The National Space Society invites you to the next Space Forum

Thursday, December 5, 2024, 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm EST

2024 Space Year in Review

Register for this Space Forum

With Special Guest Larry Boyle
Moderated by Jim Plaxco

As the space industry accelerates at an astonishing pace, the 2024 Space Year in Review offers a unique opportunity to reflect on this year’s most exciting developments and challenges. Hosted by Jim Plaxco with Larry Boyle, who has been conducting his insightful Space Year in Review since 1979, this National Space Society Space Forum promises an in-depth exploration of groundbreaking achievements and their implications for humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

What to Expect:

• The Commercial Space Revolution: With private companies now driving more than half of global space spending, we’ll examine key milestones, including Axiom Space’s third crewed flight, the groundbreaking Polaris Dawn mission, and the first private spacewalk.
• SpaceX Innovations: The world’s largest private space company continued testing its Starship/Super Heavy rocket. We’ll explore its game-changing booster-catching system and its significance for the future of space travel.
• Suborbital Tourism and Next-Gen Plans: Highlights include Virgin Galactic’s farewell to its first-generation suborbital ship and plans for its next fleet, alongside Blue Origin’s return to suborbital tourist flights.
• Boeing Starliner Challenges: A review of the ongoing issues with the Starliner capsule, its impact on NASA’s Commercial Crew program, and its implications for the broader industry.
• Expanding Lunar Horizons: We’ll assess the success and scientific contributions of several robotic Moon missions launched this year.

National Space Program Highlights:

• NASA’s Achievements Amid Budget Constraints: From groundbreaking evidence of possible past life on Mars to the launch of the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter, and updates on the Artemis Moon program, we’ll examine the agency’s challenges and triumphs.
• Voyager 1’s Enduring Legacy: Humanity’s most distant spacecraft, now almost 16 billion miles from Earth, received critical software updates after over 40 years of service.
• Global Space Efforts: China’s operational space station and Moon sample return missions, India’s selection for its first crewed spaceflight, and a historic agreement enabling the first non-American astronaut—a Japanese explorer—to walk on the Moon.

This engaging forum, packed with expert analysis and captivating insights, is your chance to explore the year’s monumental strides in space exploration and look ahead to the future of humanity’s adventures beyond our planet. Don’t miss this journey through 2024’s remarkable space achievements!

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Larry Boyle was the President of the CSSS between 1989 and 2002 and is now the Vice-President. The CSSS started in 1977. He was a reference librarian at the Franklin Park Public Library, which allowed him to research the events in the world’s space programs. Now retired, Larry has been interested in the U.S. space program since childhood. He went to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the Apollo 17 launch to the Moon in 1972 and attended a launch of the space shuttle. He received his Library Degree at Rosary College and a BS from Loyola University in Chicago. Larry’s hallmark presentation has been his Space: The Year in Review program which he has been giving since 1979.

Jim Plaxco is a digital artist and computing professional who has been a space activist since the mid-80s when he became a member of the National Space Institute and has served as the Director of Information Systems for the National Space Society. He is also the Webmaster, a Director, and President of the Chicago Society for Space Studies. Jim also created the CSSS Speakers Bureau. He additionally serves as a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, a National Space Society Space Ambassador, the National Space Society Space Ambassador’s Economics Subject Matter Expert and is a member of the NSS Board of Directors.

Register today to reserve your seat and ask your questions. Use the link below.

Register for this Space Forum

Register no later than December 5 at 8 pm EST

Past NSS Space Forums and Town Halls may be viewed here.