National Space Society logo (courtesy
of NSS)
The
National Space Society (NSS) is an
international nonprofit
501, educational,
and scientific organization specializing in
space advocacy. NSS is a member of the
Independent Charities of America, and an annual participant in the
Combined Federal
Campaign.
The National Space Society's vision is people
living and working in thriving communities beyond the
Earth.
NSS members promote change in social, technical,
economic, educational, and political conditions to advance the day
when people will live and work in space.
— National Space Society vision
statement
The
society supports manned space
missions as well as unmanned
space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes by both the public (e.g.,
NASA
, Russian
Federal Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency) and private sector (e.g., Ansari X Prize, Transformational Space, Scaled
Composites
, etc.)
organizations.
The National Space Society was established in the United States on
March 28, 1987, from the merger of two space advocacy
organizations: the
National
Space Institute, founded by Dr.
Wernher von Braun; and the
L5 Society, based on the concepts of Dr.
Gerard K. O'Neill.
The society enjoys the support of, and is served by, a volunteer
elected
Board of Directors and
Board of Governors consisting of
such individuals as astronauts
Buzz
Aldrin,
Michael
Collins,
Frank Borman,
Jim Lovell,
John Glenn,
Harrison Schmitt,
Gerald Carr,
William
Pogue and
Kenneth Money, writers
C. J.
Cherryh and
Ben
Bova, actors and entertainers
Tom
Hanks,
Tom Cruise,
Lance Bass,
Majel
Barrett Roddenberry,
Nichelle
Nichols and
Bruce Boxleitner,
scientists Dr.
Alan Binder, Dr.
K. Eric
Drexler, Dr.
David Criswell and
Dr.
Michael DeBakey,
Maria von Braun and many
others.
The chairman of the society's Board of Governors is former
ABC-TV 20/20 host and news anchor
Hugh Downs. The chairman of the Board of
Directors is
Kirby Ikin. The Executive
Director of the society was
George
T. Whitesides until early
2009 when he moved on to work for NASA and the Obama
administration.
The National Space Society hosts the annual
International Space
Development Conference (ISDC) that is held in major cities and
venues. The ISDC has often been held over the
Memorial Day weekend. ISDC 2007 "From Old
Frontiers to New: Celebrating 50 Years of Space Flight" was
broadcasted live from Dallas via
streaming video from
May
25 through
May 28, 2007—courtesy of the
helloWorld website. The general public was provided the opportunity
to follow key remarks and presentations by running their computer's
mouse or
cursor
over the TV
broadcast tower graphic
entitled "Shows" and clicking the "On the Air Now!" link.
Archived files of past ISDC conferences can also be reviewed via
the
Islandone.org ISDC website.
NSS sponsors and supports smaller, regional conferences as well.
The Society's magazine
Ad
Astra is published quarterly.
NSS Chapters network
A large number of NSS chapters exist around the world as a means to
involve members in local groups for a variety of purposes. Some of
these purposes include space advocacy, education, volunteering, and
technical projects that can excite and energize the grassroots
space movement.
NSS chapters may serve a local area such as a school, city or town,
or have a topical or
special
interest focus, such as a
rocketry or
astronomy club, or
educational/
community
outreach program. Chapters are the
peripheral organs of the society by organizing events,
communicating with the public on the merits and benefits of space
exploration, working to educate political leaders, and inspiring
new generations of space activists.
Active chapters are eligible to receive a number of resources
regularly supplied by NSS. For example, chapters may establish a
local
web site on the NSS Chapter
Network.
Physical resources, such as NSS banners, copies of
Ad Astra magazine, membership
brochures and the like are provided to chapters on an
ad hoc basis, usually upon request via the chapters
committee.
A very strong contingent of chapters is located in
Australia. Prior to the NSI-L5 merger, the L5
Society had been developing chapters around the world, and in
Australia, three chapters had been established.
The 'Southern Cross L5
Society' was formed in 1979, with groups in Sydney
, Adelaide
(in 1984)
and Brisbane
(in
1986).
As the NSS network in Australia developed and chapter membership
numbers grew, the need became apparent for a greater national
structure to be developed to coordinate the many activities of the
Society.
Following discussion with all chapters, it was decided in late 1989
to create the
National Space Society of Australia (NSSA)
which could act as an umbrella organization under which all
chapters could operate, providing for them a single identity in
which to be recognized by, and through which resources, finances
and administration could be pooled for the better operation of all
chapters. The change to NSSA, while linking to the parent
organization, has helped to further strengthen NSSA's own
independent, self-governed identity in Australia.
Similar
efforts have taken hold in Brazil
, Canada
and Mexico
, as well as
European countries that have a strong aerospace presence.
NSS
chapters within the European Union
include France
, Germany
and the
Netherlands
.
Individuals interested in joining as an
individual member or forming a chapter of like-minded peers within
their own community can fill out a "Request to form an NSS chapter"
form either in writing, by going on-line to the main website, or by
personally calling the Washington, D.C.
headquarters office for more information or
assistance.
Awards
The Independent Charities of America's
Seal of Excellence
The National Space Society was awarded the "Five-Star Best in
America" award by the Independent Charities of America organization
in 2005:
"Space Exploration Is Good For
Everyone"
There is a great need today to convince the American public
that boldly exploring and developing space is very important!
The average American is focused on their wealth, health, and
safety. They do not see the relevance of space.
They have not forgotten space; they just do not see that going
there is necessary - they see it as a luxury for better times.
But space exploration today is improving the lives of ALL
Americans! —
Independent Charities of America
website
The Independent Charities' Seal of Excellence is awarded to the
members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent
Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review,
been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis
that they meet the highest standards of public accountability,
program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards
include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the
Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive
in the world. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United
States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent,
meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000
have been awarded this Seal.
Additionally, NSS manages a number of awards via an awards
committee. These are typically presented during the annual
International Space
Development Conference that NSS hosts. These awards are in
recognition of individual volunteer effort, awards for NSS chapter
work, the "
Space Pioneer" award, and two
significant awards which are presented in alternate years:
- The Robert A. Heinlein Memorial
Award, given in even-numbered years (2004, 2006, etc.).
The 2006 recipient was retired Air Force
Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck"
Yeager for his pioneering efforts in aeronautics with the
Bell X-1 rocket-powered flights of the late
1940s and early 1950s.
- The NSS Von Braun Award, given in odd-numbered
years (2003, 2005, etc.). The 2005 recipient was Burt Rutan in recognition for his achievements in
the development of SpaceShipOne, winner
of the $10 million Ansari X
Prize.
Other scholarships and award activities NSS provides or assists
with include:
- The
NSS-ISU scholarship, worth $12,000, to the
International Space University
. Application deadline is December 31 of each
year, for study during the following year. The 2005 recipient was
Robert Guinness of St. Louis;
- EURISY international youth science fiction
writing competition (NSS provided US support in 2005), and;
- Permission to Dream space adventure for
students, teachers and parents from the Space Frontier Foundation which is
partly sponsored by NSS.
Affiliations
The National Space Society is an alliance organization of the
Meade 4M Community in support of
the educational initiatives and outreach of NSS.
See also
References
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