The Planetary Society Newsletter February 2003
Declaration of Support for Space Exploration – A Response to the Loss of
Columbia and her Crew
Thank you members and friends. Over 12,500 of you have
signed our declaration, and we have been
joined by members of the Star Trek universe and
the SETI@home community.
Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor on Star Trek:
Voyager and a member of The Planetary Society
Advisory Council, said, “Although the recent tragedy
envelops us all, to falter in our commitment to
the future of human and robotic exploration of
space is a disservice to the dedicated men and
women who serve as architects of our future.”
If you have not yet signed the declaration,
please go to:
https://planetary.org/petition3/
For more perspectives on the loss of Columbia,
http://planetary.org/columbia/
Solar Sail Update
Solar Sail Launch Awaits Clearing of Volna Rocket
by Project Director Louis Friedman
“The development of the Cosmos 1 solar sail
spacecraft is going well despite some delays with
some of the spacecraft electronics. We are, however,
waiting for problems to be resolved with our launch
vehicle, the Volna. Until then, we are prisoners on
Earth, trapped in our planet’s gravity well. . . ”
To read the entire update go to:
http://www.planetary.org/solarsail/Media.htm
The Planetary Report Special Issue
Our special issue of The Planetary Report on
Interstellar Flight is in the mail!
“One great benefit of belonging to The Planetary
Society is the contact with fascinating and
sometimes audacious minds. In this issue, you
will encounter minds that are not afraid to tackle
in a concrete and realistic way a problem as
difficult as travel between the stars.”
For a preview of the magazine, go to:
http://planetary.org/tpr01_02_03toc.html
PayPal Matching Grant Ends
Members and Donors multiplied success
A generous gift from Elon Musk doubled all funds
received by The Planetary Society through PayPal
from April to December 2002.
Thank you, Mr. Musk, and thank you to all of you who
joined, renewed and donated to The Planetary Society
during the PayPal matching grant period.
You make it happen.
Red Rover Goes to Mars
The Student Astronaut Contest Closes Soon
Entries must be received at your Regional or National
Center by March 14, 2003. Winners of this contest will
be part of this first-ever public opportunity to be a
part of the inner workings of a NASA mission to Mars!
For contest information, go to:
http://planetary.org/rrgtm/studast.html
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