Book Review and Interview: Neda Ansari

The neat part of ISDC is meeting a lot of very smart people who share a passion for space exploration. Sometimes they’re old friends, sometimes complete strangers, sometimes people I’ve wanted to meet because I knew them online or I’ve admired something they’ve done. Neda Ansari is in that third category. She is a poet.

Neda came to ISDC 2011 as participant in the authors track. I missed that track (like most of the others) because I was working. I expressed a wish to read some more of her poetry, as I only glimpsed a bit in one of the thousands of emails that zipped through my inbox, and she agreed. More than agreed, she sent a hand-bound, self-published compilation of poetry, translations, and other writings.

The title doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but what I found on the pages intrigued me. Here’s a random sample from a poem entitled “Hope,” which, as Neda notes, “was published on Iranian.com on April 29^th, 2009, days before the Green Revolution in Iran broke.”

The light of sun was what I was after
Resonating with children’s laughter
From atop I saw a town
Filled with lights of its own
I was filled with much joy
Like a child with a new toy
Yes, I longed to see the light
To burn abyss with no fright

And this is probably the section that won me over on Neda’s work:

Free is the wind, is the air

Free are certain things with flair
Free are the stars in the night sky
And the occasional comets that go by
Free are the sparkles in people’s eyes
And their will to rebel, revolt and rise

I like the spirit in Neda’s poetry, the optimism. Her subjects range from scientific concepts (she studied chemistry) to freedom to general playfulness. What intrigued me, I must confess, were her connections to the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the more recent “Green” Revolution. I have no idea where her family stood in 1979, though they did return to Iran from America after that revolution, and Neda spent some time under the cover of a burka. Neda’s stand in 2009 is obvious just by the tone of her writings—she believes in freedom, in aspiration, and people striving for something better. All good things.

A couple of the items in Neda’s collection were censored—presumably in Iran—and her blog is no longer online. Her response to the situation in Iran was sufficiently complicated that, for a while, she traveled under an alias in Facebook: Yeki Bood, Yeki Nabood, which is, she explained, roughly the Persian equivalent of “once upon a time.” However, directly translated, it would read more like “There once was, then there wasn’t,” which is a conversation-starter all to itself.

Neda is a director at the Space Renaissance Initiative, which is one of the few pro-space groups I haven’t joined because of its rather negative view of religion. These things happen. She also has posted her work in a variety of web sites related to issues in Iran. I think I first became aware of her when she started writing to a fellow Iranian (some prefer “Persian”) American, Anousheh Ansari, who joined a rather elite group of people who have been able to afford space tourism on the International Space Station. Neda is not, so far as I know, related to Anousheh. That’s rather like asking me if I’m related to any of a dozen “Leahys” from Ireland—odds are, the answer’s yes, but you’d have to go way back.

But really, when you read Neda’s poetry, it’s difficult to determine what exactly was being censored. How often does one encounter censorship anymore—and by that I mean the removal of all or portions of a work of art by a government entity—that is different from bad poetry that no one will buy or publish, the typical definition of “censorship” by snippy poets in America.

So I found myself asking questions. This lady who’s writing upbeat poetry that includes vague allusions to Cyrus the Great is dangerous or offensive enough to be censored? For gosh, sakes, why?

Some of this was answered in an interview by Michael Doornbos, my buddy at Evadot.com, but I had other questions, and Neda agreed to play along.

*

Hi, Neda! Thanks for agreeing to this interview. First, I’d like to know: what got you started on writing poetry?

Hello Mr. Leahy, and thanks for reviewing my book ever so kindly. The tongue twisting of the title, literally speaking, is of course, intentional. I hope it didn’t cause too much of a problem.

I’ve been a good writer in two languages since I was a child, but became a poet much like Hafez, the 14^th Century Persian poet, overnight, in 2006. I wrote a piece and submitted for publication which was received so well that it encouraged me to write more. And then it was nonstop from there. At some point, I’d be listening to the radio while driving, or people talking, and the words and things they talked about would automatically turn into rhyme in my head. This was very exciting and frustrating at the same time. Exciting because I had found this new power, yet frustrating because sometimes I’d be tending to other activities, with no recorder, or paper and pen, to materialize my thoughts. I’d be watching the news, world events, anything on TV, while relating them to each other instantaneously and making rhyme at the same time. Interestingly, I started doing this with Persian too, which I hadn’t written in since I was 16, having moved to the U.S. permanently then. Eventually, I learned to control the ‘syndrome,’ now able to have a normal planned session, which has been the way I’ve been composing lately. I sit at the desk, put myself into meditation mode, and start writing.

