In a letter to the NSS Board of Directors, the former Marine pilot indicated he had unspecified conflicts with members of the governing structure, Space News reports.

“During the last year in this role it has become abundantly clear, however, that as long as elements of the existing leadership of the NSS continue to pursue courses of action — and perpetuate an atmosphere — that are not in the best interests of the Society, the challenges the organization face will become insurmountable,” Damphousse wrote. “For both professional and personal reasons, I have decided to pursue other opportunities.”

January 16, 2013 (FSDC PR) –

The FSDC will remain an active chapter of the NSS, working with other Florida chapters to support the NSS mission to promote social, economic, technological, and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth.

“Florida is a major ‘space state’ and deserves an active and influential NSS chapter to provide grassroots advocacy,” said NSS Executive Director Paul E. Damphousse. “The Florida Space Development Council can provide support to reinforce the already-substantial efforts of Space Florida and other organizations in the state.”

The newly renamed chapter will continue to sponsor bi-monthly membership meetings, featuring ‘Space Locals’ discussions with featured aerospace professionals and project managers. FSDC members will also develop and provide advocacy for a slate of policy priorities intended to promote the growth of space-related business, academic, and government programs at the state and federal level.

“With an annual membership rate of only five dollars, we want to broaden participation in FSDC beyond our existing NSS chapter members,” said FSDC President Laura Seward. “FSDC will offer new networking opportunities and provide a grassroots voice to more Floridians on space-related policies and programs.”

As part of the chapter’s re-branding effort, FSDC has also unveiled a new website that features a statewide calendar of space-related events and a library of documents relevant to the state’s development of space policy and programs.

This report concluded that spacecraft and their components, designated as dual-use items, can safely be removed from the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which is controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by the Department of State.

Once off the USML, the report recommends that these items be placed on the Commerce Control List (CCL) managed by the Department of Commerce. Experts maintain that a failure to implement this change not only would continue to cause harm to the American space industrial base, but could actually pose a threat to national security and potentially impede current and future space exploration efforts.

“For many years, the U.S. space industrial base has been at a competitive disadvantage with other countries due to outdated and overly burdensome licensing processes under ITAR,” said NSS Executive Director, Paul E. Damphousse. “The U.S space export control system has created delays, driven up costs, and severely hampered the ability of the American space industry to compete in an increasingly global market, and this situation must not be allowed to continue.”

A distinguished panel of export control policy experts will discuss the recommendations outlined in the Section 1248 report at NSS’s upcoming International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Washington, DC May 24-28, 2012. Patricia Cooper of the Satellite Industry Association will moderate the panel, which will include representatives from the Defense Department, Tauri Group, Bigelow Aerospace and the Universities Space Research Association. For more information about media access to the panel, please visit http://isdc.nss.org/2012 or email ISDC2012.Media@nss.org.

NSS believes that implementation of these recommendations will serve to bolster critical American space industries vital to space development and lead to increased cooperation in space exploration initiatives with our international partners. NSS agrees with the report’s goal, which is to urge Congress to enact legislation to “create higher walls around fewer items” and support the health and leadership of the U.S. space industrial base.

About ISDC: The International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ISDC 2012 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC from May 24 through 28, 2012. ISDC brings together a diverse group of NASA officials, aerospace industry leaders and interested private citizens to engage in discussions about today’s prevalent space issues in order to stimulate innovation and overcome the obstacles that hinder human advancement off the Earth.

About The National Space Society (NSS): NSS is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded when the National Space Institute and the L5 Society merged in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space. NSS has over 12,000 members and supporters, and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.

NASA's COLBERT Treadmill

Washington, DC (NSS PR) — On Thursday, May 3, Stephen Colbert will be presented with the National Space Society’s 2012 Space Pioneer Award for Mass Media on his popular show, The Colbert Report, on the Comedy Central cable network. The award will be presented by Apollo XI astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a member of the NSS Board of Governors and friend of Colbert’s.

“We are very pleased to present this award to Colbert in recognition of his unceasing promotion of space tourism, space development, NASA programs, and the use of private enterprise for better access to space, all of which are supported by the National Space Society,” said Paul E. Damphousse, NSS Executive Director. “By frequently interviewing astronauts, space entrepreneurs and scientists on his program, he has demonstrated that it is possible to inform the public on serious space topics in a comedic setting.”

