The recent NASA proposal to cancel the VIPER mission underscores the significant risks inherent in large, complex, and high-cost lunar missions. However, VIPER is not just another mission; it is a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis program, directly supporting the long-term goals of sustainable lunar exploration and resource utilization. Without VIPER, the Artemis program risks falling short of its transformative potential, reducing it to little more than a repeat of the Apollo missions.

The National Space Society supports the continuation of the VIPER mission, whether led solely by NASA or in collaboration with commercial partners. However, with VIPER’s future uncertain, we additionally propose that NASA consider adopting a different approach to lunar exploration, as outlined in the NASA-funded Evolvable Lunar Architecture (ELA) report. This report advocates for multiple small, low-cost commercial rovers sourced from multiple providers, which eliminate the risk of single-point failure and promote dissimilar redundancy. Additionally, it broadens the scope of resource identification and characterization necessary for establishing economically viable reserves. This strategy aligns with the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and fosters competitive entrepreneurship in space exploration to drive future innovation.

Read full NSS Position Paper.

• Ages 12 – 25 (Grades 7-12 plus university).
• Submission Deadline: October 8, 2024.
• Students create their vision of a future for humanity in space through art in traditional methods and non-AI generated techniques.
• Winning artwork will fly into space on a Blue Origin rocket!
• Info: https://nss.org/nss-roadmap-to-space-art-contest/

Live in a Healthy Space Design Competition

• Ages 12-18 (Grades 7-12)
• Submission Deadline: November 31, 2024
• Students design an agricultural module or area for a space settlement that focuses on a specific component such as infrastructure, food production and resident nutrition.
• Info: https://nss.org/healthy-space/

On July 20, 2024, the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, the Sands Missile History Center (part of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum) hosted the International Moon Day Festival, celebrating lunar exploration and space education. The National Space Society (NSS) proudly served as a supporting organization, with Burt Dicht, NSS Managing Director of Membership, leading an exciting rocket-building activity for kids. This hands-on event allowed young participants to learn the basics of rocket engineering and to experience the thrill of launching their own Alka-Seltzer rockets.  Some reached impressive heights of up to 25 feet.

Burt has used this rocket-building activity with the Civil Air Patrol for many years, providing excitement for both kids and adults. A total of 28 rockets were successfully launched, sparking fun, curiosity, and thrills among the budding young engineers. Despite a few failures—“Space is hard,” as the saying goes—the young rocket engineers were undeterred and quickly returned to the launch pad.

NSS members Elizabeth Schneider and Lori Guisewite assisted with the rocket building and launches, ensuring a smooth and educational experience for all the kids. Elizabeth and Lori also spoke to many attendees about the role of NSS and the many benefits of membership. The Moon Day event was organized by NSS member Robert S. Katz, CEO & Executive Director of the World Innovation Network (WIN), through WIN’s SPACE-BASE & STEAM-BASE community initiatives, and was hosted by James Draper, Museum Director.

A highlight of the festival was a special virtual call with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps aboard the International Space Station. The call, arranged by Sean Graham, CEO and Co-founder of Karman Line, included a tour of the station and a Q&A session. Epps answered numerous questions from the enthusiastic attendees, particularly the children, who were eager to learn about life in space.

The festival also featured aerospace pioneer Jean Wright, who captivated the audience with a hands-on demonstration and a reading from the award-winning children’s biography about her life, Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses by Elise Matich. Wright’s presentation and life story inspired attendees, emphasizing that anyone can find joy and awe in space exploration.

James Draper, Museum Director, expressed his excitement about the event, stating, “Our doors are always open to the community. We are especially excited and privileged to have the amazing Jean Wright here to share her incredible brilliance and equally incredible life story.” Stephanie Robinson, Project Coordinator for CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia and STEAM-BASE Co-Founder, praised the collaboration, saying, “We are excited for this opportunity to ignite curiosity and passion for STEAM through the captivating subject of space. The more opportunities children are given to explore and discover, the more confident they will be in their ability to pursue a career in one of our high-demand industries along the Atlantic Coast of Florida.”