Are you writing anything at present?

Yes, I am currently editing one of my works, a project which I hope to turn into a musical piece. It’s an old Iranian anthem I translated from Persian to English in 2007.

Are you still active on Iran-related web sites, or would you not prefer to say?

When talking about Iranian-related websites, it is important to recognize between those run by the government in Iran, and those that are completely independent. I haven’t been publishing frequently on Iranian websites in general, since submitting a couple of pieces two years ago. One of my favorites is Iranian.com, where some really great writers have been productive for a long time. The website publishes both in English and in Persian, and was instrumental in the Presidential elections of 2008, comparable to Huffington Post and CNN. The editor/publisher is Jahanshah Javid, who comes from a family background of journalism on a national level in Iran.

What, specifically, attracts you to rocketry and space travel?

My academic and career backgrounds are in science and engineering. I studied chemical engineering, very much involved in the academic/theoretical side of rocket-building and launch. Then, as a science instructor, involved in rocketry experiments for kids. Currently, as an active member of team Synergy Moon of the Google Lunar X PRIZE, I’m highly vested, of course, as we’re sending rockets to the moon. I work with my team on promotional and educational bases relating to all things space and rockets.

What did Anousheh (Ansari)’s flight into space mean to you?

The entire story of Anousheh Ansari going to space, from my perspective, is very unique, very inspirational, and something I will always cherish. Many people felt elated reading her blog, but for me, it was more. I was able to connect in an unprecedented way in human history – no exaggeration – this was a spiritual effect to the maximum extent. We come from different backgrounds, but to this day, some of the similarities of her life and mine are still unbelievable, though the more I delve now, the more I realize what a perfectly designed plan of cosmic order it was.

I was contacted by her office via e-mail in August 2006. They let me know of her blog and trip. And then I started commenting, of course. At that time I felt an enormous responsibility to chaperone and watch out for her. It’s like a mother wanting to protect their child, and to know they’re making history. Then it escalated very quickly to the international level. All the while, when Anousheh was blogging and thousands of people were commenting, I was processing the information and the one thing that went through my mind, through and through, was promoting peace, the best way I knew how. The atmosphere of 5 years ago, with substantially fewer numbers of people in social media was very different from today. Facebook and Twitter weren’t even mainstream then. Her space-blog to a general audience was the first-ever, groundbreaking in every sense of the word. I was happy to see her reflect the same, promotion of peace, so amazingly well on her blog and later in her book, and of course, I’ve been in touch since. Later I found out she’s actually older than me!

I’ve read the two or three items you sent me that you described as “censored.” If it won’t cause you too much trouble, could you explain who was doing the censoring and why?

I should re-state the word censored as ‘repressed.’ That, it certainly was. Several of the pieces I had submitted for publication were not published at all. I gave up sending my work after that. The editors, for a fact, found substantial commercial value in them, as it was expressed later, but at the time, I was more interested in getting my work published, for obvious reasons, at least to myself. People wanted to see more, I certainly felt it, especially after seeing the revolutions break in the Middle East. I finally decided to publish the work on a personal blog in summer 2010 when soon after the National Space Society and ISDC contacted me. Finally, I published a few copies in print for the Authors Track of the conference, and here I am now, doing this interview with you as a result of that.

What was the ISDC experience like for you?

I had been to several space-related meetings prior to this ISDC, including the very popular Space UP’s, which were envisioned and pioneered in San Diego. Going to the ISDC in Huntsville was something else. It really was an unbelievable experience, being under the roof with so many visionaries, and veterans in the space industry. I met you, Rick Tumlinson, Dr. Zubrin, Tim Pickens, Michael Doornbos, the kids who won the NSS-NASA space settlement design contest, other competitors in GLXP which I was really looking forward to meet, such as the Part-Time Scientists, my NASA friends on Facebook, Dennis Stone, and many more, some on the board of Space Renaissance, with whom I’ve had contact via its forum and past online meetings. By the way, I did reflect your apprehension about Space Renaissance’s stance on religion, and gathered several board members’ insight. We’re sorry you’ve got that impression, Bart. SRI’s overall stance as an international entity, is that it doesn’t support one particular religion over another. [Thanks! I’ll reread your manifesto and give the matter some more thought. /b]

What are your hopes for Iran and its people?

