NSSofNT

Ongoing Projects:

Providing presentations at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science (formerly The Science Place & soon to be the Perot Museum of Nature & Science),Frontiers of Flight Museum, Sci-Tech Discovery Center, UTA Planetarium, and libraries in Irving, Arlington, and Grand Prairie.
Moon Day is our yearly celebration, in collaboration with the Frontiers of Flight Museum, celebrating all things moon and space.
Astronomy Day is a yearly event co-hosted with the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in Arlington, Texas, with info booths, demonstrations, exhibits, and talks on space
Collecting space-themed toys and books for the Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive (by WFAA-TV) every December.
Judges for the NSSNT space science prize at the Dallas Regional Science & Engineering Fair in Dallas, TX.
Special presentations and providing speakers at the local conventions like ConDFW and FenCon each year.

Activities & Events:

2015

JAN 11 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
FEB 8 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “Near Earth Asteroids Update: What Can We Do About Them?” by Ken Ruffin
FEB 13-15 ConDFW XIV, Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center – Paul Abell, NASA Asteroid Expert, was the Science Speaker
FEB 19 Dr. Michio Kaku, UTA – “Physics of the Future”, 7 p.m.: Grace & Don Roeber, and James Willrich attended
FEB 21 Dallas Regional Science & Engineering Fair, Fair Park, Dallas – NSSNT members Grace, Cynthia, & Dietrich; Ken M judged, Scholarships: 1^st place-$250, & 2^nd place-$150
FEB 21 Explore Engineering Day, UTD, 10am-2pm, Ken Ruffin
MAR 8 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Ron Marshall presents “Nuclear Fusion and Throium Reactors”
APR 11 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
APR 11 Yuri’s Night, Noble Planetarium, Ft. Worth
APR 16 & 17 Earth Day TBD
APR 18 Girl Scouts of North Texas, –- (private event) Ken R. to give the presentations Commercial Spaceflight, and The NASA Astronaut Missions to an Asteroid and to Mars
MAR 14 Spaceflight During the Next 25 Years at Sci-Tech Discovery Center, 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy, Frisco, Sat., Mar. 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m
MAY 9 NASA Dawn probe orbits Ceres, Noble Planetarium
MAY 20-24 Int. Space Develpment Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
JUN 14 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
JUN 15 Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, ThinkSpeak Series, Winspear Opera House, Dallas
JUN 30 Asteroid Day, Noble Planetarium, Ft. Worth
JUL 12 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
JUL 14 NASA New Horizons Pluto Flyby, Noble Planetarium, Ft. Worth
JUL 18 Moon Day, 10am-5pm, Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas – Marianne Dyson will give an intro to ISS presentation, and will raffle flights from her private plane, LEGO model of ISS, Civilian Astronaut Anousheh Ansari is scheduled to attend, See our MOON DAY events page for updates
AUG 9 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
SEP 13 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
SEP 25-27 FenCon XII, Westin DFW
SEP 26 9am-5pm Chautauqua Celebrates Flight, Getzendaner Park, Waxahachie – Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise to give the keynote address, Ken R. was asked to give the (upcoming) presentation, The Moon, Asteroids, and Mars: The Future of Spaceflight,
OCT 11 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
NOV 8 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING
DEC 13 NSSNT MEETING MEMBERS ONLY CHRISTMAS PARTY, LOCATION TBD

