The National Space Society (NSS) is an international nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. It 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, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity. — 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, by the merger of 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, an elected volunteer Board of Directors and Board of Governors.
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 current Executive Director of NSS as of January 2012 is Lt. Col Paul Damhousse, Ret.
Read more about National Space Society: International Space Development Conference, NSS Chapters Network, Awards, Affiliations
Famous quotes containing the words national, space and/or society:
“Not one of our national officers ever has had a dollar of salary. I retire on full pay!”
—Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)
“No being exists or can exist which is not related to space in some way. God is everywhere, created minds are somewhere, and body is in the space that it occupies; and whatever is neither everywhere nor anywhere does not exist. And hence it follows that space is an effect arising from the first existence of being, because when any being is postulated, space is postulated.”
—Isaac Newton (1642–1727)
“We’re scientists, aren’t we? That’s one society where frayed cuffs don’t matter. We’ve all had ‘em.”
—Walter Reisch (1903–1963)