AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
850 Sligo Ave. Suite 600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
1-888-322-6728
 The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
Launch Pad Navigator Sat Status Keps News Store Members Contact Us Return
AMSAT Site Menu  Site Quick Reference:  
About AMSAT About AMSAT
the leadership, our mission,
activities and programs
Quick Access to Project Pages:   AO-51      Eagle      P3E      Namaste (Ground station)

Long-Serving AMSAT-NA Treasurer Steps Down

In a mid-December, 2009 letter to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors, AMSAT-NA's long-serving Treasurer, Gunther Meisse, W8GSM, announced his intent to step aside from that position effective December 31st, 2009. In his letter to the Board, Gunther cited personal business pressures and his wish to spend more time with family as reasons for his decision.

"It is with regret that I find it appropriate to tender my resignation from the position of Treasurer of AMSAT, effective December 31, 2009", Gunther said. "I have enjoyed the my involvement with the largest brain trust in amateur radio. The people I have had the opportunity to work with have truly given me much more than I have contributed. Together, we have moved AMSAT through some difficult and exciting times and I am sure the present leadership team and Board of Directors will continue on a positive path over the coming years," he concluded.

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, accepted Gunther's resignation with deep regret. In an official statement, Barry noted that, "Guenther's work has been an invaluable asset to our organization. His "unseen hand" has left a very positive mark on all of our financial operations. During his time as an AMSAT board member (2003-2009), his strategic vision and focus on bringing greater financial management to AMSAT and improving the organization's fund raising were extremely valuable. As Treasurer (2004-2009), Gunther took the lead on having AMSAT recognized by the federal government's Combined Federal Campaign, instituted the voluntary reporting system to document the value of AMSAT volunteer hours, established a published Annual Report to be shared with potential large donors, converted AMSAT to QuickBooks for maintaining our accounts, and revised how AMSAT values its in-orbit assets. He will be sorely missed and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors," Barry said.

The AMSAT by-laws state that, "In event of the resignation, death or incapacity of any Officer, the President shall appoint a temporary Officer to fill the vacancy until the next meeting of the Board, at which time the Board shall elect a successor."

In keeping with that directive, Barry has asked former AMSAT President Keith Baker, KB1SF, to fill the position of AMSAT Treasurer until the Board can name a permanent replacement. Many may remember that Keith served AMSAT throughout the 1990s and early 2000s both as a BOD member as well as Executive Vice President before taking a turn as President from 1998 until 2000. It is expected that the Board will meet in early January via teleconference to formally elect Keith to fulfill the current term that expires in October 2010.

Prior to his work with AMSAT, Keith was a USAF comptroller officer until his retirement from the service in 1993. Among his many assignments during his Air Force career included tours on the comptroller staff of the (then) Strategic Air Command (SAC) as well as Base Comptroller for Aviano Air Base in northern Italy. Much of the rest of his Air Force career was spent at the Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he successfully implemented a number of emerging automated project management concepts into a wide variety of ongoing USAF aircraft development and modification efforts worth several billion dollars. Following his retirement, Keith established a management consulting firm, working with clients in both government and industry dealing with project and personnel management.

"Needless to say, I'm honored to once again be asked to serve AMSAT in a official capacity, and I will do my very best to carry on Gunther's excellent work," Keith said. "Gunther has very clearly left the fiscal processes and records of AMSAT in fine shape and I look forward to building on the firm fiscal foundation he has now created for our organization," he concluded.

Barry offered his personal thanks to Keith for accepting the position until the Board of Directors confirms a permanent successor. "I am very pleased Keith is both willing and able to once again donate his time and many unique talents to AMSAT. Keith's ability to provide solid financial oversight and counsel to the Board on financial matters based upon both his professional experience and knowledge of AMSAT are welcome, and I am looking forward working with him as a senior member of our management team", Barry said.

Updated: 04 Jan, 10

OSCAR Straight Key Night 2010 Best Nominations Due

"Best Fist" nominations for AMSAT's Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2010 are coming in. If you have not yet nominated someone you worked, please take a moment to do it now. Remember, your nominee need not have the best fist of those you heard, only of those you worked.

Send "Best Fist" nominations via email to w2rs@amsat.org. A list of those nominated will appear in an ANS bulletin and in The AMSAT Journal.

Many thanks and 73,
Ray, W2RS


Attention AMSAT Volunteers!

AMSAT Treasurer, Gunther Meisse, W8GSM reminds all AMSAT volunteers, "It is that time again when we gather volunteer hours donated to the AMSAT Program of Work to include within our yearly Audit. These important donations of personal time help us illustrate to the outside world the involvement of our members. We welcome reporting in all areas of service from Managing a booth at a Hamfest, to engineering of new AMSAT projects, to day to day operational activities."