I have a long-standing affection for Iran and Iranians. Having been born into a family that took Iran and its interests very seriously, I was conditioned as such from early on. One thing that is very unique about Iran, is that the country is made up of many ethnicities, cultures, and spoken languages. Persian, or Farsi, is the predominant language, also the unifying force of the people. During the past thirty-two years since the Islamic revolution, the government has been fiercely implementing Arabic. Though I’m a proponent of learning different languages, in Iran’s instance, in this day and age, it has been difficult to watch a language and culture being forced onto people. I think if they were left free to choose, they might pick it up since much literature is written in Arabic, including the Quran, but again, it is force that I have problems with, especially with a religion that is predominantly male-oriented.

On the flipside of the coin, when I came to the U.S., I fell in love with this country. I thought to use the freedoms afforded to women and people in general here, to do something useful for the Iranian people, and that pursuit has been relentless for many years. I was privileged in the sense that there was little difference in raising me vs. my brother, except for minor mishaps here and there. In fact, my own family has always, as long as I remember, been promoting women’s rights by example. My grandmother, Tajolmoluk Behrouz was on the board of the Rastakheez Society, a very well-known charity organization, for many years during the Pahlavi era. Her mother, my great-grandmother, was a pioneering business-woman, a single mother who supported herself and raised 4 successful children. My mom on the other hand, has been the captain of the debate team in undergraduate school in Iran, an entrepreneur, and a college professor, while raising 4 kids herself. I was extremely lucky to have been able to show my appreciation for the rich Persian culture and extend it in such an unprecedented way, as to reach millions myself.

I hope to see Iranians prosper and reach their goals in due time.

In our discussions, I believe you mentioned something about your older family members being Sufi Muslims, or “Dervishes” as they’re known in the West, who tend to be more ecstatic or spiritual in their approach to Islam. Would you say that that tradition affects your poetry? If not Sufism, did you take inspiration from Persian poets or others?

Yes, my grandfather, a Boroumand Khan (similar to Lords of England), who was a judge throughout Iran for more than 30 years, and the district attorney in the city of Isfahan where he currently resides with my grandmother, is a leader of a sect of Darvishes, the Khaksars. This is a group which is highly literate in various disciplines, including medicine, law, etc. They’re Muslim, within the context of Suffism, with some practices that date back many centuries, to the pre-Islam era. Poetry is the cornerstone of their life. In fact, in the past, when I would call my grandfather on the phone, he’d reply back in poetic verse, leaving me perplexed. I would keep repeating whether he was OK, and he would reply in verse to that even. Wilhelm Eilers, http://www.iranica.com/articles/eilers-, a researcher and a friend of my grandparents, did some extensive studies and published a book on the similarity of European languages to those spoken by my grandfather’s ancestors, which is comparable to the ancient Pahlavi language. So to answer your question directly, that part of my life has definitely had an influence on my work. I also have been influenced by my favorite poet, Hafez, a great deal.

But again, I became a poet in 2006, where I believe the void of my father and the Ansari side of the family, due to divorce of my parents in my childhood, and me subsequently being raised by my mom, was filled with the X PRIZE and Anousheh’s ascent to space. That effect was so enormous, that it made me a poet. It might be of interest that the day President Obama was sworn in, I wrote a letter to the X PRIZE Foundation, saying I was trying to figure out via quantum physics how this had happened – there must have been sub-atomic particles in effect, causing this very unusual symptom in me. A pleasant side effect was being able to relate to my maternal grandfather on a whole new level – we understood one another perfectly well then. This goes back to a time when at age 10, I took a book from his library, without asking. The title was “The Eyes,” by a well-known writer, Bozorg Alavi. My grandfather has this keen sense of recognizing certain emotions in people, of course, due to years of practice in the law field, and dealing with people in general. He hadn’t been home all day, but when he got back, even though I considered myself a good actress, one look and he’d figured I was up to something. I’m getting into poetic mode now…

What are you doing with yourself now? Where do you go from here?

