Awards and Scholarships
Each year at the International Space Development Conferences, the National Space Society honors individuals and groups who have made significant contributions consistent with the Society’s mission of creating a spacefaring civilization. These awards include:
- The Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award, for lifetime contributions to the creation of a free
spacefaring civilization. Selected by vote of the NSS membership and given only in even-numbered
years. - The NSS Wernher Von Braun Memorial Award, for the greatest space team effort of the year, given only in odd-numbered years.
- The Gerard K. O’Neill Memorial Award for Space Settlement Advocacy, given occasionally as warranted.
- The Space Pioneer Awards, usually three of which are given each year in recognition of significant accomplishments in opening the space frontier.
- The Chris Pancratz Memorial Space Activist of the Year Award for the person who has done the most to move forward the development of space.
- NSS Excellence Awards for individual volunteer efforts in service to the Society.
- NSS Chapter Awards for the most active chapters of the year.
- The Herman Rubin Memorial Scholarship of $5,000 is presented annually to the highest ranking entry in the NSS Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest whose student(s) attend the ISDC.
Past Awards:
- Bruce M. Clark, Jr. Memorial Scholarship was presented annually from 2010 to 2018 to the grand prize winner(s) of the NSS/NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest.
- NSS-ISU scholarships to the International Space University were given from 2006 to 2008.
See also: Contests
List of awards by year: