Norm Cook,
Dr. Jim Busby, Bruce Boxleitner.
Photograph courtesy Karen Savage.

OASIS members Steve Bartlett and Norm Cook, and OCSS member Dr. James Busby. As the non-technical member of the panel, Mr. Boxleitner gave voice to the concerns of the lay public and articulated a vision of space exploration as a challenge worthy of a great people.

The audience of approximately 300 people asked intelligent questions of all panel members and seemed keenly interested in this science fact presence at their science fiction event. The final consensus was that the general public needs to hear more about space.

In addition to lecture panels, a hands-on crafts session was held that allowed people, especially younger ones, to create their own models of space ships and space stations.

OASIS thanks all of the people who participated on panels or staffed the information table and especially Steve Bartlett for coordinating it all.

Find more, web only, coverage of this event in NSS Packs the House at AgamemCon III.