Other participants included Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, DoD STARBASE Patrick, DoD STARBASE Central Florida, Gra-V FIRST Robotics Team, Florida Space Institute/Exolith Lab, National Center for Simulation, UCF STEM Aviation Showcase, The Everyday Explorer, and ASTRO-arts. More than 150 attendees, including many kids, had the chance to speak with space professionals and take part in interactive STEAM activities, arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, educational games, orbital origami, and receive goodie bags.

Robert S. Katz enthusiastically thanked the community, especially the significant participation by NSS, for uniting behind the next generation of artists, thinkers, and explorers. He emphasized that events like this clearly show that “There’s a Place, in Space, for Every Face.” NSS remains committed to fostering a love for space exploration and STEAM education through engaging community events and activities. We look forward to participating in future events that inspire and educate the next generation of space enthusiasts.

A good article on this event was published here by Florida Today.

NSS 2023 Year in Review [PDF]

Story and photos by Burt Dicht, NSS Managing Director of Membership

On June 25 I had the unique opportunity attend the Falcon Heavy launch of the newest weather satellite of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as tour their Gulfstream IV aircraft which they use to monitor hurricanes.

Hurricane Beryl marked the start of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season as the earliest recorded Category 5 hurricane. This season, the NOAA predicts the potential for 14-21 named storms, 7-13 hurricanes, and 4-7 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher), indicating a significantly above-normal activity level. To monitor and understand these storms’ potential impacts, NOAA employs an array of advanced tools and assets that track changes in climate, weather, oceans, and the coasts.

The day began with the arrival of the NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) aircraft at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

This G-IV, named Gonzo, is outfitted with advanced instruments such as GPS dropwindsondes and tail Doppler radar, which are crucial for collecting atmospheric data. Unlike other aircraft that might fly through hurricanes, the G-IV operates around and above them at altitudes up to 45,000 feet. Its primary mission is to gather data around developing hurricanes, providing a detailed picture of upper-atmosphere weather systems and transmitting this information to meteorologists on the ground.

The data collected by the G-IV enables forecasters to map the steering currents that influence hurricane movement, which is vital for predicting storm paths. Touring the G-IV and its sophisticated equipment offered a valuable glimpse into how NOAA protects lives and property from extreme weather. During the tour, I had the chance to speak with the G-IV pilots and several NOAA scientists, who described the intense training required to safely fly near these storms and gather critical data. It’s reassuring to know that these experts are out there on the front lines of severe weather systems. Shown below are G-IV Pilots Lt CDR Bhatnagar (left) and CDR Varwig, the aircraft commander.

Later that day, I witnessed the launch of NOAA’s newest weather satellite, the GOES-U. This satellite is the fourth and final installment in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series. The GOES-R Series provides advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time lightning mapping, and observations of the Sun and space weather. GOES-U is NOAA’s most advanced satellite to date. Upon reaching its geostationary orbit at 22,236 miles above Earth, it will be renamed GOES-19. After a thorough checkout and validation of its instruments, GOES-19 will replace GOES-16 in mid-2025.

The launch took place at 5:26 pm EDT on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center LC-39. Despite having to dodge a few storms, the launch controllers managed to execute a picture-perfect launch. It was thrilling to witness this significant event firsthand.

Witnessing NOAA’s cutting-edge technology and dedicated professionals in action was an enlightening experience. These efforts are crucial in enhancing our understanding and preparedness for the hurricane season ahead.

Two high school interns funded by NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3) presented their work from Summer 2023 at the recent National Space Society (NSS) International Space Development Conference (ISDC-2024), held in Los Angeles, CA (May 23-26, 2024). Both interns were mentored by Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist at the SETI Institute and Chair of the Mars Institute, who accompanied them to the conference.

Intern Finn Braun, who is now a high school junior, co-authored the paper “An ATV for the Moon” with Dr. Lee. He worked with a CAD program to develop the concept, which might be of interest to NASA’s Artemis Program in the future. Intern Krista Heinemann, who has now graduated high school, co-authored the paper “New location for the ‘Noctis Landing’ candidate human landing site on Mars” in which she used NASA data about the Noctis Landing site provided by Dr. Lee to refine a possible landing location for future human missions to the surface of Mars. In addition to the oral presentations they gave, Braun and Heinemann lead-authored technical publications reporting their research. Braun and Heinemann were part of the 2023 N3 intern cohort, which included 19 other high school students, each paired with a NASA Subject Matter Expert as a mentor. The N3 internship program is now beginning its fourth summer with a new cohort of 21 additional interns.

