February 16, 2008 - After discussion it was decided that quarterly meetings would be appropriate until further notice.  B. Serrato will try to obtain a meeting room at Rice University and will inform us if and when she is successful. The next meeting will be May 10^th with the business meeting from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, a speaker from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, and a subsequent optional dinner at 7:00 PM at Prego’s in Rice Village for those who wish to chat with the speaker or other members afterwards. Marianne stated she would forward contact information for Alex Ignatiev, Larry Bell, Wendell Mendell, Dr. John Freeman, and others to Doug Hall to start arranging for a speaker for the next meeting.  Marianne kindly volunteered to be a backup speaker if nothing works out for that date.  Congressman Nick Lampson’s office contacted Marianne to see if she could attend a meeting on Renewable Energy by the Ft. Bend Economic Development Council on Tuesday Feb19, 2008 at 6:00 PM in Sugarland.  Doug Hall will try to attend the meeting in her place. Jason Hillman is attempting to get the CLANSS email system working, with mixed success. Rusty graciously volunteered to update CLANSS website linked to NSS-HQ’s website.  Stacy (Houston Mars Society webmaster) and Rusty conferred on technical issues regarding website maintenance.  Extensive discussion ensued about requirements for CLANSS website.  See finished effort at: Marianne spoke at length about NSS-HQ’s recent decision to renew efforts to promote Space-based Solar Power Satellite Systems.  The Pentagon has recently begun to view these systems more favorably, inasmuch as they present a possible alternative to growing future national security concerns and economic needs.  She presented some documentation supporting the proposition that the business case for SPS, while still not closed, has improved substantially in the last decade.   SPS will be a key theme at this year’s ISDC in Washington D.C.