Critique of “A City on Mars” and Other Writings Opposing Space Settlement
Announcement: New in the NSS Space Settlement Journal Just published in the NSS Space Settlement Journal is a 90-page Critique
Commercial Space
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Having just written a recap of SpaceX activities in 2019, it seemed natural to follow with a preview of 2020. In no particular order, we
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
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
By Dale Skran, Chair, NSS Executive Committee I recently gave a talk titled “New Rides to the Moon” at the Morris Museum Astronomical Society in
By Dale Skran Copyright 2019 On October 9th, a Russian Proton lofted Northrup Grumman’s first satellite life-extension vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Mission
Opinion by Dale L. Skran Just before Elon Musk made his impressive Starship progress update, NASA Administrator Bridenstine tweeted out the following: This statement left
By Dale Skran On the evening of Saturday September 28th, Elon Musk provided an exciting update on Starship progress at Boca Chica, Texas. By the
Story and photos by Mark Armstong The headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in downtown Washington DC was the location for a remarkable roundtable
By George Mancuso On August 27, Starhopper, utilizing a single Raptor methane-fueled rocket engine, rose 150 meters above Boca Chica, Texas and successfully landed. This
Note from Dale Skran, Chair of the NSS Executive Committee: NSS Vice President of Space Development Greg Autry (pictured above) has a very interesting article
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Book Review: The People’s Spaceship
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Douglas G. Adler Title: The People’s Spaceship: NASA, the Shuttle Era, and Public Engagement after Apollo
Book Review: Hidden in the Heavens: The Kepler Mission
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Douglas G. Adler Title: Hidden in the Heavens: How the Kepler Mission’s Quest for New Planets
Book Review: In the Belly of the Whale
Category: Fiction Reviewed by: Clifford R. McMurray Title: In the Belly of the Whale Author: Michael Flynn Format: Paperback/Kindle Pages:
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Image of Kalpana One space settlement courtesy Bryan Versteeg, spacehabs.com $32,000 in Cash Awards Given for Best Space-Related Business Plans — Deadline March 1, 2024
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: John J. Vester Title: Nuclear Rockets: To the Moon and Mars Author: Manfred “Dutch” von Ehrenfried Format: Paperback/Kindle Pages: 270 Publisher:
Partially Successful Flight Reached Space and Demonstrated New “Hot Staging” System The National Space Society congratulates SpaceX on the second test of its Starship/Super Heavy
Ad Astra, the NSS quarterly print, digital, and audio magazine, has won a 2023 MARCOM Gold Award. The awards are given yearly for “Excellence in
By Jennifer Muntz, NSS Member Coordinator On October 10th, an inspiring breakfast event took flight at the Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space
By Grant Henriksen NSS Policy Committee Benefit sharing is a concept that refers to the distribution of benefits derived from the exploration and use of
People residing and working in space, space settlements, or on long-duration space flights will need to produce infrastructures and food to maintain healthy lifestyles. The
Image: Artist’s concept of the Blue Moon lander. Credit: Blue Origin. Second Human Landing System Contract Encourages Competition and Innovation The National Space Society congratulates
