I have spoken/posted about the walled garden that AMSAT-NA maintains when it comes to the organization and it's development of spacecraft.
AMSAT-NA has made it clear that they aren't interested in grants from ARDC and they aren't interested in Open Source. The AMSAT-NA VPE has stated that he doesn't even know what Open Source is all about.
This alone should make members angry and goes to show that AMSAT-NA does, in fact, have a walled garden where outsiders are not welcome.
Today a post was made on QRZ.com by W1YW, famed scientist and inventor, regarding an offer that was made to AMSAT-NA:
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?th...yv-on-amateur-satellites.739349/#post-5698525This post showcases another example where AMSAT-NA did not accept an offer for help and didn't even follow-up on the offer.
I don't know what it will take to open the eyes of AMSAT-NA members. AMSAT-NA leadership should be working hard for the membership and should welcome the offer of grants, 'free' licenses to patented technologies and other types of assistance from 'outsiders' but AMSAT-NA continues to not accept these offers effectively keeping the walls up around the garden.
Why?
AMSAT-NA members should demand that the organization's leadership, as Ronald Reagan so famously said, "tear down this wall". I cannot begin to understand why the membership is so apathetic. ORI and LibreSpace seek out and accept grants and I am sure they would also accept a free license to patented technology if it were offered.
I am not ashamed for asking for AMSAT-NA to change. It cannot continue to operate in its current form. Change for AMSAT-NA will occur with either a change of leadership and philosophy or through the organization withering and dying. I, for one, would prefer it not to wither and die but, unfortunately, the majority of the membership is apathetic about the organization and that doesn't bode well for the future.