2014

JAN 12 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “NASA and Commercial Space Flight Missions in 2014” by Ken Ruffin
FEB 9 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “Update on the Threat of Near Earth Asteroids” by Ken Ruffin
FEB 15 8am-12pm Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Fair Park, Dallas, Ken Murphy
FEB 21-23 ConDFW XIII, Crowne Plaza Hotel-Addison, Bill Ledbetter
FEB 22 2:30pm-5:30pm UTA Engineering Week, Ken M. Ken M’s “Moon U” presentation was from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m
MAR 4 6 – 9pm Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey world preview event, UTA Planetarium, Curtis Kling, Grace & her husband, Alley & her grandson, Ken M, & Ken R. attended
MAR 6 6:30pm-8:30pm NTX AIAA Meeting, Arlington, speaker: Gene Austin, retired NASA scientist & Commercial Spaceflight consultant, Ken R.
MAR 8 10am-6pm Sci-Tech Discovery Center, 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy, Frisco Ken M. and Ken R. gave presentations to audiences, 388 paid attendees + 70-150 attendees at the children’s plays = ~450-500 total attendees
MAR 9 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “NASA and other Space Flight Videos”
APR 13 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “Moon 101” by Ken Murphy
MAY 11 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING– Program: “This is What NSS is All About” by Ken Ruffin
MAY 19 8pm Neil deGrasse Tyson, Winspear Opera House
JUN 8 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – NSSNT wins NSS Chapter of the Year Award! Program: “NASA’s Asteroid Initiative and Human Path to Mars”
JUN 21 11am-5pm Moon Day Preview Zula B Wylie Public Library, 225 Cedar St., Cedar Hill, Grace R.
JUN 28 10am-6pm Moon Day Preview Sci-Tech Discovery Center, 8004 N Dallas Pkwy, Frisco, Ken R.
JUN 28 10am-6pm Sci-Tech Discovery Center, 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy, Frisco
JUL 11 9am-4pm Comets Burning Bright, UTD ECS Building, Richardson, Ken R. Ken R. gave presentations to three groups of 12 middle-and-high-school students attending summer camp at UTD, Ken R. discussed having the NASA Space Princess and the UTD Aviation Club as partner organizations
JUL 13 3:30pm-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – NSSNT member Grace Roeber presented “International Space Station: Humanity’s Stop to the Stars”
JUL 17 2:00-6:00pm Space Exploration Camp, Sci-Tech Discovery Center, 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy, Frisco, Ken R to give the presentation “Spaceflight During the Next 25 Years”, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., then display slide shows & NASA videos
JUL 19 MOON DAY 2014: ISS Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, Ken Murphy – NASA’s chief historian has thousands of copies of “Where No Man Has Gone Before” book, & he will donate them to Moon Day, Art Dula will speak at Moon Day 2014 regarding Commercial Spaceflight, Girl Scouts of NE Texas STEM Program: 4-7 activities, Ken R. to give a Near Earth Asteroid presentation
JUL 26 10am – 6:30pm Evolving Universe, Grapevine convention Center, 636 S. Main St, Grapevine.
AUG 10 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: Carl Gallagher of Pioneer Rocketplane
AUG 16 10am – 6:30pm Evolving Universe, Grapevine convention Center, 636 S. Main St, Grapevine.
SEP 14 3:30pm-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING-Program “New Commercial Spaceflight Videos,” officer elections
SEP 15 FenCon 2014, Crowne Plaza-Addison Hotel, Bill Ledbetter,
SEP 26-28 Mars Society Conference 2014, South Shore Harbor Resort, League City
OCT 12 3:30-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: “Even Newer NASA and Space Flight Activities from September to December” by Ken Ruffin
NOV 9 3:3-6:00pm NSSNT MEETING – Program: After the business meeting, members are attending the movie Interstellar.
DEC 14 NSSNT MEETING – As always, our December meeting is private, for members only, at a member’s home. We collect space science gifts to give as Santa gifts and eat copiously of good food and enjoy the company of good friends. We also have our business meeting on full, sleepy stomachs.

