After over a year of preparation and discussion with the Academy faculty and leadership, the Space Chapter is now in operation. Maybe "operation" is too formal a term for this group: no officers, no regular meetings, no dues. Just a group of grads who want to bring a little of their "space" experience to the USAFA program.

Membership in the Chapter is growing rapidly. Most of the coordination is done over the phone or email, and projects are usually self-initiated. But here's a short sample of some of our recent and on-going activities:

During it's short life, the Space Chapter has

- helped organize summer field trips to space launch sites. The Vandenberg community is especially active, with participation by Vic Bouquet and several others.

- brought knowledgable speakers for cadet activities. Van VanInwegen and Jay Kelley have spoken to cadet groups about their space careers, and Stan Rosen has arranged for Hughes Electronics speakers to discuss satellite communications. (Van has also donated aerospace memorabilia.)

- coordinated with the USAFA AIAA student branch to focus on career counseling, interesting speakers, and "real world" space problems for cadets to attack.

- made key contacts in the Colorado Springs area, such as the Space Warfare Center (thanks to George Wood), to offer education based on real-world space experiences for the Wing.

- worked with the USAFA Public Affairs organization to strengthen space-related displays at the Visitor Center.

- built a relationship with academic and military training departments who are bringing "space" to the cadet experience. We are pursuing many ways to make these programs more effective.

There are many other projects and activities in the works, many based on the White Paper the Chapter presented to USAFA leadership last year.

Of course, we welcome participation from all graduates. If you are interested or would like to know more, get on board by emailing Stan Rosen at SRosen6@aol.com or calling 310-364-5746.