New Mars Forums

I will be more than happy to do that. I have been supporting this group for about 10 years and would one day like to place the test trials of my own CELSS in Fairbanks.

It is that time of year again. ISECCo. is working on CLESS systems.

Subj: ISECCo Workfest 2006!
Date: 5/15/2006 5:59:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: rc@isecco.org
Reply-to: info@isecco.org
To: Meeting_notices@isecco.org

Hi, everyone!

Our annual Workfest starts this coming Friday, 5/19, and runs through Sunday 5/28. Our plans this year are to get the current crop areas planted, and expand a little bit with more planting boxes. We also hope to get some work done on the structure.

We will begin each day at the assigned time, and work until we are done with that day's activity. Except where mentioned, food will not be provided; bring your own lunches!

ISECCo's 20th anniversary is coming up in 2 years; any suggestions on what we can do to celebrate?

Since it has been such a long time from our last email, a brief explaination of us and our activities might be in order. The International Space Exploration and Colonization Company is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to developing the technologies needed to colonize space.
When we formed in 1988 we decided that one of the most important technologies for long-term survival in space was growing food. Very few people had investigated controlled ecological life support systems (ie growing food in a closed system), and the technology was (and is) poorly developed. So we have spent the last 18 years working to improve the technology, starting with simple garden experiments and moving up to greenhouses, the Basement Biosphere and now Mars Base Zero. Mars Base Zero is a 24' (7.3 m) wide by 44' (13.4 m) long greenhouse, which includes a very small (less than 20 m2--200 square feet) apartment. It is designed to determine how big to make Nauvik, our next structure, which will be a totally sealed ecosystem (Mars Base Zero is an open ecosystem providing food but not air or water--and is not capable of closing air, water and several nutrients).
We have now had 3 closures in Mars Base Zero; a 7-day, a 39 day and a 7 day. This year we are hoping on 1 or more short (7 day?) closures, though we are going to be doing crop experiments and thus may not grow enough food. Although not designed to do so, we are hoping Mars Base Zero may be able to grow enough food to close the food cycle; as our growing techniques improve we hope to approach this goal, which requires a closure of at least 75 days.

Sincerely yours, Ray R. Collins, President

International Space Exploration and Colonization Co. (ISECCo)
P.O. Box 60885
Fairbanks, AK 99706
(907) 488-1001
http: isecco org

p.s. please fill in the proxies at the bottom of this letter and return them. If you aren't an active member your thoughts or comments will still be welcome...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Workfest Schedule:
5/19, Fri
Meet at Ray's house at 6 pm for dinner; planning session starts at 7.
Activities: planning & scheduling.

5/20, Sat
Meet at Mars Base Zero at 10 am.
Activities: pump out the structure, clean up from the winter.

5/21, Sun
Meet at Mars Base Zero at noon.
Activities: plow.

5/22, Mon
Meet at Mars Base Zero at 10 am.
Activities: plow, plant.

5/23, Tues
Meet at Mars Base Zero at 10 am.
Activities: planting, upgrading planting boxes.

5/24, Wed
Meet at Mars Base Zero at 2 pm.
Activities: buying & planting pre-plants.

5/25, 5/26; Thurs & Fri
Meeting at Mars Base Zero at 10 am.
Activities: To be determined; if all planting is done we'll work on the structure.

5/27, Saturday
Meeting at Mars Base Zero at 11 am.
Activities: Water system hookup.

5/28, Sunday
Meeting 1: at Mars Base Zero at noon.
Activities: Cleanup.
Meeting 2: Dinner at Ray's house at 6, Meeting at 7 pm.
Activities: ISECCo Meeting of Members!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At our Meeting of Members we need to elect officials and review expiring bylaw articles. We will also discuss future directions, especially as our lease on the Mars Base Zero property will be expiring in 2010. I realize this sounds like a long way off, but building an ecosystem takes many years and if we choose to move on from Mars Base Zero it might be wise to at least begin thinking about it now. Another possibility is to see if the lease on the property might be renewable.

Although all are welcome to attend the Meeting of Members, only active members are elegible to vote. An active member is defined as anyone who either did work or donated money to ISECCo since the last Meeting of Members. If you are an active member but will not be able to attend the meeting, please email us your proxy (vote) on each of the following:

Officials (see http: isecco org office official html):
Vice President (Currently Kraig):
Kraig Smyth has been associated with ISECCo for more than 10 years. It is his land that Mars Base Zero is located on, and he has provided use of the land for more than 10 years without charge. His support has been key in moving our projects forward.
Vote for Kraig:____
Fill in other candidate:_____

General Secretary (Currently Ruth):
Ruth Freeburg has been our General Secretary for 2 years now, and has generously consented to continuing.
Vote for Ruth:_____
Fill in other candidate:______

Directors:
We have two Director positions up for election this year;
Debi-Lee is stepping down and Kraig Smyth is her replacement nominee:
Vote for Kraig:____
Fill in other candidate:_____

