Hello NHSS members and friends,
Join the North Houston Space Society on Saturday, September 12, for a presentation by George Salazar, a retired NASA engineer with more than 40 years of experience in human spaceflight.
Please note this month’s meeting time and location:
Saturday, September 12, 2026
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Houston Saengerbund
1703 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX
In the Heights
Featured Presentation
Challenges Certifying Human–Computer Interfaces (HCI) for Deep Space Missions
What does it take to ensure that the displays, controls, and computer interfaces astronauts depend on are ready for missions to the Moon and beyond?
George will introduce NASA’s human-rating certification process and trace the evolution of astronaut interfaces from Apollo to Artemis. He’ll explore the challenges of certifying modern hardware and autonomous systems for deep-space missions, including how to test human performance under the physical and psychological demands of spaceflight.
The presentation will also look ahead to how digital twins—virtual representations of systems—might help evaluate future mission scenarios beyond those tested during certification on Earth.
About the Speaker
George Salazar’s NASA career included serving as the Human–Computer Interface Technical Discipline Lead, overseeing astronaut interfaces for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as the Commercial Crew Program’s Displays and Controls Subsystem Manager, and managing human–computer interfaces for the Artemis lunar lander program.
A licensed professional engineer with degrees in electrical engineering and systems engineering, George holds several patents and has received numerous honors, including the NASA Silver Achievement Medal.
Join us to connect with fellow space enthusiasts and explore the human side of deep-space exploration.
We look forward to seeing you on September 12!
North Houston Space Society
About Us
NSS North Houston Space Society is a chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) and is governed by the chapter bylaws. Our vision is “People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.” If you share this vision, please join us.
We are working to achieve this vision through our monthly meetings where we seek to educate the community about the potential of space, the current activities going on to achieve the promise of space, and to inspire people of all ages. Our meetings are usually the second Saturday of each month at 1 PM at Houston Saengerbund in the Heights at 1703 Heights Blvd.
NSS North Houston Space Society had its first meeting in January 2018 at the home of Nathan Price.
In 2018, our chapter was recognized as the “Outstanding New Chapter USA 2018”.
Over the months our meeting attendance has fluctuated, but generally it has grown.
Starting with our May 2019 meeting, we moved to the Barbara Bush Library which has given us a room with the capacity for 70 people.
We have had engineers, scientists, space lawyers, space investors, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and others speak at our meetings discussing all aspects of space.
Our group includes people from a wide variety of fields including engineers, programmers, scientists, writers, and people in all sorts of fields. It is a friendly, welcoming group. And we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.