Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!AI.AI.MIT.EDU!MINSKY
From: MINSKY@AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: NSS Board membership
Message-ID: <522795.890119.MINSKY@AI.AI.MIT.EDU>
Date: 19 Jan 89 18:15:35 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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I would not write off the National Space Society.  It is reorganizing
itself and, as usual in any society, only a portion of the "name"
board members are actually active.  If you don't like van Allen's
position, it might comfort you that he is not nearly as active as, for
example, Thomas Paine.  The membership does include healthy remnants
of both the NSI and L-5, and is reorganizing itself in what I think is
a promising way: I am impressed by the breadth and intelligence of the
new president, Charles Walker.  (Also, there is a very capable
executive director Lori Garver, and ta very professional editor,
Leonard David, for the new magazine Ad Astra.  If you have a really
well-developed thesis or flame, consider sending it to him.)  The
chairman of the board of governors, Hugh Downs, is deeply involved,
and could just be the person to succeed Walter Cronkite as a principal
media personality to understand and promote the importance of space
exploration.  (He understands physics rather well.)

Some of us came to NSS's board of governors from L-5, and others came
from NSI. We all hope it will grow, along with the Planetary Society,
to help the public appreciate both the romance and practical
importance of space exploration and eventual settlement.  But the
growth of effectiveness and influence depend on the growth of
membership. Rather than grumble about what L-5 and NSS were or should
have been, consider this a new chance to do things right - whatever
that might mean to you: Join NSS and help shape the society's new
directions.