The National Space Society recently completed elections for its Board of Directors. While many of these individuals were returning Directors, a number are new to the organization. Prominent among these are former NASA astronaut Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar and veteran author Frank White.

Karlton Johnson, NSS CEO, said, “The addition of these amazing professionals demonstrates the value proposition NSS brings to the space community. Their gravitas and expertise will prove vital in our ongoing conversations regarding humanity’s future in space.”

The NSS Board of Directors is responsible for the overall supervision, control, direction, and governance of the property, activities, and affairs of the society, its committees, and its publications. Members of the Board of Directors are elected either by the whole membership of the society, or for one of eight regional positions.

Dr. Dunbar flew on five space shuttle missions between 1985 and 1998, including two dockings with the Russian Mir space station. Prior to her time with NASA, she worked as an engineer for Rockwell International on the shuttle’s thermal protection system and was a flight controller for both Skylab and the space shuttle. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Washington and a PhD from the University of Houston. Dunbar has also worked extensively with STEM education and public outreach, including teaching at the University of Houston, where she was the Director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture, and as president and CEO of the Seattle Museum of Flight. She is currently a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.

“I am honored to join the NSS Board of Directors,” Dunbar said, “and to be a part of a seminal organization which has an enduring mission to engage all of society in implementing the space exploration vison.”

White is a prolific author of numerous space-related books and is best known for The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, now in its fourth edition. White coined the term and continues to explore the cognitive shift that occurs within the minds of people who view the Earth from space and within space. White co-founded the Human Space Program, whose mission is “the sustainable, ethical, and inclusive evolution of humanity into the solar ecosystem.” He has participated in dozens of space-related projects and was active with Gerard O’Neill’s Space Studies Institute. White holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship.

“I am deeply honored to be a board member of the National Space Society. NSS has been a powerful advocate of space exploration, development, and migration for decades, and I look forward to contributing to its mission,” White said.

Also new to the NSS at-large Board of Directors are James Wolff and Greg Hunter. Wolff is a commercial space entrepreneur and serves as corporate counsel to Warshaw Burstein LLP, a tier 1 mid-market law firm located in New York City. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and earned his Juris Doctorate from the New York Law School. Wolff has worked with numerous space startups, one of which won the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge. Wolff has been active with the NSS’s International Committee and Policy Committee.

Greg Hunter works in the Australian space sector in high-tech entrepreneurship. He has served as the Vice President of NSS Australia, and was a founder of the New Horizons Summit, gathering leaders from Blue Origin, SpaceX, Amazon, Rolls Royce, Microsoft, Axiom, NVIDIA, Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab, and others for regional conferences. He founded space startup Arbiter, driving significant growth, and worked with satellite imagery marketplace Arlula. Hunter holds multiple bachelor’s degrees from Macquarie University.

Kirby Ikin, Chair of the NSS Board of Directors, said: “With the NSS’s goal of advancing the human settlement of space, the NSS Board of Directors requires a diverse set of skills and experience to turn our vision into reality. The newly elected members of the NSS Board of Directors continue to strengthen that diversity of perspective and deepen the wealth of experience that the board brings to fulfilling the NSS vision, and as Chairman, it is an honor and a privilege to serve alongside such talented and dedicated individuals.”

For the second time in two years, “Ad Astra” magazine, the quarterly publication of the National Space Society, has won a prestigious industry award for excellence in editorial content and design. In 2023, the magazine, available in both print and digital editions, won the MARCOM Gold Award, and now, in 2024, has received the Hermes Gold Award.

“I’m thrilled that ‘Ad Astra’ has been recognized with these awards,” said Rod Pyle, the Editor-in-Chief since 2017. “We’re a very small team on a tight budget, as befits a publication by a mission-driven nonprofit like the National Space Society. It’s through the hard work of this handful of people that we’re able to bring this level of quality writing and design to our members and the public at large.” “Ad Astra” is distributed to all members of the National Space Society and is also sold through retail channels across the United States.

