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.
“Guys, I saw this other Jim McDivitt, but he was super bad and he had black swan feathers all over him, so I stabbed him...
“Okay, let’s not kill each other long enough so we can take this f&%!ing picture.” From left, Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin, Eugene Cernan, and Gordon...
“Dammit bubba, I tell ya, these thangs sure are cute.” Gus Grissom and Deke Slayton take some time out to become buddies with a chipmunk,...
Previously, we looked at the Europeans Space Agency (ESA) and their ATV program, which is preparing to send their resupply spacecraft, Johannes Kepler, to the...
Keeping the International Space Station (ISS) supplied will become an increasing challenge with the retirement of the US Space Shuttle in 2011. This is the...
Image from JPL/NASA – Voyager 2’s first closeup of Jupiter, 1979. 1. NASA has launched an application for Android-powered cell phones called “Spinoff.” It is...
You can hear NSS Director Dr. Stan Rosen as a guest on The Space Show (Internet radio program December 26, 2010) speaking about using space...
From February 27–March 1, 2011, the National Space Society (NSS) and the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) will be holding the annual Legislative Blitz in Washington,...
NASA is seeking applications from graduate students for the agency’s new Space Technology Research Fellowships. Applications are being accepted from accredited U.S. universities on behalf...
“And there are no laydeez in the desert. This is just great…thanks…” From left – Jack Swigert, some dude, Thomas Mattingly, and Charlie Duke. Emily...
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,...
By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent Some weeks in spaceflight are just busy. This one was something more. Over a period of four days,...
By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent A large anvil cloud hanging over Florida’s Space Coast added some uncertainty to the final hours of the...
Applications open 1 Oct – 1 Dec, 2026 The National Space Society’s Global Space Debates is a unique, 100% virtual program that brings high school...
