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OASIS Supports International Space Development Conference

by Steve Bartlett

Los Angeles-area space activists provided much-needed support to the 2003 International Space Development Conference (ISDC) over Memorial Day weekend. The conference, held in San Jose, is the annual NSS showcase event and featured hundreds of attendees from around the world. OASIS members worked in conference registration areas, gave space project talks, videotaped presentations, and arranged for guest speakers from outside organizations to talk at the gathering.

Pat Montoure, ISDC chair and current OASIS member, accepting award from NSS Vice President Grep Allison.

The first faces that conferees encountered at ISDC were OASIS people staffing the registration table. The small group of volunteers worked through most of the three-day weekend handling conference badging, answering questions, directing speakers to presentation rooms, assisting with event security, and helping to ensure that everything ran smoothly. These volunteers included OASIS Vice President Craig Ward, Treasurer Karin Ward, and Secretary Diane Rhodes.

Former chapter presidents Bob Gounley and Seth Potter lent their support to the conference with presentations on current space projects. Gounley, an engineer with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, briefed conference-goers on the Dawn robotic probe to asteroids Vesta and Ceres. The ion-propelled craft, launching in 2006, will map the surface features of these bodies, as well as determining their mineral compositions, gravities, and magnetic fields.

Robert Conger of Microcosm talks on the Scorpius program.

Dr. Seth Potter, an engineer/scientist for the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, gave talks on Boeing's Delta and Sea Launch family of launch vehicles and on Solar Power Satellites. Potter delivered enthusiastic and informative presentations to conference attendees.

Space consultant Warren James talks on RLVs at ISDC.

Longtime chapter member David Bliss manned a videocamera throughout much of the conference, recording presentations and banquet events, editing tapes, and archiving material for future use. (Tapes of ISDC events are available from Mr. Bliss. For more information, contact him via email at rivercoon@wmn.net. [The transcript of Seven New Stars is based on his videotape of the event.])

Besides direct conference support, OASIS arranged for a number of speakers for ISDC. Reprising his talk to the Los Angeles chapter back in September, Rex Ridenoure, CEO/President of Ecliptic Enterprises, spoke on the Rocketcam system of videocameras used to record space launches. Space consultant Warren James updated his talk from last October on Reusable Launch Vehicles for the ISDC attendees. Dr. Robert Conger, Vice President of Microcosm, Inc., spoke on the Scorpius family of low-cost launch vehicles and Dr. Martin Lo of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory spoke on a lunar sample return mission and on the interplanetary superhighway, both at the request of OASIS members.