The magazine, which is also available by subscription through its website, covers a wide range of topics related to space exploration and development, including space settlement, space technology, space policy, and current space events. Recent articles have included a special edition on artificial intelligence (AI) in spaceflight, an expanded issue devoted to space STEM education, a look at the next decade in space, a deep examination of NASA’s Artemis program, an introduction to India’s space program, the evolution and progress of commercial spaceflight, discussion of space law, and many other key space topics. “With its compelling articles from leading experts, insights from industry leaders, and inside reporting,  ‘Ad Astra’ continues to be an important resource for those interested in the future of space exploration and settlement,” Pyle noted, “and while we carry advertising, it’s kept minimal to allow us to maximize editorial content in the magazine’s 68 pages.”

Karlton Johnson, NSS Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Governors, commented, “The recognition of ‘Ad Astra’ with the Hermes Gold Award is a testament to our commitment to excellence and our dedication to providing high-quality content that inspires and educates. This award reinforces our mission to advance space exploration and development for the benefit of all humanity.”

Aggie Kobrin, the Director of Publications for NSS and also Managing Editor, said, “We began a major renovation of ‘Ad Astra’ in 2017 and it has paid off. We’re in over 1200 bookstores across the country and send print or digital editions to all NSS members. We’re quite pleased with this recognition.”

“Ad Astra” is available by subscription, is included in NSS membership, and can also be found at major bookstore chains across the U.S., including Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.

On May 27, Karlton Johnson, USAF (retired), was appointed by the NSS Board of Directors as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Space Society to complete the remainder of the term of former CEO Anita Gale who passed unexpectedly earlier this month.

Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of Delaine Strategy Group LLC, a strategic advisory practice providing confidential counsel to C-Suite leaders in the public, private/Fortune 500, non-profit, academic, and government sectors. He is a senior executive leader with over 36 years of subject matter experience in strategic leadership, risk management, partnership creation, organizational excellence, mission assurance, cybersecurity, board excellence, and the development of emerging space markets. Johnson brings extensive corporate board experience and has advised internationally to drive large-scale program initiatives from requirements to full implementation.

“Over the last several years as COO I have worked with Karlton in his role as Chairman of the NSS Board of Governors,” said Dale Skran, NSS COO and Senior Vice President. “Under his leadership, the Board of Governors provided valuable strategic direction to enable the society to create a strong set of strategic plans, many of which have already come to fruition. He also has initiated an ambitious plan to upgrade and modernize the NSS Board of Governors and has acted as a key public face of the organization.”

Johnson’s distinguished career in the Air Force included senior leadership roles where he oversaw strategic operations and communications technologies essential to national security. His leadership ensured mission assurance and reduced risks in highly sensitive programs. Johnson’s ability to lead diverse teams in complex environments has been proven time and again.

In the civilian sector, Johnson made significant contributions at Alcoa Inc., where he led the creation and advancement of the company’s first key space account program, coordinated efforts to grow emerging business development opportunities, and brought transparency to Alcoa’s growing Space Market Expansion. He continues to successfully engage with Congressional leaders to garner support for various space-related legislative initiatives, and he advocates for commercial and civil space programs, space traffic management, planetary defense, and space economic development. As the former leader of the Aerospace Industries Association’s (AIA) Commercial Space Committee and deputy for the National Security Space Committee, Johnson played a key role in advocating for commercial space market advancements and legislative support for space initiatives.

Johnson holds several advanced degrees and executive graduate certifications from reputable academic institutions and serves on numerous boards, including Microchip Technology Inc., AFCEA International’s Board of Directors, and Explore Mars Inc. Board of Advisors. He is a former member of the Conrad Foundation’s Board of Advisors where he supported student innovation and entrepreneurship, and he is the Chairman Emeritus of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, Inc., the Department of Defense’s #1 program for digitally securing the $768B defense industrial base protecting 3.2% of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product and national security.

