ACTIVITIES
Help the National Space Society achieve its vision for a vigorous future of exploration and settlement of outer space by becoming a new member! NSS also needs your help finding others who share our vision to become part of a dynamic community of space advocates. Help us grow our ranks while at the same time earn rewards for your NSS Chapter.
NSS' Campaign for the Future is an ongoing, multiyear membership recruitment campaign. Participants can accumulate reward points over multiple years if desired to earn higher reward levels.
MEETINGS & ACTIVITIES
Large or small, local NSS chapter meetings offer you the chance to meet new people and exchange fresh ideas. Healthy discussions or lively debates take place on current U.S. space policy, and the steps being taken to affect change since the end of the space shuttle era.
With the advent of the internet and the growing and wide-spread acceptance of e-mail and social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others), there is no excuse for a local NSS chapter member to not know what is happening in the space arena, or to stay on top of the latest news with fellow members, whether you are just down the street or halfway around the world.
The National Space Society has also teamed up with Virgin Galactic to identify Space Ambassadors around the world. As part of their duties, Space Ambassadors will communicate the value of space research and exploration to their local communities, and one special Space Ambassador will be selected to fly on a Virgin Galactic space flight!
CONFERENCES & CONTESTS
Held in major cities across the U.S., the International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ISDCs bring together NSS leaders and its membership with astronauts, leading aerospace managers, engineers, scientists, educators, and businessmen from civilian, military, commercial, entrepreneurial, and grassroots space advocacy sectors.
Join us for the 34th annual ISDC at the Hyatt Regency Toronto in Ontario, Canada May 20-24. See also the ISDC archives at Island One for more history and details.
NASA Ames Research Center in conjunction with the National Space Society sponsors an annual Space Settlement Design Contest for 6-12th grade students. The competition puts high school students in the shoes of aerospace industry engineers designing a city in space that will house over 10,000 people. Student engineers demonstrate creativity, technical competence, management skills, environmental knowledge, space, teamwork, and presentation techniques to conquer the problems inherent in siting and designing a Space Settlement.
SPECIAL EVENTS & EXTRAS
The sights and sounds of personally witnessing a launch from Vandenberg AFB in northern Santa Barbara County can't be adequately described -- you just have to go and experience it for yourself! Local NSS chapter members have opportunities to attend up close and personal "behind-the-scenes" tours and briefings on the latest in space development.
Every February, as the U.S. Congress begins its deliberations on the federal budget, NSS members visit Representatives and Senators in their offices in Washington, DC, in support of the Society's most important space-related agenda items for the year. This event, held over a three-day period, typically involves meetings with over one hundred congressional offices.
This activity is open to all NSS members — no experience necessary, and, the more the better! — and allows members of Congress to hear directly from their constituents about the importance of expanding civilization into space.
Interested in having us at one of your local events? Lets Talk.
TESTIMONIALS
“Several of my former students are actually involved in space-related professions or university programs because they became so excited by their participation in the NASA space settlement contest. They know they are on the threshold of a whole new phase of human activity.”
Passeri Densmole - 8th grade English teacher
"I participated in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 NASA Space Settlement Design Contests. In 1996 I had the pleasure of touring the NASA Ames Research Center with Mr. Al Globus. These contests, along with the opportunity to observe space science first-hand, were invaluable experiences. They have influenced my ambitions and choice of career, as well as my study habits, more than any junior high school or high school class that I took. The contests encourage students to think big, but in a critical way. A successful entry requires seriously hitting the books, the first time I was forced to do so. Beyond directly spotlighting the importance of space settlement and of NASA, I am certain that the contests have had a ripple effect of attracting young minds to ambitious projects across all fields of science and engineering."
Moshe Looks, PhD., Software engineer at Google