2013

Jan 13 NSSNT Meeting
Feb 10 NSSNT Meeting
Feb 15-17 ConDFW, Addison, TX NSSNT will have presentation/panels and display tables. Bill Ledbetter organizing. NASA NEO scientist Paul Abell is one of many special speakers
Feb 19 Astronaut Mark Kelly spoke at UTA 7:30pm, UTA Texas Hall. Kelly will speak “Endeavoring to Build a Better America” for the UTA Maverick Speakers Series, Carol Johnson organizer.
Feb 22 Astronomer Alan Stern spoke at UTD. Stern speaks for the Texas Astronomical Society (TAS) at their monthly meeting. Stern is an SwRI Astronomer and the new Golden Spike CEO
Feb 23 Dallas Regional Science & Engineering Fair @ Fair Park. NSSNT judges select winners of space-theme projects. NSSNT members Carol Johnson, Ken Fuffin, and Grace Roeber will judge this year’s NSSNT Space Science Award.
Mar 10 NSSNT Meeting
Apr 13 Yuri’s Night @ Benbrook Library. Tricia Fergusn, Alley Hauldren, & the Moon Society presented film, discussions, and star viewing celebrating Yuri Gagari’s first manned flight in space (1961)
Apr 14 NSSNT Meeting
May 12 NSSNT Meeting
May 17 Star Trek: Into Darkness. Several NSSNT members gathered to watch a premiere showing
May 23-27 ISDC 2013 San Diego, CA. Carol Johnson organizer.
Jun 1 – Aug 25 Grapevine NASA Blast @ Grapevine CVB’s Grand Gallery. Moon Viewing and Movie, Sunday, June 23: (1) 7:15 p.m. – Film Presentation (film title not listed), (2) 8:57 p.m. – Full Moon rise (bring a pillow and a blanket), It IS Rocket Science, Saturday, July 13, 1-4 p.m. (ages 8 and up, tickets $15)
Jun 6 Space Junk movie premiere at FW Museum of Science & History Omni Theatre in Fort Worth with NASA space junk specialist David Kessler
Jun 9 NSSNT Meeting Tricia Ferguson & Alley Hauldren presented the 2012 Poetry & Art Anthology winners
Jun 22 Buzz Aldrin booksigning at the C. R. Smith Museum, 10am-12pm
Jun 23 NASA Blast moon viewing & movie “Lost in Space
Jun 29 Sci-Tech Discovery Center
Jul 14 NSSNT Meeting Marvin Hilton (from Fayetteville, Arkansas) to be our guest speaker, presenting “Exploring Mars to Improve Life on Earth”
Jul 20 MOON DAY @ Frontiers of Flight Museum. 10a-5p, Ken Murphy.
Aug 15-18 Icarus Interstellar Congress, Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX. Grace Roeber, Eric Post, Alley Hauldren, Ken Ruffin, Curtis Kling attended.
Aug 29-Sep 2 WorldCon, Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX. NSSNT members Alley Hauldren, Chris Carson, and Ken Murphy are scheduled to attend.
Sep 13 Astral Astronomers Indoor Meeting, McCall Elementary School, Plano, TX. 6:00pm Ken Ruffin gave a presentation on Near Earth Asteroids for their first meeting of the new school year.
Sep 19-22 100 Year Starship Public Symposium, Hyatt Regency Downtown, Houston, TX. Ken Ruffin & Eric Post attending. Dr. Mae Jemison has invited NSS of North Texas members to visit the 100YSS office in Houston, to brainstorm with her team
Sep 26 AIAA-NTX Meeting, Spagetti Warehouse, Arlington, TX. 6:30-8:30 pm. Presentation by Todd Barber, NASA/JPL engineer now working as lead propulsion engineer on the Cassini Mission to Saturn.
Sep 27 West Texas Geological Society, Space Exploration Session, Midland, TX. Curtis Kling will be our representative at this conference
Oct 8 @ 7pm 2nd Tuesday Poetry Reading, Tricia Ferguson is a member of both groups and will be reading space poetry at the Benbrook Library
Oct 4-6 Fencon, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Addison, TX. Several members attended Fencon this year & we shared a room party with the NSS group from San Antonio. See our event page for their video.
Oct 8 2nd Tuesday Poetry Series, Benbrook Library, 7:00pm. Organized by Tricia Ferguson. Contest winners will be announced and winning entries will be read aloud.
Oct 11-13 NSS SE Regional Workshop (SERW), Cocoa Beach, FL., Schedule is Fri, Oct. 11: Banquet with Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers (MSRP) , Sat, Oct. 12: NSS SE Workshop: NSS-specific discussion in the morning; NewSpace/NASA partnership talks in the afternoon; contacting potential evening speakers, Sun, Oct. 13: SpaceUp Orlando, Laura Seward, President, Florida Space Development Council, and Yohon Lo, HAL-5 President, are the primary contacts. Ken Ruffin attending
Oct 12 Art Goggle/Magnolia St. Fair, Fort Worth, TX. Tricia Ferguson attending
Oct. 26, 2:00 – 10:00 p.m Astronomy Day Ken Murphy & NSSNT & others will have tables and presentations at the UTA Planetarium from 2pm – 10pm
Nov 5, 7:00pm NASA Astronaut Captain Scott will speak and sign books at the Zula B. Wylie Library, 225 Cedar Street, Cedar Hill, Texas 75104. Winston E. Scott is a retired U.S. Navy Captain and aviator. Captain Scott served as a NASA mission specialist with over 24 days in space. Captain Scott is also the author of a critically acclaimed book, Reflections from Earth Orbit, published in 2005. Books will be available to purchase and have autographed by Captain Scott.
Nov 9 Sci-Tech Discovery Center NSSNT will have tables and presentations, great family fun. Times TBA
Nov 10 NSSNT Monthly Meeting, Spring Creek BBQ, Irving, TX. 3:30 meet & greet, 4:00 presentation, 5:00 board meeting
Nov 30 Sci-Tech Discovery Center NSSNT will have tables and presentations, great family fun. Times TBA
Dec 8 NSSNT Monthly Meeting & Christmas Party Each year, NSSNT has a wonderful gathering at a member’s home to celebrate the holidays and gather the Santa Toy Drive filled with space-themed books and toys. The December meeting is private.