Johnson succeeds Anita Gale as the CEO of NSS after she passed in May. “Anita Gale’s leadership left a lasting legacy. I am committed to advancing that legacy and elevate it to the next level of success.” Johnson said. “The NSS will be at the forefront of thought leadership in multi-national space development, defining new space economies, and addressing Earth-based challenges. We will expand operations with a strong focus on sustainability, ethical practices, and value-added diversity that enhances our mission. By forging strategic partnerships and involving our diverse membership, we will continue making significant strides in space exploration and development.”

The National Space Society mourns the passing of its CEO and longtime Board member Anita Gale. She took the position of Chief Executive Officer of the decades-old organization in 2021 after serving multiple Board terms as well as holding other senior officer positions. During her tenure as CEO the organization was transformed in a number of important ways, including the opening of a new headquarters office at the Kennedy Space Center and garnering a $1 million grant from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future.

“It has been an honor working with Anita. Her dedication to the cause of space settlement was an inspiration to all of us. With her passing, a giant has left our Earth for the stars,” said Dale Skran, NSS COO.

Gale joined NSS when she was an aerospace engineer employed by Rockwell International working on the space shuttle program. She entered the aerospace industry at a time when women were uncommon in the technical workforce and faced those challenges with determination and dignity.

“I grew up in a suburb of Seattle,” Gale remembered. “In high school, there was a class called Engineering Concepts that had 35 kids and two of those were girls, so I was exposed early to this idea of going down paths that were nontraditional.” In college in the early 1970s, she was often the only woman in engineering classes. “I was the only person who didn’t see a girl in class, because I was the girl,” she often said.

When Gale entered the aerospace workforce, women had to take the lead on conduct. “Our male coworkers had been around women who were secretaries, but they hadn’t been around women who were peers, and the poor guys just literally didn’t know how to behave. We had to help them. Now, women are just part of it.”

Gale started working on the space shuttle program in 1974 with Rockwell International in Downey, California. She provided conceptual designs for cargo integration on future launch vehicles, contributed to R&D for Shuttle upgrades and future missions of both reusable and expendable launch vehicles, and developed process improvements. She held three U.S. patents on launch vehicle payload interface standardization and containerization, which were to become essential technologies for reducing future vehicle processing costs and schedules. During this time, she joined the L5 society, a predecessor organization to the National Space Society.

In 1984, Anita and her husband Dick Edwards co-founded the Space Settlement Design Competitions, an industry simulation activity that engages high school students in designing future space settlements. The competitions evolved into an international activity involving over 1000 students each year on six continents. She has been widely lauded by countless students, many of them women, as their key inspiration to move into technical fields.

Gales’s many awards and industry recognitions included the University of Washington’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the NSS Space Pioneer Award. She was an active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Gale was also a member of the AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee, chaired technical conference sessions on space settlements, and wrote technical papers about space settlement requirements, designs, and the triggering events that will contribute to the goal of constructing space settlements in the future. She was a luminary and leader in the quest to expand humanity beyond Earth.

Hoyt Davidson, NSS Executive Vice President, noted, “We will miss Anita dearly as a friend, leader, and valued colleague—but perhaps the immeasurable loss will be for the thousands of students who will miss out on her inspiration, mentoring, and encouragement. How do you replace a kind and caring legend?”

Karlton Johnson, Chairman of the NSS Board of Governors and interim CEO, added, “Anita was a force of nature for positive change. Her precision, poise, and intellect made lasting improvements within NSS. She will be missed, but her legacy will endure for years to come.”

Gale was also an avid sailor, often competing in sailing contests, and taught many other people the skills she had learned. For many years she also took groups on annual rafting trips down the Grand Canyon.

Just weeks before her passing Gale was still driving thousands of miles every few months, overseeing the space settlement competitions she had founded, conducting NSS business, and visiting friends all over the country. One of her motivating goals was to continue to help young people, especially girls, to realize their talents in technical fields.

“Every culture has treated women differently than men,” Gale once said. “I think we’ll always know and see the difference between men and women and just acknowledge it less in the workplace. The differences between us are not really what’s important; what’s important, especially as engineers, is getting things accomplished.”