
Jim Plaxco is a digital artist and computing professional who has been a space activist since the mid-80’s when he joined the National Space Institute. He has served as the Director of Information Systems for the National Space Society. He is also the Webmaster, a Director, and President of the Chicago Society for Space Studies. Mr. Plaxco also created the CSSS Speakers Bureau. He additionally serves as a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, a National Space Society Space Ambassador, the National Space Society Space Ambassador’s Economics Subject Matter Expert, and is on the the National Space Society Board of Directors.
Mr. Plaxco has previously served as both a director and a Vice President of the National Space Society and as both a Director and a Vice President of the Planetary Studies Foundation. He has been a judge in a variety of space art contests, including art contests sponsored by NASA. He also served as the manager of the Enterprise in Space Orbiter Design Contest and the National Space Society’s original Space Settlement Art Contest. In 2024, Jim served as the Operations Manager for the NSS Roadmap to Space Student Art Contest and was the editor of the associated eBook.
As a public speaker, Jim has delivered presentations to a wide variety of audiences including museums, space conferences, science fiction conventions, astronomy clubs, libraries, senior citizen groups, universities, and high schools.
Areas of Presentation Specialization
- Commercial LEO Space Stations
- NASA Commercial LEO Destinations Program
- Commercial Space
- CisLunar Development
- Mars Exploration and Settlement
- NewSpace
- Space Art
- Space Economics
- Space Industrialization
- Space Policy
- Space Settlement
Presentations
- Commercial LEO Space Stations
- The NewSpace Frontier
- Space Settlement: The Moon, Mars, and Beyond
- Planet Earth as Art: The View from Space
- Factors Impacting the Sustainability of a Lunar Economy
- Space Settlement: Robots versus Humans
- Space Industrialization As A Prerequisite for Space Settlement
- Solar Power from Space for Earth
- How To Design A Martian Civilization Of One Million People
- How Not To Design A Martian Economy
- The NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement
- Student Visions of Space Settlement: The Roadmap to Space Student Art Contest
- Art and the Exploration of Space
- The Art of Astronomy
- Using Art to Promote Space Settlement
- The Economic Challenges of Space Settlement
- The Future of Human Space Exploration
- The Globalization of the Solar System
- A History of Lunar Art and Map Making
- The Impact of Space Policy on the Future of Space Settlement
- The Universe According to Monty Python
- The Intelligent Travelers Guide to Mars
- The Intelligent Travelers Guide to the Moon
Location: Schaumburg IL, USA
Available for Virtual Presentations: Yes
Available for In-Person Presentations: Yes, with travel compensation.
To request a Space Ambassador presentation, use the Space Ambassadors Contact Form