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.
Beginning of sunrise sequence from Gemini 7, which flew in December 1965. Photo courtesy of NASA. The hi-res images from the Gemini program, which functioned...
Slayton: “Guys, if you can’t play nice together, WE WILL GO BACK INSIDE DAMMIT.” From left, Thomas Stafford, Deke Slayton, Gene Cernan and Buzz Aldrin...
John Young, 1965. He was approximately my age (34) in this Life magazine photo. Happy birthday to Floridian badass and originator of the Blue...
Pete Conrad does typical Pete Conrad stuff, 1965, in preparation for Gemini 5. Thanks to Retro Space Images for this amazing photo! Emily Carney is...
I can smell them from almost 46 years back. Gemini 7 returns from spending two weeks in a floating toilet, December 18, 1965. Life magazine...
1965 NASA photo. From left, Thomas P. “TP” Stafford and Wally Schirra, prime crew of Gemini 6. Photo located on the great archival Web site...
“Dang Gus. Ah hope they have some bacon n’ cheese grits at the pre-flight breakfast.” Gus Grissom is probably bewildered by John Young’s Orlando ways...
Here’s a clip of Neil Armstrong, semi-reclusive Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 astronaut, doing a TV spot for Chrysler vehicles in 1979. Neil did a...
“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...
“1966: Gemini 8 (NASA)” This footage from Gemini 8 is murky at best, but remember this mission went into space 44 years ago. Here’s some...
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...
