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.
NASA photo, Feb. 1975: “The five prime crew members of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission pose for a group photograph while at NASA’s Kennedy...
The National Space Society (NSS) congratulates NSS Board of Governors member Dr. Scott Pace on his selection as the Executive Secretary of the National Space...
From July 18, 1966: “Astronaut Michael Collins, command pilot, is photographed inside the spacecraft during the Gemini 10 mission.” NASA photo. The late 1980s represented...
The National Space Society (NSS) endorses Vice President Pence’s call to maintain a “constant presence” in low-Earth orbit (LEO) leading to the settlement of the...
Reviewed by: Susan Raizer From Ad Astra Spring 2017 Title: Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe Author: Mike Massimino...
Reviewed by: Clifford R. McMurray From Ad Astra Spring 2017 Title: How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the...
Reviewed by: Charlene Brusso From Ad Astra Winter 2016 Title: Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon...
Reviewed by: Marianne Dyson From Ad Astra Winter 2016 Title: Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined Author: Ron Miller NSS Amazon...
“The Apollo Saturn V 500F Facilities Test vehicle, after conducting the VAB stacking operations, rolls out of the VAB on its way to Pad 39A...
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...