Ray Collins has been President of ISECCo since it's
inception in 1988. He has also been Director about half the time. His term is up this year, but he has offered to continue to serve:
Vote for Ray:_____
Fill in other candidate:_____

Expiring articles (see http: isecco org office bylaws html
for the new; the old is at
http: isecco org office bylaws 051506 html):
ISECCo has a sunset provision in our Bylaws to assure they get reviewed on a regular basis. This year we have 3 bylaws that need to be reviewed; the Board of Directors has approved them as written:

Article I
No changes to this article, with the exception of the addition of the reviewed this year sentence: The principal office of the Corporation in the State of Alaska shall be located in the City of North Pole. Article I is included in these bylaws at the time of their creation on 3/1/88. Article I was reviewed by the Directors and at the Meeting of Members on January 20, 1996 and it was approved as written. This article was reviewed during the May 2006 Workfest by the Board of Directors and the Members, and approved as written.

Vote to Accept as written:_________
Vote to Reject or modify (please include
modifications):__________

* * *

Article VI: Officers

1. The officers of the Corporation shall be a President, a Vice-President, a General Secretary, an Organizational Secretary, a Treasurer, and such other officers as may be elected by the Board of Directors or assigned by the President.
2. The President is appointed by the Board of Directors and is delegated to run the day-to-day business of the Corporation. The term of the President is unlimited.
3. The officers, excluding President, of the Corporation are appointed by the President and ratified either by the Board of Directors or the members in a majority vote of 50% or more of the voting members. Should the appointed official fail to be ratified by either the Board of Directors or the voting members a new officer must be appointed. The term of these officers shall be two years.
4. A President can be dismissed for cause by the Board of Directors.
5. Any Officer or Director may be removed from office by a majority vote of at least 50% of the voting members. A notice of no confidence is declared by a written submission calling for removal of said official. If this notice is signed by 10% or more of the voting members a special election must be called to vote on removal of said Officer or Director within 60 days of receipt of said notice.
6. The President shall preside at all meetings of Members and of the Board, shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation, and shall generally supervise and manage the affairs of the Corporation. The President shall make reports to the Directors and Members and perform all such other duties as are incident to this office or are properly required of him by the Board of Directors.
7. The Vice-President shall perform all such duties as may be properly required of the Vice-President by the President or the Board of Directors, and in the absence or inability of the President, shall exercise all the powers of President.
8. The General Secretary shall be responsible for general research, keeping membership files updated and have charge of the corporate books and perform such other duties as are incident to the office, or are properly required of the General Secretary by the President or the Board of Directors.
9. The Organization Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Directors and Members, shall make such reports and perform such other duties as are incident to the office, or are properly required by the President or the Board of Directors.
10. The Treasurer shall have custody of all moneys and securities of the Corporation, and shall keep regular books of account. The Treasurer shall be in charge of maintaining the records of the donations granted for any purpose. The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Corporation as may be ordered by the President or the Board of Directors, and shall render an account of all his transactions as Treasurer, and of the financial condition of the Corporation, and shall perform all duties incident to the office or that are properly required by the President or the Board of Directors.
11. The Officers and Directors of this Corporation shall serve without salary.

Article VI is included in these bylaws at the time of their creation on 3/1/88; further clarification is added on January 27, 1989. This article reviewed in the Meeting of Members on 1/20/96 and gender specific phrases were removed. This article was reviewed during the May 2006 Workfest by the Board of Directors and the Members, and approved as written.

Vote to Accept as written:_________
Vote to Reject or modify (please include
modifications):__________

* * *

Article XI: Indemnification
No changes to this article, with the exception of the addition of the reviewed this year sentence:

Every person who is or shall be or shall have been a director or officer of the Corporation and his personal representative shall be indemnified by the Corporation against all costs and expenses reasonably incurred by or imposed upon him in connection with or resulting from any action, suit or proceeding to which he may be made a party by reason of his being or having been a Director or officer of the Corporation or of any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, except in relation to such matters as to which he shall finally be adjudicated in such action, suit or proceeding to have acted in bad faith and to have been liable by reason of willful misconduct in the performance of his duty as such Director or officer. 
"Costs and expenses" shall include, but without limiting the generality there-of, attorney's fees, damages and reasonable amounts of paid in settlement. Article XI is included in these bylaws at the time of their creation on 3/1/88. Article I was reviewed by the Directors and at the Meeting of Members on January 20, 1996 and it was approved as written. This article was reviewed during the May 2006 Workfest by the Board of Directors and the Members, and approved as written.

Vote to Accept as written:_________
Vote to Reject or modify (please include
modifications):__________

Please return your proxy/votes to:
rc@isecco.org

Well I have a different view but I am runnung for office. I will be the on ballot Libertarian candidate for Governor of Florida this year. I support real private space research, but not one dime of government money.

Stop by and see my Mars Project at http://www.1000Planets.com