Cape Fear Astronomical Society Newsletter - Editor Debbi Hayden March 2, 2003 Meeting Featuring Steve Clemmons, someone most of us heard speak last year about the early years in rocketry and the space program. This year, he will be going into more detail about the Apollo I tragedy and what it was like working on Cape Canaveral during that time. He is an excellent speaker and we are fortunate to have him as our guest again, so don't miss it! Join us before the meeting for dinner at the Outback restaurant on College Road at 5:15 pm. Next month is the official kick-off of the 20th Anniversary for the Cape Fear Astronomical Society! The CFAS Newsletter will have a new look and a glimpse of the beginnings of the CFAS! Meeting Minutes for February 2nd, 2003 by CFAS Secretary Terry Herrin President Si Cantwell called the meeting to order at 7:05pm. The first item on the agenda was officers' reports. Treasurer Ben Steelman reminded everyone that it's time to pay your dues. The Club is in the black on all accounts. Ben presented an offer he was given to have the Club's web site on search engines for $69 a year. The offer was rejected by voice vote. Under old business, the telescope clinic and public observing is still scheduled at Ingram Planetarium at 4:00pm on Saturday, 2/8/03. If it is cloudy the clinic will still be held as it will be inside. Saturday, May 10th is Astronomy Day, and the club will be having another telescope clinic and public viewing session at Snipes Elementary School starting at 4:00pm. Johnny Horne has been confirmed for giving a presentation at the April meeting, which will also be the official 20th Anniversary event for the founding of the Club. Alan Hilburn said he would look into going to Annabelle's for a dinner beforehand. Also under old business, there is a problem getting the 20th Anniversary logo information to the printer for the t-shirts via email. The printer is unable to receive the data. Susan will need to put the data to disc and mail it to the printer. Steve Clemmons has been confirmed to give the presentation for the March meeting. He will be giving an in depth discussion of the events before, during and after the Apollo 1 tragedy. Finishing up old business, Ben Steelman said he is working on a presentation about his recent trip to Antarctica, and Tom Jacobs is looking into getting Brian Davis to give a presentation on meteorites. Under new business, Si proposed the Club consider purchasing a projector for presentations. Terry Herrin and Rich Williams volunteered to do some research into various models, capabilities, and prices. Next up was observing reports. On Saturday, 2/1/02, several members of the Club joined 15 high school students from the Cape Fear Academy at the Holly Shelter dark sky site. They observed from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, and the Great Nebula in Orion was the highlight of the night. Joe and Shelly Callahan attended a lecture at the aquarium in Atlantic Beach. The lecture was Mysteries of the Winter Sky, and over 80 people were in attendance. The meeting broke for five minutes at 7:40pm. Tom Grubb from Fayetteville then gave a presentation about his art work, some of the largest kinetic sculptures in the world. Amongst the many works presented, the highlight was his Spirit Voyager, launched last year as the largest kinetic sculpture in the United States. You can view his work at www.tomgrubb-celestialart.com. After Mr. Grubb's presentation, Si asked if there was any other business. Tommy Puckett stated that the county science fair is looking for judges. Si then adjourned the meeting at 8:40pm. News Cluster Work on the T-shirts continues. Once the image is passed along to the printer, it shouldn't be long before we receive them. Please pay your dues for 2003! It is $20 for an individual membership, and only $25 for a family membership. It's time again to start thinking about a Messier Marathon! Get those charts ready!