CSSS 2014 Public Space Meetings
The Chicago Society for Space Studies sponsored and hosted the following free public events/meetings during 2014 as a part of our mission to promote the public’s understanding of space exploration.
Space Settlement Art Gallery
Illustration: A solar-powered mass-driver. This is a solar-powered mass-driver, an electromagnetic linear accelerator. It can be utilized as a reaction engine which can use literally anything for fuel (even ground-up chunks of Space Shuttle External Tanks). The...
Gateway to Space Conference 2014
The Chicago Society for Space Studies (CSSS) is proud to be an official sponsor of the Gateway to Space space development conference. Hosted by St. Louis Space Frontier, the conference will be held November 7-9, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza in St. Louis. CSSS members who...
Somewhere Else Entirely
by Mike Combs,Copyright © 2004 In the 1970's, Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill began a line of research which came to an unexpected conclusion. Alarmed by the then-prevalent talk about "limits to growth", he started looking at the prospects for the expansion of...
Been There, but Have We Really Done That?
by Mike Combs, Copyright © 1999 This article also appeared in the Summer 1999 issue of Space Front, a publication of the Space Frontier Foundation. Here lately, I've found myself arguing a lot with Martians. No, that's OK, I assure you it's not a case of my needing to...
Building Dreams From Moondust
by Mike Combs, Copyright © 2000 This article also appeared in the Summer 2000 issue of Space Front, a publication of the Space Frontier Foundation, and was presented at the 2004 International Space Development Conference. Certainly many early space thinkers have...
Space Settlement and Designing Paradise
by Mike Combs,Copyright © 1997 The Christians had it all wrong when they said Hell was a lake of burning fire. Hell, Wendell Drake had decided long ago, was being stuck in a Chicago traffic jam in the middle of December. Wendell held one hand up to block the orange...
Eyes, Shining Back from the Dark
by Mike Combs, Copyright © 2004 'Well, Dyson's gone and topped himself again.' 'Oh yeah,' I replied, 'So exactly how does one top spheres the size of solar systems and trees on comets?' 'Actually, Keith, his newest idea kinda relates to the comet trees. Kinda sorta,'...
Crossroads
by Mike Combs, Copyright © 1994 I used to write for the Fanzine of a Star Trek club, and sometimes used this forum for the discussion of High Frontier-type concepts. The following article was written for a Star Trek audience and was published in one of the club...
If Not For the Fall…
by Mike Combs, Copyright © 1996 Establishing shot of Dallas, TX. Cut to a hotel. Interior. Notaro, a brown-skinned man of North African origins is working on a home-made bomb. He sets the timer for 2:30 PM. He leaves, but does not take the bomb with him. He climbs...