Sacramento L5 Society Meeting

Saturday, July 11, 2026 · Zoom

Meeting Minutes

The regular business meeting began at approximately 48:00 in the recording.

Attendance: Members and guests participated by Zoom. A complete roll call was not recorded.

Treasurer’s Report and STEM Support

The chapter was reported to have sufficient funds to continue supporting STEM outreach.

The chapter agreed to provide six STEM kits for Murali’s students. Murali will provide the necessary shipping information, and Ed Kulis will arrange to have the kits sent through Amazon.

Chapters Assembly

No substantive new Chapters Assembly activity was reported since the previous SacL5 meeting.

NSS Board and Chapter Committee

Ed Kulis reported that he had been elected to the NSS Board of Directors but had not yet received clear information concerning the date or procedures for his first board meeting. He will attend and report back when meeting information becomes available.

Members suggested that Ed contact Joe regarding participation in the NSS Chapter Committee and its meeting schedule.

SpaceTalks and Website Report

Lalitha Murali presented the SpaceTalk: Authentic Space Science in the Classroom

Ed reviewed the SacL5 website and the developing SpaceTalks program.

The July 11 presentation will be moved from the upcoming-events area into the SpaceTalks archive, with a recording or video link added when available.

Gerald A. Blackburn had agreed to provide the next SpaceTalks presentation. Ed reported that interest in the program was growing as more speakers learned about it.

Jen Blank agreed to present in September on lunar lava tubes and why they should be explored and used. She will provide Ed with a title, short description, and illustration or photograph for the announcement.

Ed also reviewed the NSS chapter-activity report generated from a survey of chapter websites. The report identified several chapters with visible current programming, including Sacramento, North Texas, Chicago, and OASIS. Ed had begun contacting chapter representatives concerning possible participation in SpaceTalks and other cooperative activities.

AI Engineering Lab Proposal

Ed presented his AI Engineering Lab concept, centered on a “no-hands build” assignment. Participants may place commercially available robots, components, tools, 3D printers, sensors, motors, and materials on a worktable, but they may not directly touch or manipulate the object being constructed.

The constraint requires students to devise robotic procedures, jigs, fixtures, sorting mechanisms, and alternative assembly methods. The objective is not merely to operate an advanced robot but to solve problems with the capabilities presently available.

Ed reported interest in the concept from the Columbia Memorial Space Center and will continue exploring the possibility of incorporating it into an engineering or internship program.

STEM Outreach

Paul Turner had been investigating a possible STEM connection with a local high school. Further developments may occur in September.

The chapter will continue outreach through Murali’s school, the balloon project, the SpaceTalks network, and contacts with other educators and organizations.

Proposed Statement on Artificial Intelligence

Michael Abramson reviewed his proposal for a SacL5 statement concerning advanced artificial intelligence.

The proposed statement would distinguish between:

• AI systems that remain understandable, testable, and controllable and that can provide major benefits to science, robotics, and space exploration; and
• efforts to develop superhuman systems that may evade meaningful human understanding or control.

Michael argued that uncontrollable superhuman AI could become an existential threat and undermine the purpose of space settlement as a means of protecting and extending human civilization. He proposed that the chapter support legal restrictions on the development of systems that cannot be adequately tested, understood, or controlled.

Members discussed historical examples of controlling dangerous technologies, including community powder houses and nuclear-material regulations. The discussion emphasized that containment requires political will, legislation, enforcement, and international cooperation, not merely technical safeguards.

Possible recipients or partners discussed included NSS headquarters, other NSS chapters, scientific and professional organizations, members of Congress, and PauseAI.

No final chapter endorsement was adopted during this meeting. The group agreed on the following process:

1. Circulate Michael’s existing draft by email.
2. Define the distinction between beneficial controlled AI and potentially uncontrollable “Big AI” in language understandable to a general reader.
3. Revise the statement in a calm and balanced tone.
4. Review the revised draft at the next meeting.
5. Then decide whether and where to submit or publish it.

Balloon Instrument Project

Ed reported progress on the SacL5 Arduino balloon-camera system.

After a previously soldered version failed, he developed a test platform that allows each component to be connected and tested individually before final assembly. The system includes an SD-card recorder, switches, indicator components, and interchangeable instruments.

The resulting architecture is modular. A camera, carbon-dioxide sensor, altitude sensor, or other instrument can be attached to the same controller and recording system. Ed plans to produce a build video, complete the soldered version, test it, and determine whether it can fit within a MiniCube flight enclosure.

Members noted that the project demonstrates an important engineering lesson: begin building, test continuously, and allow the emerging prototype to reveal both the problems and the larger capabilities of the design.

Space News and General Discussion

Members discussed several recent or proposed space developments, including:

• The CAPSTONE lunar mission and the extension of spacecraft capabilities through software updates.
• Near-rectilinear halo orbits and their possible use in lunar operations.
• Proposed Mars helicopter missions following the success of Ingenuity.
• Nuclear-electric propulsion.
• Robotic lunar exploration and additional commercial lunar-lander missions.
• The history of the L5 Society, Gerard K. O’Neill, and The High Frontier.
• The Soviet lunar program and the rivalry among its principal designers.
• Possible uses of aerial vehicles and blimps on Mars or Titan.

Upcoming Presentation

Jen Blank confirmed that she will be the September SpaceTalks speaker. Her presentation will address lunar lava tubes and their value for exploration and settlement.

Adjournment

The discussion concluded at approximately 7:49 PM Pacific. No formal motion to adjourn was recorded.

Action Items

• Lalitha Murali: Provide the shipping information for six STEM kits.
• Ed Kulis: Order and send the six kits.
• Ed Kulis: Archive the July SpaceTalks presentation and add the recording when available.
• Ed Kulis: Continue seeking NSS Board and Chapter Committee meeting information.
• Jen Blank: Send the title, description, and image for the September lunar-lava-tube presentation.
• Michael Abramson: Circulate and refine the proposed AI statement.
• Chapter members: Review the AI statement before the next meeting.
• Ed Kulis: Produce the Arduino test-rig video and continue construction of the balloon instrument package.