Colbert is probably best known in the space community for his campaign to name a new space station node that actually resulted in the naming of a space station treadmill after him. The Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or C.O.L.B.E.R.T. for short, is located in the Tranquility node of the ISS, the node that was the subject of the naming competition. Colbert received the most votes; however, NASA decided to name the node after the Sea of Tranquility, site of the Apollo XI Moon landing.

NSS awards are usually presented at the Society’s annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC), however since Colbert is unable to attend due to a schedule conflict, it was suggested that it might be an interesting twist for Buzz to present the award on the show and Colbert agreed. ISDC organizers anticipate that a video clip of the presentation will be shown to Conference attendees, in lieu of the in-person presentation that normally occurs.
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About The National Space Society (NSS):  NSS is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.  Founded when the National Space Institute and the L5 Society merged in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space.  NSS has over 10,000 members and supporters, and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world.  The society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.  To learn more about NSS visit www.nss.org.

About ISDC: The International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ISDC 2012 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC from May 24 through 28, 2012. ISDC brings together a diverse group of NASA officials, aerospace industry leaders and interested private citizens to engage in discussions about today’s prevalent space issues in order to stimulate innovation and overcome the obstacles that hinder human advancement off the Earth.

In the last decade, Dr. Hawking has repeatedly and publicly advocated the need to move part of humanity off the Earth in order to avoid the destruction of the human race, either through self-destructive actions such as nuclear war, or natural phenomena such as asteroid collision or, eventually, the death of our nearest star, the Sun.

“I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space,” says Hawking. “It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let’s hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load.”
 
“Dr. Hawking’s public statements are very important, not only because of the respect his fellow scientists and many others have for him and his work, but also because they give more credence to these issues among scientists, the media, politicians, and the public,” said NSS Executive Director, Paul E. Damphousse, who will present the award to Hawking in Texas, along with Board of Governors member and Heinlein literary executor, Arthur M. Dula, CEO of Excalibur Almaz, a private spaceflight company.
 
Damphousse added, “Speaking for all our members, chapters, and partners who actively participated in the selection process, it is a distinct honor and privilege to bestow this honor upon Dr. Hawking – one of the greatest minds of our time.”
 
The Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award, named after the author widely recognized as the “dean of science fiction writers,” honors those individuals who have made significant, lifetime contributions to the creation of a free, spacefaring civilization. Those individuals whose actions have involved personal, social, or financial risk are particularly meritorious. It is one of the highest honors bestowed upon an individual by the National Space Society because the award winner is chosen by vote of all of the Society’s members and chapters.
 
The date on which Dr. Hawking will receive the award exactly coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the National Space Society through a merger between the National Space Institute and the L5 Society. More formal celebratory events will occur at NSS’s 31st International Space Development Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., May 24-28, 2012. A video of the award presentation to Dr. Hawking will be shown at the 25th Anniversary Governors Dinner and Gala.
 
About The National Space Society (NSS): NSS is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.  Founded when the National Space Institute and the L5 Society merged in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space.  NSS has over 12,000 members and supporters, and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world.  The society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.
 
About ISDC: The International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ISDC 2012 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC from May 24 through 28, 2012. ISDC brings together a diverse group of NASA officials, aerospace industry leaders and interested private citizens to engage in discussions about today’s prevalent space issues in order to stimulate innovation and overcome the obstacles that hinder human advancement off the Earth.

March 2, 2012, Washington, DC (NSS PR)

The annual Blitz, conducted in conjunction with 12 other non-profit space advocacy organizations that collectively form the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA), is a grassroots event that unites individuals from all walks of life and with diverse political beliefs to meet with members of Congress and/or their staff to stress the importance of space exploration and development.

“We had 100 congressional meetings over two days, and found broad bi-partisan support for our space program, but varying opinions as to the best path forward in light of the current budget situation, and those differences of opinion are not necessarily based on party lines,” said NSS Executive Vice President Rick Zucker, the primary coordinator and scheduler for the Blitz on behalf of SEA.