2012

Dec 28 10a-5p Sci-Tech Discovery Center, Frisco, TX Mind Stretching Fun with NSSNT display tables and presentations
Dec 21, Worlds Without End @ UTA 7pm. See 2012 President Ken Ruffin’s article “National Space Science of North Texas (NSSNT)” where NSSNT members will post an article monthly on their blog. WWE is edited by Dave Post.
Dec 9 1p-8p NSSNT Christmas Party & Toy Drive
Dec 8 10a-6p Sci-Tech Discovery Center, Frisco, TX Attended by Ken Murphy, Curtis Kling, Ron Marshall, Ken Ruffin. Paul Vinson, the new Executive Director, invited us to attend two of their events in December. NSS-NT had two display tables, and presentations
Nov 15-17 NSS Board Meeting, Houston, TX
Nov 8-9 SpaceVision 2012 Students for the Exploration & Development of Space (SEDS) Annual Conference, Buffalo, NY. Ken Murphy
Oct 27, 2012 Astronomy Day at UTA Planetarium with booths, information, fun toys, and a raffle. NSSNT attended from 4:30 – 10:00 p.m. with Ken Murphy, Grace Roeber, Ken Ruffin, and other members manning booths. Presentations by Ken Murphy & Ken Ruffin. UTA student newspaper reporter included NSSNT in an article.
Sept. 2012 Space Poetry Contest & Anthology is a collection of winning poems from our Space Poetry Contest. The theme for 2011 was the moon and the theme for 2012 is Mars.
June 2012 Beer & Bones is a look at MNS’ traveling exhibits, permanent collection, even unique chances to see artifacts not usually available to the public for adults only. June 21, 2012
Spring 2012 Assisting DeWitt Perry Middle School in Carrollton with their “space week” activities, including construction of a mock-up of a space station module and speakers.
Jan 2012 Attending the arrival of the Orion Space Test Capsule to Dallas at the American Airlines Center 2012.

2011

Oct 2011 Intergalactic Nemesis at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Texas
Sept 2011 FenCon in Dallas
Aug 2011 International Mars Society Convention, Dallas

July 2011 Poetry Contest with the winner announced at Fencon
July 2011 Moon Day at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas
June 2011 Dr. Robert Zubrin spoke at UTA Planetarium
May 2007 Hosted the ISDC at the Hotel Intercontinental in Addison.
Jan 9, 2010 Noble Planetarium
Feb 15, 2010 The Maverick Speakers Series at UT Arlington presented Sally Ride on Leadership and America’s Future in Space. An in-depth look at the people, ideas, actions, and solutions that impact the world around us, featuring some of the leading voices of our time.
2010 Boy Scouts Merit Badge – Not only helped rewrite the Boy Scouts’ Space Exploration Merit Badge Handbook, but helped design a new Boy Scouts Merit Badge
Feb 13, 2010 ConDFW. NSSNT presented a panel on “Exploring & Colonizing Mars”
Feb 27, 2010 Regional Science & Engineering Fair, Dallas, Texas. Members of NSSNT selected experiments in space science out of over 800 entrants. We awarded a $200 scholarship and a 1-year membership in NSS to the best student project related to space exploration, development and settlement. Our winners were Prani Suri of Plano Senior High, Plano ISD; & Sangeetha Mylvaganam of Plano Senior High, Plano ISD. A list of winners can be found here.
March 5, 2010 Anousheh Ansari spoke and signed her new book My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer
March 14, 2010 NSSNT member Tom Zavist presents “The Electric Universe”
April 11, 2010 NSSNT celebrates Yuri’s Night with a documentary on Yuri Gagarin at their regular montly meeting with SpaceX swag bags.
April 22, 2010 Green Dallas. To celebrate Earth Day in the DFW area, Grace organized a team of chapter members to volunteer at a local school for a Spring clean-up
May 9, 2010 Warren Cozby, Jr. presents “The Nuts and Bolts of Space Colonization”
May 22, 2010 Spring Astronomy Day at the UTA Planetarium
June 18-19, 2010 Ambassador Max Corneau discussed ‘Astronomy, the Universe, and You‘ at the Rockwall Public Library
July 18, 2010 Moon Day at the Frontiers of Flight Museum
Aug 14, 2010 Ken Murphy presented the Moon and Cislunar Space
Sept 18, 2010 FenCon. NSSNT celebrated Nat’l Observe the Moon Night at their FenCon room party with movies, infromation, and a telecscope on the roof
Sept 30-Oct 2 The Dallas Symphony, The Planets at the Myerson. NSSNT manned an information table each night.
Oct 10 President Ken Murphy delved into the Lunar Library for many examples of comic books, graphic novels, bandes dessinées, manga, and more. We talked about how space is represented, and how that reflects cultural views of the different times regarding space and space travel.

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Summary of Events & Projects

Ongoing Projects:

Activities & Events:

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011