If you are not already signed up for the on line Web site “VRS” (Volunteer Reporting System) program, please select “Become a Volunteer” from the link here on the left side of the main page. Select #2 in order to create an account for your reporting. You will be given a confidential account into which you can report your volunteer hours. Select # 3 to actually report your 2009 efforts.

We total up the efforts and total value while we keep confidential the actual dollar amount of each volunteer. With the year drawing to a close, this is a great time to submit those hours. After January 1, 2010 we’ll download the file and report these numbers to our Auditor.

Your efforts are important, so please take the time to report. If you have any questions feel free to email Gunther.

Updated: 04 Jan, 10

Join AMSAT Become a Member
sign up or renew your
membership online
AMSAT President's Club AMSAT President's Club
Support Eagle and receive
exciting membership benefits
2009 AMSAT Symposium 2009 AMSAT Symposium
Join the AMSAT Community
at the 2009 AMSAT Symposium
Start Here New to Satellites?
Articles geared for new
satellite users
Tools
Keplerian elements, pass
predictions and software
Dayton Hamvention Dayton Hamvention
AMSAT at this years
Dayton Hamvention
Combined Federal Campaign
Satellite Information Satellite Information
status, frequencies
and satellite history
Calendar of Events Calendar of Events
View a list of events in your
local area
AMSAT Video News AMSAT Video News
Video coverage of AMSAT
events and activities
News from ANS News from ANS
the latest news from ANS,
articles in the archive
Get Answers (FAQS) Get Answers
glossary, articles, FAQs
and Area Coordinators
Volunteer Information Become a Volunteer
volunteer survey, and the
Volunteer Reporting System
ARISS
the latest about the
International Space Station
Main Services Mail Services
Information about AMSAT
mail and list services
Awards and Contests Awards and Contests
rules, applications
and winners
The AMSAT Store The AMSAT Store
Look cool while showing
your support for AMSAT
NASA Image of the Day

History Revealed

More than 12 billion years of cosmic history are shown in this panoramic, full-color view of thousands of galaxies. This image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, was made from mosaics taken in September and October 2009 with the newly installed Wide Field Camera 3 and in 2004 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys and covers a portion of the southern field of a large galaxy census called the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey, a deep-sky study by several observatories to trace the evolution of galaxies. The image reveals galaxy shapes that appear increasingly chaotic at each earlier epoch, as galaxies grew through accretion, collisions and mergers, which range from the mature spirals and ellipticals in the foreground, to smaller, fainter, irregularly shaped galaxies, most of which are farther away, and therefore existed farther back in time. These smaller galaxies are considered the building blocks of the larger galaxies we see today. The image shows a rich tapestry of 7,500 galaxies stretching back through most of the universe's history. The closest galaxies seen in the foreground emitted their observed light about a billion years ago. The farthest galaxies, a few of the very faint red specks, are seen as they appeared more than 13 billion years ago, or roughly 650 million years after the Big Bang. This mosaic spans a slice of space that is equal to about a third of the diameter of the full moon (10 arc minutes). Image Credit: NASA, ESA, R. Windhorst, S. Cohen, and M. Mechtley (Arizona State University, Tempe), R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), P. McCarthy (Carnegie Observatories), N. Hathi (University of California, Riverside), R. Ryan (University of California, Davis), and H. Yan (Ohio State University)
News Shorts from Space.Com
Crater on Earth Helps Scientists Plan Moon Mission
A new study at an impact crater in Canada is helping mission planners develop the most effective methods for exploring the lunar surface.
Alien World a Volcanic Nightmare
A rocky exoplanet likely actively volcanic, even more unfriendly to life.
Distant Planet is Second Smallest Super-Earth
At 4 times the mass of Earth, a newly discovered distant planet is the second smallest ever found.
NASA Chief Calls for More International Cooperation in Space
NASA chief Charles Bolden told astronomers that the U.S. must increase international cooperation in space.
New Commercial Rocket Passes Final Engine Test
The new Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX has passed its final engine test ahead of a planned launch debut this year.
For the latest news visit the ANS section of AMSAT.org
Site concept and design by Emily Clarke WØEEC
Website Information: AMSAT and the AMSAT Logo are registered trademarks of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. All rights reserved. Some banner photographs courtesy of the National Aeronautic and Space Adminstration (NASA). For additional information refer to our Privacy Statement, Fair Usage Statement, and Trademarks pages. For information about advertising on AMSAT.ORG please refer to our Information for Advertisers.

  Copyright©The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 2004 ,2009 - All Rights Reserved
  Report a bug on this page