Bulletin: July 2008

THE MINUTES

by Bobby Pokorny

June was another great meeting with a turnout of 25 members, 2 guests bringing in 42 models for the theme contest and display.

JUNE MEETING!!!

PIZZA NIGHT: one of the greatest and most loved BPMS traditions is the eating of the pizza on pizza night. And that we did!

WARSAW PACT THEME CONTEST: And just like the way it would’ve warmed Stalin’s heart to see, it was a show of force from the members depicting hardware from the age of the Cold War.

1st place Hugh Alcock Mig-21
2nd place Gordon Cheung T-55
3rd place Guy Ferrara T-80
Honorable Mention
Phil Benson Katlin Class Ship
Nick Bruccoleri T-55
Mike Crescenzo Admiral P Ship
Ray Keegan SAM 2 Missile
Frank Colucci Mig-21
Frank Tripoli Mig-15
Specials awards
Brutish Tank Guy Ferrara T-80
Most Green Nick Bruccoleri T-55
Best Soviet Gordon Cheung T-55
Best Non-Soviet Frank Colucci Mig-21
Frank Tripoli Mig-15
Top Heavy Ship Mike Crescenzo Adirmal P ship
Aggressive Jet Hugh Alcock Mig-21
Husky Babonyas Dan Morales JS2
Most Striking Ray Keegan SAM 2 missile
Most Universal John Magno Piper L-4H
Assembly Line Ray Keegan Su-24

Ten members entered fifteen models with a total of 31 Warsaw Pact models displayed. Thanks to everyone who built for the theme contest, especially those who finished their entries. A special note of thanks to James, Jimmy and Jeff for sponsoring another fun theme contest. And A thank you to our special award maker Ed Dietrich for designing such magnificent awards.

You can see pics from each meeting on Gordon’s blog:
http://gmobile17.blogspot.com/

On the agenda: July

FAVORITE MODEL NIGHT: Simple. Bring in your favorite model whether it’s built, unbuilt or somewhere in between. We might even ask the members to say a couple words about their favs.

METAL FINISHES: Do you have a model with a metal finish? Maybe more than one? Great! Bring ‘em in! Gordon and Don will be hosting a clinic on how they achieve their metal finishes. Bring a pad to take notes!

Coming this December!
50 Years of NASA Theme Contest

Sponsored by Vinny Rosati, Hugh Alcock, and Gordon Cheung, this will be a celebration of NASA’s 50th Anniversary! In a nutshell, if it flew in a vacuum and / or bore NASA markings, it’s eligible. If you have any questions, please feel free to direct them to the sponsors so you can get started on your entry. Time flies, and before you know it December will be upon us!

A little history:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the unit of the federal government charged with operating the nation's space exploration and aeronautics programs. The administrator of NASA, an independent agency, is appointed by the president, subject to Senate confirmation. NASA came into existence on 1 October 1958, after Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, at the recommendation of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Many Americans had been highly alarmed when, on 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union put into orbit Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. In the midst of the Cold War, Americans feared that the Soviets might develop superior missile and space technology and use it against the United States. The new agency absorbed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a poorly funded research agency formed in 1915.

Even though much of NASA's early political support stemmed from America's Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, NASA was designed as an explicitly civilian agency to pursue peaceful space activities. Overseeing the military applications of space technology was left to the Department of Defense. In practice, however, the distinction has sometimes blurred. From the beginning, NASA and the military have cooperated in a variety of ways, and many astronauts have come from military backgrounds.

Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/nasa