Challenges of Building a Starship in the 21st century Part 3 Packet Resupply
Introduction My goal in my online book at https://www.allthingsspace.info and this series of articles was to see what a starship would look like if designed and built this century. This meant I would only use current or those technologies that with a decade or two of...
A Profile of Space Shuttle Payload Specialist Byron Lichtenberg
Image: Payload Specialist Byron Lichtenberg working in the Spacelab on the Space Shuttle STS-009 mission in 1983 [This interview focused on Byron Lichtenberg's involvement with the National Space Society and originally appeared in the February-March 1995 (v07n01)...
Challenges of Building a Starship in the 21st century Part 2 Two Stage and the Powered Maneuver
Introduction My goal was to see what a starship would look like if designed and built this century. This meant I would only use current or those technologies that with a decade or two of reasonable extrapolation, would be available. In the first article I laid out the...
Challenges of Building a Starship in the 21st Century Part 1 Scoping the Problem
There have been many excellent books and articles that address the difficulties of building a starship. Most approach it from a theoretical perspective and discuss the physics and technical challenges. Rarely do they approach it from a comprehensive engineering point of view.
Space Business Plan Competition Insights
Serving as a judge in a space business plan competition this year allowed me to combine my interests in space development with my interests in space economics. Evaluating the space business plans that were submitted to the contest was quite educational given the...
The Challenge of Commercial Space Stations
The March 2023 Chicago Society for Space Studies meeting will be the presentation The Challenge of Commercial Space Stations which looks at the business and market environment, as well as related factors, that will impact the sustainability of commercial space stations.
2022 Year in Review
For Chicago Society for Space Studies (CSSS), the year 2022 featured a number of successes. One of these successes was being the recipient of the National Space Society’s Chapter Excellence Award. Central to receiving this award was the educational outreach activities of the Chicago Society for Space Studies Speakers Bureau.
U.S. Space Policy Meeting with U.S. Congressional Candidate Chris Dargis
On August 1 2022 Chicago Society for Space Studies President Jim Plaxco met with Chris Dargis, Republican congressional candidate for the IL 8th congressional district to discuss the Alliance for Space Development 2022 space policy positions.
2022 Space Year in Review Program Meeting
The December 2022 free public meeting of Chicago Society for Space Studies (CSSS) will feature CSSS Vice President Larry Boyle giving his 2022 Space Year in Review presentation.
The Prospects for Mars Space Tourism
(This document was created in 2020 for reference use as a part of an entry in the Mars Society's Mars City State Design Competition.) In addressing the question of the size and value of an Earth → Mars tourism industry for the Mars City State Design Competition, there...