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.
By Dale Skran Just by the numbers SpaceX had a terrible year—only 13 launches, down from 21 in 2018, and 18 in 2017, although more...
By Dale Skran With the setback just suffered by Boeing, in which a Starliner launched and landed successfully (photo above) but proved unable to dock...
By George Mancuso Since the Space Shuttle retirement in 2011 after 30 years of service, NASA has relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crew...
By Dale L. Skran Copyright 2019 The deceptively simple term “space settlement” can become controversial among space advocates. The purpose of this essay is to...
By Bob Brodbeck After a one-day delay due to high winds and then fog, Blue Origin this morning Wednesday, December 11th, made its last test...
The National Space Society (NSS) congratulates NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine for naming Mike Gold his “special advisor” on November 16. NASA reports that Gold will...
A new NSS Position Paper just released is reproduced in full below. We also have a PDF copy. The NASA Artemis Moon program aims to...
By Al Globus NSS Representative to the Alliance for Space Development [copy of this paper in PDF] Abstract The Alliance for Space Development (ASD) has...
Contestants (ages 10 to 18) in the 13th annual Reach for the Stars ~ National Rocket Competition (www.RocketCompetition.com) built and launched their own solid-fuel powered...
NSS Space Development Talk NSS Executive Vice President Alfred Anzaldua gave a talk to a group in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico about NSS priorities for...
Space Basics By Dale Skran (with a thank you to Stan Rosen, Randy Gigante, Hoyt Davidson, and Bruce Pittman for their suggestions!) Copyright 2019 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.
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...
