The other members of the Executive Committee, with the endorsement of the Board Pilot Committee, have appointed Dave Lane as RASC National President. Dave will complete the term of Scott Young, which ends on 2008 June 30 (the second National Council meeting at the GA). As a result of this, Dave has resigned from the position of 1st Vice-President, which we expect will remain vacant until the GA.

We welcome Dave to his new role, and we ask you to give him all of your usual support and enthusiasm.

It is with regret that we announce that Society President, Scott Young, has resigned his position, effective Saturday, 2008 April 5. This came as a surprise to everyone involved, and we are saddened by his decision. His resignation was related to a difference of opinion with his Executive Committee colleagues that made him feel he had lost the mandate to lead.

LONGUEUIL, QC, April 24 /CNW Telbec/ - When a mission to Mars is being developed, mission planners must consider many factors. Space technology advances, scientific needs and objectives, how to deal with distance, communications delays, and landing through the thin Martian atmosphere-all this must converge into a useful, workable mission concept. Canadian companies and researchers are part of an international drive to respond to these and other challenges.

You are cordially invited to the International Dark Sky Association Symposium at the ASTROLab at Mont-Mégantic Provincial Park sponsored by IDA-Quebec. RASC Light Pollution Abatement Chair Robert Dick will be a featured speaker at this event. The RASC will be delivering a paper outlining the evolution of the RASC LPA program and will also be involved with media promotion of this international event. Note that if any Centres wish to contribute their experiences to the RASC program, they are encouraged to contact the LPA Committee Chair prior to August 15th so it can be included in the paper presentation.

The 7^th Annual Fall Astronomy Rendezvous will take place on November 17^th this year and once again be located at Universite de Moncton. Held in conjunction with the Annual meeting of the New Brunswick Centre, the event is comprised of several talks, door prizes, raffle draw and swap session.

The trustees of the Centre Projects Fund announced at the RASC General Assembly the award of three grants totalling $2,034 to the Hamilton, New Brunswick and Winnipeg Centres in support of their public outreach and member services.

Alan Dyer, a long-time member of the Calgary Centre and noted astronomy author has been selected as the recipient of the Simon Newcomb Award in 2007. This award will be presented at the General Assembly in Calgary later in June.

Canada's time-signal station, CHU, is now making the following brief announcement during even-numbered minutes: "CHU has been licensed to continue broadcasting on 7.335 MHz." (The same message is heard in French during odd-numbered minutes.) To those who made known your concerns to the National Research Council regarding the possible loss of this valuable transmission—on a frequency best heard at night, when astronomers dabble in their "occult phenomena"—the effort appears to have succeeded.

A new year has brought much success to The Puckett Observatory World Supernova Search. With over 10 Canadians on the team there has been a steady flow over the last few years of announcements involving those members in discoveries. Last year the international team discovered 29 supernovae, this was considered to be a slow year!

RASC member and Principal Investigator of the MOST telescope project Jaymie Matthews announced at the 2007 RASC General Assembly that proposals are now being accepted from the amateur astronomy community for time on Canada's own space telescope - the MOST microsatellite.