The next chapter of my life is being written by opportunities unbounded, as to a large extent I have been the creator of my own destiny, but I also believe there are people you could trust who will make the whole human experience worth living.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for extending this invitation to interview me. Your work with the National Space Society, which I now am a proud member of, and your pioneering of Science Cheerleaders* are very commendable.

Thanks for taking the time, Neda! I’m sure I’ll see you at other space-related events in the future!

[*Note: I am the “Cheer Operations Ninja” for Science Cheerleader. The real pioneer there is Darlene Cavalier, who’s the founder and very much the brains of the outfit. I’ve been fortunate to play along.]

Bart Leahy, Retired Conference Chair

So my three-year project is now finished. ISDC 2011, four and a half days of very hard but good work, is now over. I'm still a little fuzzy around the edges, having averaged 6 hours of sleep per night and 18 hours of work per day. Mind you, others got a lot less sleep (what IS it with IT guys that they insist on going 2-3 days without?), but it'll probably take a couple more days for my middle-aged body to recover.

But again: what great work! Consider: 857 registrants (budgeted: 400), around 20 companies and organizations in the exhibit hall, over 350 attendees at the job fair, maybe 100 total at the open-to-the-public author tracks.

My team of volunteers and NSS staffers did a fantastic job. No major hiccups, not a lot of complaints, lots of good things said. Eventually I became invisible, the operation became essentially frictionless, and attendees were free to focus on the content. And what, exactly, WAS the content? We were busy (perhaps too busy--I got a couple complaints about too many tracks, but nothing too fierce). The sessions I did see were at meals: Thursday dinner (Rick Tumlinson), Friday dinner (Robert Bigelow), and Sunday lunch (Deborah Barnhart). Rick was offering up his vision of humanity's vision in space. Bigelow was talking about his company's new inflatable space station designs. Barnhart was speaking about the future of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

I didn't see much of my own conference, truth be told, but then I expected that. I was running around a lot, moving stuff around, calling in audio-visual requests, and addressing minor room furniture changes. It's rather like working at Disney World (oddly enough). Any time I paused long enough to relax in a function room and watch some presentation, I'd get a phone call, so eventually I just took in my pauses with my team somewhere. It got embarrassing hearing people say I was doing a good job when I started feeling seriously useless around day three. One of the attendees offered up a useful analogy: "The most important job in the Army is the guy who stocks the toilet paper. If you're doing your job right, you're invisible and no one notices; but if you're not doing your job, all hell breaks loose."

In any case, if good leadership involves recruiting good people and staying out of the way when they're doing fine (and it does, in my world), then I'll accept the compliment. I've got a lot of self-sufficient friends, and that means they take initiative within reason before asking for help. The F.O.B.s and F.O.Y.s (Friends of Bart and Friends of Yohon) are a great bunch of people; they made my job easier and made me and Huntsville look good. SAAAAA-lute!

My favorite story from the conference has to be the luncheon on the last day. I was Master of Ceremonies, and things proceeded as normal until I was working on closing remarks. Debbie, the Media Queen, was reading off a list of people who had contributed to our silent auction (half the proceeds to go to NSS, half to go to the Red Cross of Madision County for tornado relief). Suddenly, Yohon is signalling me from stage left. He's whispering, "We've got a problem: we've got tornado sirens going off." I kept my expression unchanged or put on a Disney Smile and asked, "So, what?"

"We need to keep people here."

I nodded, returned to the microphone. "Folks, as much as I'd like to tell you I was joking, I'm afraid there are tornado sirens going off outside. We've been told to stay here."

Then Yohon ran up again and said, "No, we've got to go."

Back at the mike, I said, "Okay, folks, I was wrong. We need to follow the staff in an orderly fashion. We'll be going toward the basement. Thanks for coming to ISDC!"

And off the crowd went, moving in that aforementioned orderly fashion toward the door. Before I could retreat, an older couple oddly asked me to take their picture in front of the podium, which had the NSS and ISDC logos on it. Then off we went.

When I got downstairs, I heard, incongruously, a piano playing. Robert, one of my volunteers, had found one among the other stuff in the basement, and started playing show tunes. Very, very well. 