The Blitz teams advocated for the six major components of a well-developed U.S. space program contained in the SEA’s Blitz Talking Points (attached):

1. Development of the next generation of launch vehicles that are “mission-enabling and mission-enhancing, while at the same time focused on efficiency, affordability, safety, reliability and sustainability”;
2. Full support by Congress for the commercial launch industry in its efforts to restore American access to the International Space Station, with NASA focusing its resources on exploration, which would provide NASA with a higher return on its science/exploration budget;
3. Establishment of specific timelines and goals for future human space activities, including at least one intermediate destination beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), such as an asteroid or the Moon, as well as a plan to land a human on Mars;
4. Support for space science that will push the boundaries of knowledge and pave the way for human space exploration;
5. The definition and prioritization by NASA of the most promising advanced technology
   concepts, which will not only provide the means to explore and develop space, and a sustained human presence in space, but also to develop new applications to improve life on Earth; and
6. A sustained generational commitment to NASA’s mission that transcends partisan politics and election cycles, as well as provides incentives for private sector participation and international partnerships.

In addition to the Blitz Talking Points and other informative materials, a copy of NSS’s recently published “Call to Action for American Leadership in Civil Space” (attached) was distributed to the individual members and their staff at each of the meetings.

NSS Executive Director Paul Damphousse said, “NSS is very pleased to lead the SEA in calling on Congress and the Administration to work together in leveraging the necessary partnerships between the public and private sectors relative to space exploration and launch capabilities. We look forward to a continued strong relationship with our sister organizations in advocating for our mutual goals.”

About the National Space Society: NSS is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.  Founded when the National Space Institute and the L5 Society merged in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space.  NSS has over 10,000 members and supporters, and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world.  The society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. To learn more, visit www.nss.org.

About the Space Exploration Alliance: The Space Exploration Alliance is an unprecedented partnership of the nation’s premier non-profit space organizations with a combined membership of thousands of people throughout the United States. SEA members work together to communicate to the American public and elected officials that NASA’s bold and substantial mandate for human and robotic exploration of the solar system is a compelling national priority that is technically and fiscally achievable, will inspire the nation’s youth and the public, reinvigorate the traditional aerospace workforce and industrial base, and foster job-creating entrepreneurial activity across the entire economy.

“Since its creation, the National Space Society has been, and remains today, the nation’s preeminent space advocacy organization,” said Lt. Col. Damphousse. He added, “NSS traces its roots to NSI’s first president, Werner Von Braun, and to Gerald O’Neill, who was the inspiration for the L5 Society. Today we count visionaries such as Buzz Aldrin, Norm Augustine, and Pete Worden among our leadership. It is my distinct honor to serve as NSS Executive Director while we chart a path toward our collective goals of human settlements beyond the Earth and of using the vast resources of space for the betterment of life here at home. These are challenging times for our country and for its future in space – but I view challenges as opportunities; I look forward to strengthening our membership, building new relationships, and creating new opportunities in and from space together.”

“Paul is a good friend and I can’t think of a better person to lead the NSS at this critical time,” said NSS Board of Governors member and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. “This year the U.S. must decide whether it has the will and ability to lead the world in human space exploration. Paul’s leadership and vision will be vital to ensuring our nation makes the right decisions regarding our future in space.”

Lt. Col. Damphousse brings a wealth of space, operations, and legislative leadership experience to the position of Executive Director. Until his recent retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps following a 22- year career, he served as Chief of Advanced Concepts for the National Security Space Office (NSSO) and the DoD Executive Agent for Space in Washington, DC. In this capacity he led the NSSO’s space-based solar power effort and championed the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN) concept as a near-instantaneous crisis response capability. His work on the latter resulted in the publication of a concept of operations and technology roadmap for suborbital/SUSTAIN missions. He has also served as Florida Senator Bill Nelson’s NASA Fellow, the Senator’s principal advisor for all civil and national security space matters, where he played an instrumental role in advancing new commercial spaceflight activities.

While serving as a Marine Corps pilot, Lt. Col. Damphousse accumulated over 2300 flight hours, several hundred of which were flown in combat. His last operational deployment was as the Operations Officer for Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced) where he led the planning and execution of all Marine combat aviation operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He holds a Master’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and was a Marine Corps Space Operations Officer. He was twice selected by the Marine Corps as a nominee for NASA astronaut candidate.

Lt. Col. Damphousse has been a member of the NSS since 1999, serving on the NSS Board of Directors since 2010, and is a 2008 recipient of the NSS Space Pioneer Award for Space Development.

NSS will host a teleconference on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. EST for members of the media to ask Lt. Col. Damphousse questions associated with his vision for space and the organization.

