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 Jim PlaxcoNSS Board of Directors The National Space Society (NSS), in partnership with the SmallSat Education Conference, recently concluded another successful Roadmap to Space...
(Washington DC, June 16, 2015) On July 14th, NASA’s New Horizons mission will make its closest approach to the Pluto system, completing the first reconnaissance...
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: Ted Spitzmiller Title: Rockets and Revolution: A Cultural History of Early Spaceflight Author: Michael G. Smith NSS Amazon link for this...
Category: Children’s Book Reviewed by: Robert A. Lee Title: The Callahan Kids: Tales of Life on Mars Authors: Ben Bova, Michael Carroll, et. al. Ages:...
Category: Fiction Reviewed by: Gerald W. Driggers Title: Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier Editor: Jonathan Strahan NSS Amazon link for this book...
Category: Fiction Reviewed by: Robert A. Lee Title: Dark Eden Author: Chris Beckett NSS Amazon link for this book Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/Audible Pages: 448 Publisher: Broadway...
Category: Children’s Book Reviewed by: Marianne Dyson Title: Mission: Mars Author: Pascal Lee Ages: 8 to 12 NSS Amazon link for this book Format: Paperback...
Category: Fiction Reviewed by: Gerald W. Driggers Title: The Mars Imperative: Book One of the Imperative Chronicles Author: Mark Terence Chapman NSS Amazon link for...
Category: Children’s Book Reviewed by: Marianne Dyson Title: Skye Object 3270A Author: Linda Nagata Ages: 10 to YA NSS Amazon link for this book Format:...
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: Ted Spitzmiller From Ad Astra Spring 2015 Title: 2001: The Heritage and Legacy of The Space Odyssey Author: Frederick I. Ordway...
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: Robert A. Lee From Ad Astra Spring 2015 Title: Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space Exploration Author: Michael Soluri...
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: Marianne Dyson From Ad Astra Winter 2014 Title: To Orbit and Back Again: How the Space Shuttle Flew in Space Author:...
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...