It was magic, of a sort. It set people at ease, and the mostly uncertain atmosphere became more like a cocktail party (one of my friends suggested opening up a bar). People were texting, taking pictures, and making movies with their various electronic devices, and the time passed convivially until the all-clear sounded and the staff told us it was safe to come out of the shelter.

If I learned anything from this conference about leadership, it was "Never let them see you stress." Sweating is fine, if you're looking busy. Look worried, and that worry spreads like gossip or illness. I wish I'd internalized that lesson earlier, but it really took until I was sure we had all our major program components in place before I was comfortable enough to re-install my "Disney software." It's the sort of software that allows a high-strung guy like me take a little time to lighten up and wonder jokingly if I've lost my marbles.

So I put on the new power suits (and the tuxedo on Friday) and did my Disney thing. It worked, so what the heck.

Eventually I'm going to write a book or a few blogs about nonprofit event management since most of what I learned was under fire. Reading "lessons learned" about the details from previous conferences does little good if you're still struggling with the basics. So expect more thoughts when I'm more fully awake.

In the meantime, I can rest easy for a few days (before I go back to supporting Science Cheerleader), happy and satisfied with a job well done. If I'm going to be a one-time ISDC Chairman (my signature block now reads "ISDC 2011 Chairman (Retired)), I might as well go out on top of my game.

Peace,

/b

Psssst!

At last count, we had 659 registered attendees at ISDC 2011. That's a pretty good number, I'm told. Walk-ins and job fair participants will likely kick that number upward quite a bit. What's quite a bit? I have my theories, but I'll wait and see.

Going to be a little busy for the next week, folks. Talk to you when it's over.

An Introvert in Charge

Progress on ISDC 2011 continues. The major moving pieces are in place, or nearly so. Lots of little details still to be worked out, but the level of heck is subsiding, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing some of this stuff unfold in person, if I'm given the time.

My friends are surprised at how well I'm handling the pre-conference stress. I tell them my supply of "gives-a-damn" has gotten too low to get really spun up. And really, I had a thought today that brought a smile to my face: one month from today, ISDC 2011 will be done, over, and I can go back to being Bart Leahy, English Major and Geek. I also find the folks who ask me, "What are you going to do with yourself?" amusing. I'm ready to respond, "Dude, who CARES?!?"

Conference management is teaching me a lot about myself:

• I'm not particularly patient when people don't do what I ask or what they tell me they're going to do (who is?).
• I "hire" people based on the quality of their work, but also on their ability to get along with others. That might sound like a "no duh" to some, but I'm surprised when people expect to be recruited and aren't. Ability or seniority don't wow me as much as ability + sociability.
• I am not a micromanager, but I do want to know what's going on. Situational awareness: good. Telling everyone how to do everything: suckitude.
• I will willingly take on the uglier tasks (apologies, large-scale organization, asking for money) and pitch in where needed.
• I will ask for advice and, more often than not, take it unless I think the advice crosses some internal business rules I've set up in my head.
• I am more comfortable if I have a known organization, budget, and set of rules-of-engagement.
• I prefer precedent to automatically making up rules on the spot. Part of this is a natural conservatism, part of it is that I hate reinventing the wheel unnecessarily, and part of it is an effort to maintain consistency within a group.
• I like brief (<1 hour), activity-focused meetings. If we have nothing further on an agenda, I end the meeting because I hate wasting time.
• I don't yell very often, but when I do, I scare people because I don't do it very often, and  it's usually because I've allowed a bunch of little things to pile up. It is also entirely possible that I will yell because people have ignored me when I was being nice, polite, reserved, or deferential.
• I don't like yelling.
• I really, Really, REALLY dislike being in charge. It's not that I dislike making decisions. I'll do that. I just prefer to be in charge of my own work, not others'. That, and I prefer not being the "front guy." I'm a very happy executive officer.
• If a decision is still pending, I will try to get as much advice and input as I can; however, once a decision has been made, I lack patience with people who offer criticism when they either provided no input into the decision or did not contribute to the result. My general attitude is, "If you didn't have to do it yourself, be thankful."
• I prefer for-profit to non-profit management because the carrots and sticks are more concrete: do a good job, get rewarded; do a bad job, get fired.
• I prefer requests--particularly distasteful ones--in writing. I'm also more of a learn-by-reading than learn-by-listening person.
• I manage others the way I prefer to be managed: minimal supervision, respect for one's abilities, expectations clearly communicated unless the situation is vague. I don't have a great deal of patience with people who want a great deal of attention, feedback, direction, or encouragement. This is a problem when dealing with extroverts.
• I am perfectly happy taking on a project, doing it well, and then dropping it. The idea of staying in one place and "empire building" bores me. I am motivated by interesting work, not seeing how many people I can get reporting to me.