PowerSat's plans for beaming energy from space

NSS PR — Washington, D.C. — The National Space Society (NSS) will hold a press conference on November 14, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce the findings of a ground-breaking space solar power study conducted by the prestigious International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

“With space solar power technology, energy can be collected from space and transmitted wirelessly anywhere in the world,” said Mark Hopkins, the leading Executive Officer of the National Space Society. “This technology could be the answer to our energy crisis. We look forward to sharing the results of the IAA’s study, and exploring the potential that space solar power has for creating thousands of green energy jobs,” he added.

This event is free and open to the public. Members of the press are encouraged to attend.

SpaceShipTwo glides downward on its first test flight. (Photo: Mark Greenberg)

NSS PR — On May 7th, 2011, the National Space Society’s Space Ambassador program began its year-long mission. The top ambassador will be assigned a research trip to space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

The program, which was over two years in development, is the first of its kind. The mission of the Space Ambassador program is to communicate the benefits of space exploration to our daily lives and to inspire and educate young people and the public to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. We wish to inspire a new generation of leaders to take an active role in helping to create the future they wish to see come to pass.

Space ambassadors will achieve the program goals by scheduling and conducting speeches and presentations where they see fit, particularly in schools and universities. These presentations are conducted by volunteers who share the dreams and goals necessary to expand commercial space and space exploration endeavors of the future.

To date there are approximately 5,000 registered Space Ambassadors worldwide. Almost every country on Planet Earth is represented in this program. At the end of the program run, the top Space Ambassadors will be announced at the 2012 International Space Development conference in Washington D.C. and their award missions will be assigned.

The top ambassador will be assigned a research trip to space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and report back to the Society and its members. Other ambassadors will be assigned space training and research with ZeroG Corporation, NASTAR center and Aurora Aerospace, among others.

It is envisioned the program will reach out to over one million students around the globe during the course of the program and inspire future space industry leaders, giving its audiences valuable information regarding commercial space development and exploration progress. This will enable students to make educated decisions regarding their future education goals.

More informaton about the NSS Space Ambassador Program can be found at:
www.spaceambassadors.com

The static test of a Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 4, 2010. (Credit: SpaceX)

NSS PR – In recognition of SpaceX’s groundbreaking year in 2010, with the successful launch of two Falcon 9 rockets, and the safe return of its Dragon capsule, the National Space Society (NSS) is today announcing that Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will be the recipient of the NSS’s 2011 Pioneer Award for Business Entrepreneur. This award will be presented at the NSS’s annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC), which will be held from May 18-May 22, 2011 in Huntsville, Alabama. Adam Harris, SpaceX’s Vice President for Government Affairs, will accept the award on behalf of SpaceX.

NSS Executive Director, Gary Barnhard states, “There are certain milestones and breakthroughs that accompany any successful venture, including those in the space industry. SpaceX has clearly demonstrated the engineering skill and tenacity to be a serious contender in the evolving commercial cargo and crew launch vehicle market.”

SpaceX recently announced its proposal to build a new Falcon Heavy lift launch vehicle, with a projected launch date sometime in late 2013 or in 2014. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that SpaceX is working towards cost reduction in manufacturing while making the rockets lighter and stronger with improved engine thrust and reliability. Even larger vehicles, with greater lifting capabilities are envisioned by SpaceX and others to meet the requirements of NASA’s Heavy Lift program. Says Rick Zucker, NSS Executive Vice President, “Expanding our launch capabilities to include heavy lift options, such as the one which has now been proposed by SpaceX, could make a significant contribution to space exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit.”

Mark Hopkins, Chair of the NSS Executive Committee, notes that, “The high cost of launch has always hampered the exploration and development of space. With its Falcon Heavy vehicle, SpaceX seeks to achieve a major reduction in launch costs. Such a reduction could enable entirely new categories of space industry, such as commercial space stations and privately funded activities on the Moon in cooperation with a government funded lunar program.”

NSS PR – Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a Senior Fellow at India’s Institute of Security Studies, and Senior Fellow at India’s Observer Research Foundation, is urging the United States and India to jointly develop an energy alternative that can take us beyond nuclear technology.  Events like the recent earthquake in Japan are causing many to rethink traditional energy sources.  The energy alternative suggested is Space Solar Power (SSP).  In the online Analysis publication of the Indian Observer Research Foundation, Dr. Rajagopalan writes, “With the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, isn’t it time for India and the US to make serious commitments to Space-Based Solar Power?”

