> From: "lucleblanc6 > Lets say 8000,000$ to reach just with the AMSAT-NA estimated membership of > 3000 plus > the other world AMSAT'S estimated at another 3000 making a total of 6000 > contributors, > who with a special annual fund raising of 200$ to pay for P3E launch, this 8 > millions > can reach in +/- 6 years. > ...
Nice thought Luc, but I'd query the numbers. You suggest there may be 3000 members of AMSAT groups outside the USA/Canada, I say 700 would be a better estimate, I'd like to be proved wrong but I think you'll find a number of national AMSAT groups have a membership of fewer than 50. The figure you quote for AMSAT-NA includes Life-members, by definition once a Life-member always a Life-member even if they gave up satellites years ago and are now living in retirement homes. AMSAT-NA sold a large number of Life-memberships in the 1970's at what now seems a very low price. I believe the number of AMSAT-NA members who actually pay an annual subscription is around 1500. A number of overseas amateurs are also AMSAT-NA members, so the number of annual subscription paying US/Canadian members will be less than 1500. So it's likely that the world-wide total of subscription paying members of the various AMSAT groups could be under 2000. To raise $10m over six years every single one of them would have to pay $833 a year, I just can't see that happening. The costs for launching a single P3E satellite are simply too much for AMSAT members alone to sustain, to get to amateur payloads to MEO/HEO/GEO will take collaborative ventures with other organizations, Educational, Government or Commercial. 73 Trevor M5AKA _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
