🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello again,

Some of you won't be surprised to hear that there hasn't been a peep out
of Louis Fortier, the head of The Canadian Space Agency's public relations
department.  This despite the fact the meeting that we were supposed to
have was proposed by the CSA's president over nine weeks ago and the minister
himself has said twice in letters to me that he supported the idea of
focussing more on the social science consequences of manned space flight
when marketing the program.  If any of you would like to add your voice to
mine, here are the e-mail addresses of the parties involved (for those of
you who are not up to date on what has been happening in this affair, I
have included in my next submission to this news group the minutes of our
June 9, 1995 meeting):


Mac Evans: evansm@sp-agency.ca
Karl Doetsch (head of the manned part of the CSA and previous president):
           doetschk@sp-agency.ca
Louis Fortier: fortierl@sp-agency.ca
Diana Durnford: Durnford.Diana@IC.GC.CA  

Here is the letter I sent on August 11, 1995:

Mr. Mac Evans
President
Canadian Space Agency
6767 route de l'Aeroport
Saint-Hubert, Quebec
J3Y 8Y9

Hello Mr. Evans,

        It has now been nine weeks since our meeting on June 9 and I have
still heard nothing from Louis Fortier.  Frankly, I am both surprised and
disappointed -- surprised because I had expected that the head of PUBLIC
RELATIONS would be genuinely interested in constructive, well
substantiated input from the Canadian public concerning the marketing of
Canada's manned space program; I'm also surprised that M. Fortier would
show no interest since the minister himself has already agreed that the
social science arguments for manned space flight should be better
represented in CSA marketing.  I'm especially disappointed in this delay
because, like many Canadians, I am not confident that the federal
government will continue to fund manned space flight if the most important
reasons for taking part in this endeavor are not well publicized.  While I
am able to make some contribution in this regard myself, you will recall
that during our meeting two months ago, we discussed how it would be much
more effective if an organization with the credibility and visibility of
the CSA were to start making these points as well.  Presumably, this is
why you proposed to get me together with M. Fortier in the first place.

        If M. Fortier does not plan to meet with me, could you please tell
me so and, equally important, what his reasons are for this decision.  If
he does plan to meet with me, then I request that he contact me right
away, even if the exact date of our meeting is still uncertain. I think it is
very poor that, despite sending him copies of all of my e-mails to you, he
has not sent me even a one sentence message expressing some interest in
this affair.

        Of course we are really on the same side in this issue, both
fighting for a strong and meaningful Canadian presence in manned
space flight.  Next year's budget cuts are undoubtedly already being
planned by government insiders, so there really is no time to lose.  After
all, following my meeting with M. Fortier, it will take some time for the
CSA PR department to get up-to-speed in the social science/space
connection (although, with the reading list I gave you, I presume they
have already started this research) and to start introducing these ideas
into CSA speeches and other marketing.  It will take longer still before
the media, the Canadian public and eventually the government start to
become aware of the importance of these arguments and move to more
enthusiastically support manned space flight.  I'm anxious to get going on
this while we still have a manned space program to defend!

        I look forward to hearing from you soon.

                                                        Sincerely,


                                                        Tom Harris

PS:  I recently had the opportunity to read the Canadian Space Society's
(CSS) 1991 submission to the hearing on the LTSP held in Toronto.  I
understand that the CSA is currently in the process of redefining it's
overall mission statement and so, although I am not a member of the CSS, I
would like to add my voice to theirs -- I strongly support their proposal
that the central objective of the CSA should be "to explore the solar
system and develop it for human use".  Of course, Canada can not do this
alone.  However, adopting the CSS proposal would give the CSA a crucially
important central purpose.  While other projects that apply to such
important activities as remote sensing and communications should
definitely be continued, I have found in my interactions with audiences
that it is the manned exploration and development of space that most
excites Canadians.

PPS: As usual, I will be posting this letter on a number of space related
Internet news groups.