To act sensibly, one must think clearly. To think clearly, one must be well informed. Accordingly, it has been a central purpose of the Houston Space Society to establish the Houston Space Institute as an essential think tank to accumulate information, to foster clear thinking, and to encourage sensible actions. The centerpiece of the Institute is the Alvin O. Carley Memorial Library.
We seek to create a faculty for the education of others, a staff of researchers and scholars for the development of new ideas, new approaches, and new corporate endeavors. We seek to change everything about the way people think about space, and to do so quietly, carefully, and overwhelmingly.
The Houston Space Institute has been created out of the recognition that the journey to the other side of our Galaxy is one that will take centuries to complete. The expansion of human civilization to the point that it can span the Solar System may take decades. Institutions which span such timeframes are needed to provide guidance, to ensure purposeful action is always before us.
To satisfy more immediate concerns, we've undertaken several projects. Among these, the Lunar Prospector Team and the Space Video Project figure prominently. We've also helped support Texas Spacelines, a local Texas rocket company.
Our members have not been afraid to dare great deeds, even in the face of failure. Three key figures in the Houston Space Society once dared to organize a sweepstakes to put an ordinary American in space by the end of 1991. Another has challenged the wisdom of yet another space transportation boondoggle. [etc.]
