Welcome to the NSS blog. Feel free to comment on any post (comments are moderated so won’t show up immediately). Contributors to the NSS Blog are unpaid volunteers. Unless specifically labeled an NSS position or press release, all blog posts represent the views of the author and not of NSS, even if written by an NSS officer.
Videos from the 2011 International Space Solar Power Symposium are the latest addition to the Space Solar Power Library on the National Space Society website....
According to Space.com, NASA officials announced this morning the ISS might be de-crewed (unmanned) staring in November due to the recent Progress launch vehicle failure....
It’s been kind of a crazy week everywhere for pretty much everyone, so I am going to keep this post short and sweet. According to...
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project crews. From left, Apollo’s crew consisted of Donald “Deke” Slayton (a Mercury 7 astronaut), Thomas P. Stafford, and Vance Brand. Soyuz’s crew...
Video of today’s Progress M-12M/44P launch, which re-entered and crashed shortly following its launch due to a propulsion system failure. Video courtesy of Spaceflight101. ...
NSS members including Mark Hopkins (NSS CEO), David Dunlop (Region 6 Director), and Dr. Feng Hsu (formerly of NASA and now Senior Vice President of...
Pete Conrad does typical Pete Conrad stuff, 1965, in preparation for Gemini 5. Thanks to Retro Space Images for this amazing photo! Emily Carney is...
1971 NASA publication highlighting sites and features of the Moon from lunar orbiters. NASA has been known to send out various pamphlets, brochures, and publications...
“If you take more blood from me, Joe, I am so gonna ban you from the beer spigot.” Pete Conrad submits to a dental checkup...
Juno at 12:20 AM EDT on August 18, 2011. The solar-powered space probe is currently chillin’ in front of Uranus and Jupiter (its destination in...
by John K. Strickland, Jr. August 5, 2011, was a highly significant date in the history of the space program. On that date, NASA announced...
NASA has agreed in principle to allow the SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule to dock with the International Space Station. Launch of the Dragon on a...
This long essay defends the NSS Vision against those who, like the author of the book being reviewed, think “we shouldn’t colonize Mars or the Moon, or even vacation there.” Ben Bramble, an Australian philosopher who teaches at Australian National University, has penned a YAASS (Yet Another Anti-Space-Settlement) book. These books are multiplying like flies, so space settlement advocates must be gaining ground to generate such an abundant response.
In HOTOL & Skylon: The Story of Britain’s Spaceplanes, Rob Coppinger covers the story of both in great detail, with the reminiscences of many who played integral roles in these ambitious programs. The book shines when it captures the enthusiasm and excitement of those involved, and there are extensive quotes from many who devoted years of work on these projects.
Anyone seeking a short but comprehensive introduction to human spaceflight would do well to start with this book. It reviews its history, highlights the accomplishments and tragedies, and describes the equipment used. It also looks at living in space, what space travelers experience, and how they work.
Back in 1966, Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon. Apogee Books has provided an English-language NASA translation of a detailed report originally released by the USSR Academy of Sciences.
The National Space Society has just released a Position Paper on Selected Space Environmental Sustainability Issues. Below is the Conclusion section. The full paper can...
By Robin Scott NSS Chapter Middle Tennessee Space Society (MTSS) President Chuck Schlemm performs outreach, directly contacting about 560 attendees (STEM teachers, school faculty, students,...