Dr. Rajagopalan points out that the concept of space solar power is 40 years old.  Much of its technology has been in use for close to sixty years.  But space solar power has never been seriously pursued as a major energy option, even though there are supporters of space solar power in Japan, Russia, the European Union, and most of the world’s leading nations.

The National Space Society (NSS) has recently teamed with a former president of India, Dr. A.P.J. Kalam, in the Kalam-NSS Energy Initiative, to drive home the potential of what Dr. Kalam calls “energy harvested in space”. Kalam is famous for his accomplishments in the aerospace field.  He is known as the “Missile Man of India” and currently serves as Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.  Dr. Rajagopalan quotes Dr. Kalam: “by 2050, even if we use every available energy resource we have, clean and dirty, conventional and alternative, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, coal, oil, and gas, the world will fall short of the energy we need by 66%.”

Space solar power involves placing large arrays of lightweight solar panels in high Earth orbit, where sunlight is 36 percent stronger than on Earth. Any equipment placed there is totally immune to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, local wars, rust, corrosion, hail, and other forms of destruction occurring on the ground.  The solar power gathered by the arrays is beamed down to a receiver on the ground.  Clean electrical energy would be efficiently and safely delivered night and day, 7 days a week.  Space solar power could provide a large alternate supply of carbon-free electrical power to the whole Earth.  For details see Dr. Rajagopalan’s article.

Most importantly, the prestigious International Academy of Astronautics is expected to complete a study of SSP within weeks, which may set the stage for the first substantial steps towards making SSP a reality.  The National Space Society plans to hold a press conference at the National Space Club in Washington DC, concerning the study, when it is released.  NSS also plans to hold a SSP symposium as part of its annual convention, the International Space Development Conference, in Huntsville, Alabama, May 18-22, 2011.

Dr. Rajagopalan’s article can be found at: http://www.nss.org/orf-02April2011.

A video of the November 4, 2011 NSS press conference announcing the Kalam-NSS Energy Initiative is available at: http://www.nss.org/news/releases/pc20101104.html.

Information on Space Solar Power is at:   http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp.

About The National Space Society

The National Space Society is an independent, international, educational, grassroots, non-profit and non-partisan organization devoted to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.  It supports the exploration and development of space for the benefit of humanity.  Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space. NSS counts thousands of members and more than 50 chapters worldwide. The Society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. For more information about NSS, visit www.nss.org.

This week on The Space Show…

1. Monday, March 21, 2011 , 2-3:30 PM PDT. We welcome back Bob Werb, co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation, to discuss the “Keep The Promise Program”.

2. Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7-8:30 PM PDT: We turn our attention to the upcoming ISDC Conference with Cliff McMurray and Bart Leahy.

3. Friday, March 25, 2011 , 9:30-11 AM PDT: We welcome back Dr. Clay Moltz regarding his current work and writings addressing space governance issues and more.

4. Sunday, March 27, 2011, 12-1:30 PM PDT. We welcome back Dr. Bill Rowe for Part 3 of his 3 part series on space medicine, related issues for our personal lives, and more. It would also help to be familiar with his first two programs which are archived from March 14 and 18, 2011.

A note from NSS Executive Director Gary Barnhardt:

The National Space Society and the Space Exploration Alliance invite you to participate in the annual Legislative Blitz in Washington, D.C. from February 27 to March 1. The 2011 Blitz comes at a crucial moment. In September 2010, Congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. It is now time for Congress to enact legislation that appropriates the required funding in compliance with the Authorization Act.

Over 100 meetings are anticipated with Congressional offices. Blitz participants will have the opportunity to discuss the future direction of our nation’s space program. Come join space advocates from around the country to let Congress know that there is strong constituent support for an ambitious space program.

You can register to participate in the Legislative Blitz by following this link (Register Now!), or, for more information contact Rick Zucker at rick.zucker@nss.org.

If you can not attend please consider lending your financial support to the effort (Online Donation)

For those of you keeping score at home, here’s the schedule for four space lobbying efforts taking place on the Hill this winter:

Legislative Blitz
Organizers: National Space Society/Space Exploration Alliance
Dates: Feb. 27 – March 1
Registration

“Keep Your Promise”
Organizer: Space Frontier Foundation
Dates: March 6-8, 2011
Information

March Storm
Organizer: ProSpace
Dates: March 13-15
Information

California Space Week Washington DC
Organizer: California Space Authority
Dates: March 28-31, 2011
Register

NSS PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 29, 2010

In late September 2010, after many months of debate, Congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. This three-year authorization demonstrated a bipartisan, cooperative effort on the part of both the House and the Senate to provide a framework for engaging the Executive Branch in a comprehensive dialog on the future of NASA. On October 11, 2010, the bill was signed into law by the president.

In an era when such strong bipartisan agreement is rarely seen, the overwhelming support on both sides of the political aisle for our nation’s space program and for the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 reaffirmed our nation’s strong commitment to a space program that is dynamic, engaging, and sustainable. Although the compromise embodied in this legislation is not without risk to the ultimate success of the U.S. human spaceflight program, it nevertheless provides guidance to the Executive Branch and a path forward.

It is now incumbent upon Congress, the Administration, NASA, commercial concerns, and non-governmental organizations to work together to implement both the spirit and the letter of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. It is now time to enact legislation that appropriates the required funding in compliance with the Authorization Act.

Rick Zucker, Executive Vice President for the National Space Society (NSS), stated, “Throughout this debate, the NSS has reaffirmed its longstanding and unwavering commitment to further space exploration and development. We were encouraged that the Executive and Legislative branches listened to the public’s pleas to maintain American leadership in space, utilize our investment in the International Space Station, stimulate the development of commercial space, and develop technologies to reach beyond low Earth orbit. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 was a victory for our nation as a whole. However, there is still much work to be done, not the least of which is the passage of an appropriations bill that is in accordance with the Authorization Act of 2010.”

NSS calls upon our political leaders to, once again, put aside partisan politics, and to enact an appropriations bill that funds NASA to the full extent of the Authorization Act. Unless the necessary funding as set forth in the Authorization Act is appropriated by Congress, the people will view the Authorization Act as just another empty promise from a government in gridlock. In contrast, with a matching appropriation passed, Congress and the Administration can share in the credit for NASA’s accomplishments in the coming years, including high-tech jobs, American youths dreaming of the future, and an economy stimulated by new technology and discoveries.

Therefore, NSS calls on Congress to pass an appropriations bill for NASA at the earliest opportunity.

National Space Society Chairman Mark Hopkins held a press conference this morning in which he unveiled more details of the Kalam-NSS Initiative, a joint U.S.-Indian effort aimed at building clean space-based solar power satellites.

Hopkins said that the program would combine American technology and low-cost Indian manufacturing to generate jobs and clean energy in both countries. A vibrant space solar power program would make the nations net energy exporters instead of importers.

The first step will be a bilateral conference at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville in May. It will involve 15-25 top researchers from each country, Hopkins said during a press event in Washington, D.C.

Joining Hopkins in the press conference by phone were: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former president of India who is chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology; co-principal investigator T.K. Alex, director of the ISRO Satellite Centre; and American co-principal investor John Mankins, president of the Space Power Association.

Kalem, the “Missile Man” of India who was project director for the nation’s first satellite launcher, said space solar power could be used to help bring energy to the poor of the world. India can help bring down the cost of launching satellite components into orbit, he added. Kalem believes the project could take about 15 years.

Mankins, who is COO of Managed Energy Technologies, said that the dialogue between the U.S. and India goes back about a decade. The Kalam project is designed at a systems level, end-to-end study of space solar power and developing key technologies. Makins, who spend 25 years at NASA, said the most recent systems studies he oversaw at the space agency date back to the mid-1990s and need to be updated.

Asked what cost would make space solar power affordable, Mankins said that he was aiming to produce a 10 megawatt system in 10 years for less than $10 billion. He also gave the following figures:

Energy cost: $.10 per kilowatt hour
Platform mass: 3 kilograms per kilowatt delivered
Deployed cost: $3,000 per kilogram
Installed cost: $10 per watt
Platform operating lifetime: 15-20 years

Mankins said that 10 cents per kilowatt hour would be highly competitive with available terrestrial green energy.

He said that he had not briefed NASA on the Kalam initiative yet. Mankins said there was a “good chance” that NASA will end up supporting relevant development given the agency’s focus on “gaming changing” technologies.

Asked about the moon, Mankins said that although the moon might provide building materials for satellites, it would be much more difficult to beam power directly from the lunar surface because of the increased distance and the moon’s orbit.

Alex said that space solar satellites will become a reality if the cost of launching payloads into space is reduced. He said that no single country can bear the cost of creating these systems, he added.