Book Review: The Pale Blue Data Point
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: John Vester Title: The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien
Russian space program
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 Dave Dressler NSS Director of Information Systems April 12th, holds particular significance in space history, marking Yuri’s Night, the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s groundbreaking
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Douglas G. Adler Title: The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned Author: John Strausbaugh Format: Hardcover/Kindle Pages:
“Viktor, did you know I did all of the vocal tracks for Thriller? Well, I did. That guy Michael Jackson is partying it up back
NASA photo, April 11, 1970: “Astronaut John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot for NASA’s third lunar landing mission, appears to be relaxing in the
From NASA: “In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear. The robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn drifted in giant planet’s shadow for about 12
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) image, the Sun’s corona observed by Skylab. The corona in real color would actually be white; this computer-enhanced image
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
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 Apollo Saturn V 500F Facilities Test vehicle, after conducting the VAB stacking operations, rolls out of the VAB on its way to Pad 39A
Several proposed military space programs, including the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, are covered in Amazing Stories of the Space Age, Rod Pyle’s newest book. Image
A Buran wind tunnel model. Photo by author Kobel, from Wikimedia Commons. Here is part two of space historian Jay Chladek’s series about the real
From Wikimedia Commons: “OK-GLI Buran programme spacecraft at the Technik Museum Speyer, Germany on exhibition during 2013.” Image taken from Flickr user pasukaru76’s photostream, marked
Categories
Follow Us On Social Media
JOIN THE
GREATEST ADVENTURE
Give The Gift Of Space: Membership For Friends and Family
Book Reviews
Book Review: On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Loretta Hall Title: On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts Author: Valerie Neal
Book Review: Born to Explore: John Casani’s Grand Tour of the Solar System
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Casey Suire Title: Born to Explore: John Casani’s Grand Tour of the Solar System Author: Jay
Book Review: Space Forces
Category: Nonfiction? Reviewed by: Dale Skran Title: Space Forces: A Critical History of Life in Outer Space Author: Fred Scharmen
Archives
ISDC 2026:
sPACE FOR US ALL
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia
June 4 - 7, 2026
June 4 - 7, 2026
Popular
BOOK REVIEWS
Recent Blog Posts
This Space Available By Emily Carney A new video by the fantastic lunarmodule5 channel on YouTube recreates Skylab’s last moments and underscores how it held
Category: Non-Fiction Reviewed by: John Vester Title: The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien Life Author: Jon Willis Format:
The National Space Society invites you to the next Space Forum Thursday, December 11, 2025, 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm EST Space 2025 Year In
Opinion by Dale Skran I’ve been writing columns on the prospects for the Space Launch System (SLS) for several years now, and one of the
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Loretta Hall Title: On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts Author: Valerie Neal Format: Hardcover/Kindle Pages: 360 pages
Launching Our Future: The National Space Society is launching a bold new era, one designed by members, for members. We heard you. From board insights
Big Ideas, Bold Visions, and a Bright Future for Mars The National Space Society 2025 Space Settlement Summit, held at the University of Central Florida
Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Casey Suire Title: Born to Explore: John Casani’s Grand Tour of the Solar System Author: Jay Gallentine Format: Hardcover/Kindle Pages: 400
