While we all love space, not everyone who surrounds us in daily life understands its importance to our collective future. The NSS Space Ambassadors have been changing minds and expanding mental horizons for decades, and you too can become one. With minimal training and moderate commitment, NSS Space Ambassadors travel the country, and sometimes the world, educating and enlightening people about the critical importance of space and the human settlement of the solar system. Join the movement and become a critical part of the greatest adventure in human history. The NSS needs you!
Space Ambassadors
Session Chair Info
Stevan Akerley
Space Ambassadors Program Director National Space Society
Stevan Akerley is a retired aerospace engineer from Pratt & Whitney, UTC, with 40 years of manufacturing and engineering experience with automated N/C equipment and measurement sensor systems in manufacturing applications. He also has experience in precision manufacturing, machine measurement, CAD CAM software development, quality assurance, and tool and equipment design. Stevan was involved in project and program management on multiple engine programs. He holds an AA degree in liberal Read More
Space Ambassadors
Session Speakers Info
Bernard Foing
President SRI, CEO LUNEX EuroMoonMars
Prof. Bernard H. Foing is President of Space Renaissance International, Executive Director of ILEWG, CEO of LUNEX EuroSpaceHub and EuroMoonMars Earth Space Innovation, and Chief Scientist at Qomosys. He holds an ERA Chair in Riga, Latvia, and is a guest professor at Leiden Observatory, ISU, and IPSA, and was formerly at EPFL and VU Amsterdam. He is a member of several IAF committees, including IPC, space exploration, astronomy, space habitats, Read More
Loretta Hall
Author, Freelance
Loretta Hall is the author of six nonfiction books about the history and near future of space travel. She is particularly interested in the human aspects of space exploration. Loretta has been a Space Ambassador for NSS since 2011, and is currently a member of the Space Ambassadors leadership team. She has been recognized as a Communicator of Achievement by the National Federation of Press Women. Read More
Claire Nalda
BA/MAIR Candidate, Johns Hopkins University
Claire Nalda is a third-year undergraduate enrolled in the BA/MAIR program with Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She is majoring in International Studies and is interested in the application of foreign policy and international relations theory to outer space security issues. After graduation she intends to pursue a JD and work as a public servant. Read More
Jim Plaxco
President, Chicago Society for Space Studies
Jim Plaxco is President of Chicago Society for Space Studies, serves as the Economics SME for the NSS Space Ambassadors Program, and is a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador. Currently serving on the NSS Board of Directors, Jim previously held the positions of NSS Vice President for Chapters and NSS Director of Information Systems. Jim’s professional career was spent in corporate IS/IT with ATT, Baxter Labs, IBM, and Sears Technology Read More
Ken Ruffin
Founder, Didymos Consulting LLC (dba Ruff-in-Space)
Ken Ruffin, member of both the NSS Board of Directors and the NSS Board of Strategic Advisors, an NSS Space Ambassador, as well as president of the National Space Society of North Texas (NSS-NT) has transitioned from an engineering career to a space industry career by leveraging his aerospace engineering education and substantial public speaking experience. Ken has spoken to nearly 250 audiences in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex, Texas, Read More