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 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...
OPINION by Dale Skran Ever since its inception there has been a school of thought that SLS and Orion were a poor use of taxpayer...
By George Mancuso On July 25, 2019 Starhopper rose to an altitude of approximately 20 meters at the SpaceX McGregor Texas facility while also performing...
Opinion By Dale Skran, Chair of the NSS Executive Committee In the martial arts there is something called a “committed strike.” That is a blow...
The National Space Society (NSS) applauds Jeff Bezos for the hope and inspiration he delivered to the world on Thursday, May 9 when he took...
By Bob Brodbeck At 8:32 am CST Thursday May 2nd Blue Origin launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket and payload capsule to space on the...
Opinion by Robert Bunn All of a sudden, space news is everywhere―spanning a variety of sub-topics. This past month, we saw China put a versatile...
Opinion By Dale Skran Three recent incidents have led to a lot of hand-wringing among space advocates. After the fully successful “hat trick” of landing...
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.
Meyer’s academic textbook is loaded with numerous photographs, diagrams, charts, and graphs. There are chapters on subjects such as farm machines, animal and fungi production, plant and algae production, and space menus. The farming techniques outlined in the book can be applied to lunar, Martian, or rotating space settlements.
The National Space Society (NSS) welcomes the U.S. Administration’s proposal to establish a United States Space Academy, a NASA-led institution meant to prepare the next...
By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent Today’s successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help answer two key questions: How does...
By Robin Scott National Space Society of North Texas (NSS-NT) President Ken Ruffin, shown above holding the 2026 NSS Chapter of the Year Award, acknowledged...
The National Space Society (NSS) welcomes the release of the National Space Transportation Policy, a comprehensive directive establishing the United States’ strategic framework for launch,...