So there it is. While this whole thing has made me a little nuts, my manager put "event management" on my list of competencies. Oy. And while I'm doing this ISDC thing and various background organizational duties for Science Cheerleader, that doesn't mean I want to be known as an "events guy." The INFJ still wants to be left to himself in a cubicle somewhere, writing stuff. And after all this is over, I'll be quite happy to do so again.

Busy, Busy

About a month out from ISDC, and the details are getting hammered out. Looked at our speaker list lately? I finally did today, and realized we've got some very cool people coming to Huntsville next month! Hope I get to see at least some of it...

Also, the irrepressible Science Cheerleaders continue to appear in new and exciting places across the internet. Their latest appearance is on Engineering.com. Goooo science!

Status

Well, your fearless ISDC 2011 Conference Chair is still employed (and will have a new gig after the conference), so that much is right with the world...assuming there aren't any MORE budget cuts.

Putting together the last-minute items for ISDC, so come on over!

2011 International Space Development Conference in Social Media



One thing I picked up through 12 years of working at the Walt Disney World Resort is how powerful pervasive marketing can be. This means getting the attention of potential guests (customers) wherever they may be. Think about it: you have to go very far out of your way NOT to see a Disney commercial. In the 21st century, one place our most likely potential customers will be is on the internet.


Conference marketing has changed dramatically. The costs in paper mailings might be reduced by working with electrons, but the sheer breadth of the internet means that just having a web site is no longer enough. You have to have a presence in multiple areas, go where your most likely customers are, and be able to generate that most elusive of viral marketing phenomena: buzz.


From early on in our planning, we have made a conscious effort to embrace and leverage social media to market ISDC 2011. In addition to our primary website (http://isdc.nss.org/2011), we have expanded to the following arenas as well:


Twitter (short messages and updates)
http://twitter.com/ISDC
User ID: @ISDC
Hashtag: #ISDC


Facebook (longer messages and pictures)
http://www.facebook.com/NSSISDC

LinkedIn (broadcasting to a professional audience)
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/2011-International-Space-Development-Conference-3844843?mostPopular=&gid=3844843


NSS.org (for press releases and other information)
http://www.nss.org/news/releases/pr20110402.html


Cafepress.com (for merchandise sales)
http://www.cafepress.com/dd/53083292


These are merely our storefront sites. We can't overlook the valuable use of email bulletins to our NSS Chapters mailing list as well as NSS's Downlink. We also have been encouraging NSS members to "Like" or "friend" the various ISDC sites, as well as discuss the conference and link to it on their personal blogs, which builds greater visibility for our existing sites.


It doesn't hurt to have a little fun with this effort now and then. Through my connection with Darlene Cavalier, the Science Cheerleader, ISDC 2011 was able to get a welcome video from the Science Cheerleaders for our site home page. The trick, as always, is to keep people interested, and keep our content dynamic and interesting. Part of that derives from the conference's speakers and activities, part of it comes from the way we package things. If you have ideas that we haven't tried (and don't cost a whole lot), please let me know at ISDC2011.Chair at gmail.com. That's another advantage of internet-based marketing: quick collaboration and correction if things aren't working.


Print media are not going away. We have ads to post in Space News and other related publications, as well as traditional press releases, flyers, patches, stickers, and business cards for in-person contacts. But let there be no doubt: with a tech-savvy audience, we need to keep the tech-heavy internet front and center in our future efforts.


Bart Leahy is Chairman of the 2011 nternational Space Development Conference

Merchandising!

ISDC shirts, coffee cups, and other useful items are now available online through Cafepress.com!

Shop early, shop often! ;-)

Synergy!

The Science Cheerleaders now appear on the welcome page of the 2011 International Space Development Conference. Check it out!

Latest on ISDC

Your Humble Narrator was interviewed (along with friend and Business Track Chair Cliff McMurray) on The Space Show (http://www.thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=1533), during which he did his level best to sound coherent.

