Alan Wasser

Alan Wasser's support of the space settlement concept can be traced to before the first human even entered space. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science in 1957, Alan went to MIT, began studying physics, and enrolled in Air Force ROTC, with the highly unusual objective of becoming what would later be called an astronaut - before such a profession even existed. Unfortunately, at the start of his sophomore year Alan failed the Air Force's strict eyesight requirements for pilot training and therefore realized he would never be selected for space missions. He switched his focus to journalism, realizing that if he could not travel to space, he could at least write and report on it. He transferred to New York University, where he finished his remaining three years of academic requirements for a bachelor's degree in two years, fulfilling the requirements of two different majors (Political Science & English) and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, while working part time for CBS News. Alan worked for the New York Times, ABC News, and CBS News for a number of years, reporting on the Gemini missions and other space events. Among notable positions Alan held were Senior Editor of the team that put CBS's first "all news" radio station, New York City's Newsradio 88, on the air - and Director of News and Public Affairs at Capitol Cities' radio station in New York City. Alan's background includes extensive business and writing experience as well. He is co-author of Genius Revisited: High-IQ Children Growing Up (1993, Norwood, NJ: Ablex). Alan owned and operated an international export business for 11 years, which he built up and sold for enough to retire at age 44. Alan is a former Chairman of the Executive Committee (CEO) of the National Space Society (NSS) and NSS Board Member. He is currently a member of the Space Colonization Technical Committee (SCTC) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He is also an Advocate of the Space Frontier Foundation, a former member of the Board of Directors of ProSpace, and a former Senior Associate of the Space Studies Institute. As a member of the Board of Directors of the L5 Society, Alan was one of those who negotiated the merger of L5 with the National Space Institute, founded by Wernher Von Braun, to form the National Space Society. He is a member of the Explorers Club and has been published in it's Journal (sponsored for membership, because of his space activities, by Fred Ordway and Buzz Aldrin). His article Power Tower (Ad Astra, Oct. 1990) was the first known suggestion that the Lunar poles might be the best site for the first human settlement due to virtually full-time sunlight next to eternally dark seas of frozen water and other volatiles. (Because of this, science fiction writer Ben Bova named his polar mountain "Mt. Wasser" in his book Moonrise.) In addition to his role as Chairman of the Space Settlement Institute, he is also the founder and director of the Space Settlement Initiative accessible at www.spacesettlement.org. The pro-space book Return to the Moon (Apogee Books, 2005) includes a full chapter on the Initiative. Alan is the author of numerous articles about space settlement and is a tireless and enthusiastic space activist. He now resides in New York City and Tampa, Florida.