By Jacob Mikanowski, The Economist, October 9, 2026 The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) is an annual jamboree for interplanetary entrepreneurs. It draws space-industry professionals, NASA researchers, rocket-launch obsessives, young dreamers and anyone else hoping one day to live in—or at least profit from—settlements beyond Earth. Last year it took place in Orlando, Florida, in a convention centre sandwiched between Sea World and the Universal theme park. Crowds flocked around vendors peddling dehydrated “space salsa” and guided tours of Florida’s… READ MORE >
Topic Area: Inspiration
By Amie Kaufman, Red Planet Bound The first time I handed a manuscript to an astrophysicist for a fact check, she returned it with about twenty-five pages of typed notes, many of which were ALL CAPS. It turned out movies have a quite lot to answer for when it comes to the average person’s understanding of space. It was, to say the least, the beginning of a journey. I’d grown up loving Star Trek and reading Clarke and Asimov and… READ MORE >
As part of his ongoing speaking tour in the United Kingdom, Dr. Robert Zubrin, President and founder of the Mars Society, will be giving a talk titled “The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet” at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland on Wednesday, January 24th (5:00-6:30 pm). Hosted by the school’s Space Sciences Society, the 90-minute lecture (including Q&A with the audience) is open to the general public. Advanced registration is required. Please use… READ MORE >