Seven weeks and counting. Tick, tick, tick.

Speaking of ISDC...

Dar gave me a little space on Science Cheerleader.com to talk about the conference. Huzzah!

We're actually making good progress on things. We've got our locations nailed down, along with conference tracks, most of the meal menus, and trade show space mapped out. I've got a good team helping keep me sane as we head into the home stretch. Now all we need are the attendees, exhibitors, and sponors all in place to make it happen.

Excitement continues!

ISDC 2011

In case you folks wonder what I've been doing with myself...

The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) is the annual gathering of the National Space Society, a non-profit educational group (501(c)(3)) dedicated to accelerating the day where human beings are living in working in thriving communities beyond the Earth. ISDC 2011 will be our 30th such event, set for May 18-22, 2011, and as usual it will feature a varied audience of space professionals, industrialists, astronauts, educators, scientists, engineers, policy analysts, NASA leaders, and—most importantly—interested private citizens.

This year’s ISDC will be hosted at the Von Braun Center in America’s “Rocket City,” Huntsville, Alabama, for the first time since 1993. A lot has changed in that time. The space business and the Huntsville community have grown and become more diverse, and the conference’s agenda reflects that growth and change. In addition to addressing NASA’s space activities—the International Space Station and the heavy-lift Space Launch System—ISDC will be hosting tracks on commercial crew and cargo efforts, space-based solar power, space defense systems, planetary sciences, business and economics, space prizes, biotechnology, space settlement technologies and sociology, politics, education, and outreach.

Our confirmed guests include NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, Former NASA Administrator and University of Alabama-Huntsville Eminent Scholar Mike Griffin, Historian John Logsdon, Lunar Scientist Paul Spudis, AIAA Deputy Executive Director Klaus Dannenberg, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Integration Manager Dennis Stone and Curt von Braun, nephew of Wernher von Braun who led the development of America’s Saturn V moon rocket here in Huntsville.

ISDC 2011 is the best opportunity members of the general public have to interact with the people making things happen in the space business. It draws its distinct personality from this dynamic mix of government and industry, professional and citizen advocates, traditional and new, present and future, hardware and ideas, seriousness and fun. We look forward to seeing you in May!

The Barting Life

If I'm not at my day job, I'm working on ISDC stuff or stuff for Darlene the Science Cheerleader. If I'm not typing anything of value or interest here, it's because I'm durned busy. Be happy you're not me: I consider work fun.

Out and About with Your Humble Narrator

The holidays have brought their own special flavor of busy once again. I think I've attended five work-related Christmas parties in the last week. My supply of extroversion is just about shot, but I had a reasonable amount of fun. Beats not being invited, I s'pose.

This evening is my church's annual German service, and so for the second or third year in a row I will be demolishing scripture in my maternal grandmother's mother tongue. I was half-tempted to read my verses in Klingon to see if anyone noticed, but Pastor sprechen zie Deutsch and might take umbrage.

I gave a brief marketing presentation at the Space & Missile Defense Working Group (SMDWG--we love acronyms here in Huntsville) to pitch ISDC 2011. I'm hoping for a little more time at next month's meeting.

In other business, the Science Cheerleaders have a little holiday cheer posted on the SciCheer site and YouTube.




Your Humble Narrator appears in the credits for helping with the lyrics. My new title with SciCheer is now Cheer Operations Ninja because I tend to stay out of the videos and do a lot of the unseen things for the group...and I'm quite comfortable there, thank you. I also posted a blog for Dar's Science for Citizens site. Dar herself posted some new information and thoughts about citizen science on her site. I need to read the post and all related materials/links before commenting, but rest assured I will. Well before the pretty ladies in superhero uniforms appeared, Dar was writing a lot about citizens participating in public debates about science and technology policy--and that is how I got involved with SciCheer, regardless of any wild rumors you're likely to hear.

Busy, Busy

If it appears to you that I haven't posted in awhile, that perception is correct. I am hip-deep into the day job (and wondering what will become of it after September 30), ISDC stuff, tutoring someone in English/fiction writing, and doing outreach and logistics planning for a Science Cheerleader booth/show at the Science & Engineering Festival this October. So yeah, I'm a little busy at the moment. Stay tuned, more excitement to come.