NSS legislative and grassroots action center
- NSS Position Papers
- Basics on how to contact Congress
- Join our Political Action Network
- NSS Legislative Blitzes
- NSS Policy Leadership Team
Campaign to Save NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission)
The Save NEO Surveyor campaign will run throughout the summer of 2023. Over the next few months, NSS and the Alliance for Space Development (ASD) will be scheduling meetings with key congressional offices and splitting volunteers into action teams. Virtual training will be provided for all signups. Our training will include specifics on who we are, what we are advocating for, and how to participate in these virtual meetings. We make sure that everyone can contribute to our advocacy efforts regardless of prior experience. Don’t be afraid to sign up if it’s your first time advocating! More information will be provided by email after signup.
Save NEO Surveyor Sign-Up link
All actions events during 2023 will be virtual, using a combination of Zoom calls and conference calls.
Please direct any questions or comments to Executive Coordinator Cari Reinert at [email protected] and the NSS NEO Surveyor Campaign Manager Jon Dagle at [email protected]
Background information
Our policy points were developed by our member organizations including the National Space Society, Space Frontier Foundation, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and several others. During this period we will focus on three policy points, with a special focus on saving NEO Surveyor from proposed devastating cuts:
- Support planetary defense by continued funding of NASA’s NEO Surveyor mission and other planetary defense initiatives.
- Support the Commercial LEO Development Program through CLD stations and products.
- Support the development of Space Solar Power capabilities through multiple programs between the Departments of Commerce and Defense.
Following years of success, we are in serious trouble with the NEO Surveyor Mission. This mission will supply critical information on near-Earth objects unavailable to current ground-based instruments by using infrared detection and the Earth-Sun L1 orbit.
The Commercial LEO Development (CLD) Program supports industry efforts to develop sustained commercial LEO presence, transition manned LEO activity from NASA to commercial partners, develop commercial LEO destinations, stimulate commercial growth in LEO, and ensure a seamless transition at the end-of-life for the International Space Station. We are asking for funding of CLD stations and purchase of CLD products.
We are also continuing our efforts to promote Space Solar Power (SSP). SSP refers to the collection of the sun’s energy in the space environment, then beaming that energy for collection on the Earth’s surface. After a discussion with representatives from ASD member organizations, we believe our country’s capabilities with space access, solar power, and energy transfer have reached a level where we can begin looking at an SSP program. With increasingly cheaper access to orbit and a growing need for energy across the globe, this program could pave the way to U.S. dominance in LEO. Several agencies, companies, and international competitors have already begun their own research into SSP programs, and ASD is asking for government focus into this capability.
Save NEO Surveyor Sign-Up Link
ASD 2022 Objectives [PDF]
Space Policy Blog Posts:
To Space—to Save the Earth
By Fisher Smith, NSS Legal Fellow Why should we spend the money, effort and time focusing on outer space exploration and development? After all, it’s a very expensive process to get resources, people and infrastructure into space. Wouldn’t that money be better spent...
Ground-Breaking SpaceX Crew-1 Commercial Flight Enhances International Space Station Productivity
National Space Society's Ongoing Support for Commercial Spaceflight Shows Results On Tuesday, at 11:01 pm Eastern Time, SpaceX’s Crew-1 flight successfully docked with the International Space Station in its first operational flight with a crew of four. The National...
Are We Ready for a Real-Life War of the Worlds?
By Bailey Cunningham, NSS Legal Fellow In 1897, H.G. Wells envisioned a Martian invasion. Today we know there is no need to panic, but that doesn’t mean we should be complacent about planetary defense. The threat posed by Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) is very real. NEOs...
Status of the Global Space Alliance Coalition and Plans for the Future
Paper to be presented at upcoming Moon Village Association Cyber Conference. By Joseph N. Pelton (Dean Emeritus - International Space University) and Jim Crisafulli (Director - Hawaii Space Industry Innovation Program [HiSpace]) The purpose of this paper is to...
To the Moon and Back Again: A Collaborative Endeavor
By Laura Brady, NSS Legal Fellow It has been over forty years since astronaut Eugene Cernan left the Moon and returned to Earth. Since then, the Moon has been absent of humanity, but not for long. With NASA’s Artemis Moon Program, humans once again have their sights...
The Time is Now: Congress Must Support Reusability
By Bailey Cunningham, NSS Legal Fellow Humans are at the brink of a new era of space exploration. We are bound only by our imagination, ingenuity—and cost. As NSS Vice President of Space Development Greg Autry pointed out in an article in Forbes, “Launch cost has...
The National Space Society Lauds Multi-National Signing of Artemis Accords
The National Space Society (NSS) commends NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine for his signal achievement announced on October 13 that seven countries have signed on to the Artemis Accords along with the United States. Those countries are Australia, Canada, Italy,...
The United States Government Should Stay in the Space Station Business
By Jessica Andrews, NSS Legal Fellow As a crowning achievement of international cooperation in tense times, the International Space Station (ISS) has housed various groups of space travelers since 2000. Currently the ISS is funded only through 2024, though the current...
Explore or Expire
By Samuel Thorpe, NSS Legal Fellow Why space? The National Space Society says, “because we must.” And it’s true. Long before the Babylonians started to document astronomical observations, and longer still before Hipparchus created the first recorded star chart, the...
Fuel for Thought
By Fisher Smith, NSS Legal Fellow Space, the final frontier of human exploration. For thousands of years, we have dreamed of going to the stars and in recent generations we’ve travelled further than many thought possible. But, today, save for the few men and women...