NAAA - Frequently Asked Questions

Home Organization NAAA Organization Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NASA Academy Alumni Association?
How do I join the NAAA?
How much does my membership cost?
What do I have to do to remain an active member?
Who "runs" the NAAA?
How do I become a member of the Executive Council?
How can I get involved with the NAAA?
What mailing lists do the NAAA maintain and how do I join them?
How do I update my contact information?
How do I make a financial contribution to the NAAA?
How do I contact the NAAA?

1. What is the NASA Academy Alumni Association?

The NASA Academy Alumni Association (NAAA) is the official alumni organization of the NASA Academy. The mission of the NAAA is to:

- Ensure the quality of NASA Academy programs

- Promote communications, fellowship, camaraderie, and an esprit de corps among all Alumni

- Provide a mechanism to facilitate Alumni participation in programs and projects that promote NASA and space education, and that communicate the excitement of space exploration and development

2. How do I join the NAAA?

All Research Associates that have successfully completed the NASA Academy are automatically eligible to become Members. NASA Academy staff shall be entitled to become Associate Members. Honorary Members shall be persons of distinction associated with the NASA Academy and shall be elected by the Executive Council. Contact NAAA Membership for more information.

3. How much does my membership cost?

There are no yearly dues; however Members, Associate Members, and Honorary Members are encouraged to make yearly donations.

4. What do I have to do to remain an active member?

Members are required to renew their membership annually in order to retain the rights of a Member, including the right to vote. A Member who is no longer current may renew and regain the status of Member at any time by contacting NAAA Membership.

5. Who "runs" the NAAA?

Basic control of the NAAA resides with the Members and is manifested through the election of officers to the Executive Council, through approval or disapproval of amendments to the constitution and bylaws, and through approval or disapproval of other issues brought before the Members. The purpose of the Executive Council is to provide the leadership and overall direction of the efforts, affairs, and operations in support of the mission of the NAAA. The Executive Council is composed of Members elected to the offices of President, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Finance. A Board of Advisors helps the NAAA achieve it's mission, by providing continuity, support, and guidance for the Executive Council.

6. How do I become a member of the Executive Council?

Nominations for the Executive Council must be made to the Chair of the Election Committee, by sending e-mail to elections@nasa-academy.org, any time between one week before the annual conference (11 October 1998) and one week following the annual conference (25 October 1998). Voting opens one week later (1 November 1998) and runs for one week (until 8 November 1998). The results of the elections will be no later than a week following the close of balloting (15 November 1998) with the newly elected officers taking office two weeks later (1 December 1998). Balloting will be primarily done over the internet via an electronic mail ballot or via paper ballot.

7. How can I get involved with the NAAA?

There are many ways you can get involved with your alumni association. Visit the NAAA projects page for some ideas.

8. What mailing lists do the NAAA maintain and how do I join them?

The NAAA email lists are administered using "Mailman", a convenient web-based interface that allows you to subscribe/unsubscribe, select digest format, view list archives, temporarily disable your subscription, etc. Access is controlled via a password, and you can even globally update your address on all NAAA email lists with a single action. To subscribe to one or more of the lists, use the following link:

http://nasa-academy.org/mailman/listinfo

Some general information regarding the NAAA email lists:

Subscribe access is generally restricted, meaning the list owner must approve subscription requests. If the email address cannot be associated with a name in the database, the request will be denied.

To reduce spam, postings to the lists are only accepted from list subscribers. This means if you post a message with a return address other than the one you are subscribed with, the message will be forwarded to the list-owner for approval.

A maximum message size limit of 50 kb is imposed to further reduce spam/virus traffic making it through to subscribers.

Posting messages with attachments is discouraged because 1.) those who receive the "digest format" (about half of subscribers) will not see the attachment, and 2.) your message will be held for approval by the list moderator if the size exceeds 50 kb. Instead, you may post your document on the NAAA webserver and provide a url link in your message. Contact membership@nasa-academy.org for more information.

Your address will automatically be disabled, then later removed from the list if messages are undeliverable for a certain amount of time (based on you "bounce score").

In addition, there are administrative lists that the NAAA maintains:

ec@nasa-academy.org	Members of the Executive Council
elections@nasa-academy.org	Chair of the election committee
membership@nasa-academy.org	Membership working group

9. How do I update my contact information?

There are two ways to update your information:

- Visit the Alumni Database
- E-mail your updated information to the NAAA at naaa@nasa-academy.org.

10. How do I make a financial contribution to the NAAA?

You can send your tax-deductible donation to:

NASA Academy Alumni Association, Inc.

PMB 481

14625 Baltimore Avenue

Laurel, MD 20707-4902

11. How do I contact the NAAA?

Visit the Contact Information page for information on how to contact the NAAA.