Chantelle Baier, the Creative Arts Director of the National Space Society, organized a panel representing the organization at the Internet of Things (IoT) conference last May. The unexpected result of this decision was a demonstration of just how powerful the NSS’s message has become in recent years.

The IoT conference had over 12,000 attendees, 150 sessions, and 300 exhibitors. The agenda covered subjects like industrial IoT, smart homes, smart cities, security, edge computing, smart buildings and construction, agriculture, AI, healthcare, energy, utilities, and transportation. NSS leaders were featured on one of a very few plenary panels and had an excellent speaking slot within the agenda. Included were Karlton Johnson, Chairman of the NSS Board of Governors; Bruce Pittman, Senior Operating Officer; and Mark Hopkins, Chair of the Executive Committee Emeritus; with Baier as the moderator. Johnson predicted that the internet of things will be important as we expand to the Moon and Mars, and that internet security will be a significant issue. Pittman stressed that we will learn much about sustainability in space and these lessons can help us on Earth. Hopkins addressed the issue of why space is important, as space resources may allow us to move beyond the resource constraints of Earth.