Pre Launch Status (July 2010)

COM = Cross on the Moon; We are officially a 501-C-3 organization!

Effective July 2009 and in a letter dated July 22, 2010, The U.S. Internal Revenue Service acknowledges Cross on the Moon as tax-exempt. We are also tax exempt in the State of Pennsylvania. Your 2009 and 2010 donations can be deducted under the full extent of the law. We will provide a reciept and a reminder email in December for your tax records.

As proof that private enterprise has entered the space-business, next month a Californian company Interorbital Systems plans to begin launching personal satellites from kits they provide for $8,000. The price includes delivery into space. Source is a July NPR story here.

Houses of worship on earth, however grand are more than mere buildings. One example is the Salt Cathedral of the Zipaquira Mountain, located in Northwest South America. The still functioning salt mine dates back 2,000 years. Every Sunday more than 3,000 visitors come to worship.

If you missed our last newsletter, then this link will take you to past copies. We use Constant Contact, a service that allows you to add people or opt out.

Allow me to close by asking for your prayers to the men and women of Kennedy Space Center who make human space flight achievable with their attention to detail and passion to explore. This week 1,000 employees were given lay-off notices. More reductions are in the near future. Many skilled engineers are available to the private sector.

Your Servant,

Mike Clark

President, Cross on the Moon

Pre Launch Status (June 2010)

COM = Cross on the Moon;I write this on the evening of the 234th birthday of the United States. July looks to be very promising for us and I am optimistic about the future. Our June status is about leadership changes for our board of directors, gaining Pennsylvania Income tax exemption, a good link to moon information from the moon society, and a few more months for space-workers as NASA has extended Shuttle flights into early 2011, not end the program this November.

We wish Nancy Lee Cochran and Martin O’Toole the very best as they leave the board of Cross on the Moon. Their resignations were sadly accepted last month. In keeping with our by-laws to have 5 directors, I am pleased to announce that Michael (Mick) Stuthers and Artur Matuszewski accepted our invitation and were unanimously approved in June’s meeting.

Our application before the Federal Internal Revenue Service for tax exemption is approaching a full year this July. We gave our attorney legal power to speak for us back in late April. They have had several discussions and both believe that a positive result will happen in the next few weeks. I am optimistic too. In a related matter, we requested Pennsylvania State tax exemption and were approved this month, i.e:  2 month process.

NASA this month announced they will fly the Shuttles in 2011. They had planned on retiring the fleet this year. The reason given was a schedule slip preparing a scientific payload for the Space Station. More information is here: NASA in 2011

The Moon Society has been writing about the moon for many years. They recently added an Indian Space Office and have posted several of their newsletters to the public. India has an advanced space program and was responsible for confirming significant quantities of water on the moon. I encourage you to review their site here: Moon Society

Your Servant,

Mike Clark
President, Cross on the Moon