The Society is seeking a new Chair of the Events Committee to help lead and shape our exciting programme of lectures, conferences, social events and other activities for our members and the wider space community.

Alistair Scott is looking to step down from the position in order to devote more time to book writing and his very many other interests and activities. All of us at the BIS are incredibly grateful to Alistair for his dedication and commitment over so many years as he has brought immeasurable enthusiasm and experience to the Society’s events programme and, indeed, every other aspect of Society life.  Not that he is stepping back from everything, just this particular role for now, so that knowledge experience is being retained by the Society! [link to news item] or keep full details here?

The new Chair will work with BIS staff, volunteers, Council members and fellow committee members to develop an engaging, inclusive and well-managed calendar of events. This is an opportunity to help bring together the Society’s community, showcase current developments in space, celebrate our heritage, and create memorable opportunities for members and guests to learn, debate and socialise.

We would particularly welcome expressions of interest from members who have any of the following:

• An enthusiasm for the BIS and its mission;
• Experience of organising events, talks, conferences or community activities;
• Good organisational and communication skills;
• The ability to work collaboratively with volunteers, staff, speakers and external partners; or
• Ideas for broadening participation and developing the Society’s events offer.

This is a voluntary role, but it offers the chance to make a meaningful contribution to one of the BIS’s most visible and important areas of activity.

If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to put yourself forward, we would warmly welcome a conversation, so do contact our CEO John Lewin.

We would also be pleased to hear from members who may not wish to chair the Events Committee but would like to join it and assist with planning and delivering individual events.

Do you want to help us raise our profile on social media?
We need volunteers for: 

• Canva manager and graphic designers
• Content writers – for Social Media posts
• Social Media Schedulers (using our Metricool Scheduling platform)
• Research assistants
• News/Blog post writers (WordPress)
• Social Media monitoring (this can be done at your leisure, as you check your feeds)

Basic training and ongoing support will be provided, if you don’t already have expertise on the tools we use.
Please contact [email protected]

Help Bring Project Daedalus Back into Print

The Society is seeking an enthusiastic volunteer to help prepare material for a new edition of the landmark Project Daedalus report. [link to newspost]

Published by the BIS in the 1970s, Project Daedalus remains one of the Society’s most celebrated and influential studies: a detailed, serious examination of how an uncrewed interstellar spacecraft might be designed to reach another star system within a human lifetime. Its ambitious fusion-propulsion concept, technical depth and enduring influence have made it one of the most notable pieces of work in the BIS’s history.

We are now beginning work to reproduce the original report in a high-quality new format. To support this, we are looking for someone with good attention to detail and confidence working with scanned documents, Word or similar software, and technical material. 

What we need help with
The volunteer would help us to:

• Bring together all the scanned pages, figures, diagrams and tables from original printed material..
• Use OCR software to convert the main body text into editable digital copy.
• Check and correct OCR errors through careful proofreading against the original.
• Recreate selected data tables in a clear, editable format suitable for a modern book layout.
• Assist with the accurate treatment of figure captions, equations, Greek characters, mathematical notation and other technical content.
• Prepare clear placeholders and file names for figures, graphs, tables and equations, helping the editor and typesetter assemble the final publication.
•  Help ensure that the text is clean, consistent and ready for professional typesetting.

We wouldn’t expect every historic figure, graph or illustration to be redrawn.  
In most cases, the intention is to use high-quality scans of the original material, preserving the character and authenticity of this remarkable study. However, some tables may need to be recreated so that they remain legible and work well in the new edition.

Why take part?
This is an opportunity to contribute directly to the preservation and republication of one of the most significant studies in the history of astronautics and one of the BIS’s defining achievements.  The new edition will help introduce Project Daedalus to a new generation of engineers, researchers, students, historians and space enthusiasts.
The work can be divided into manageable sections, and volunteers may be able to assist with particular chapters or tasks rather than taking on the whole project.  We will provide guidance on the intended workflow, naming conventions and editorial requirements.
If you would like to help, please contact [email protected]

Editor Wanted: ISS, Volume 3

The BIS is seeking an editor to bring together Volume 3 of its ISS book series.  

This is a rewarding role for someone with real enthusiasm for the International Space Station, sound editorial judgement, and the understanding to work constructively with a group of contributing authors.

The editor will coordinate contributions, help ensure consistency and completeness, and prepare the manuscript to a standard suitable for typesetting.

If you have the subject knowledge, organisational ability and diplomacy to help bring this important volume to publication, please contact Mark Hempsell to express your interest.

Space-Themed Display Models Sought

The British Interplanetary Society is looking for volunteer model makers to help us develop a small, practical collection of space-themed display models for use at public events, exhibitions and outreach activities.

Scale models are consistently among the most effective ways to start conversations with visitors. At recent events, models of projects such as Daedalus and the BIS Lunar Lander attracted considerable interest, helping people of all ages engage with the Society’s remarkable history, current work and vision for the future of spaceflight.  We would particularly welcome members and supporters with experience in model-making, engineering, prop-building, 3D design and printing, painting, restoration, display design or creating robust transport cases.  Possible projects could include:

• Historic BIS concepts and spacecraft, such as the Moonship, Daedalus or Project Rho
• British and international launch vehicles, spacecraft and planetary missions
• Rocket engines, cutaway models and propulsion concepts
• Interactive or hands-on display pieces for family and public events
• Portable, durable displays suitable for transport to events around the UK
• Storage, packing and protective cases for models already in the Society’s care

Our aim is not simply to create beautiful models, but to establish a collection that can safely travel and be used regularly by BIS staff, branches and volunteers at events such as science festivals, conventions, careers fairs and public talks.

If you could contribute your skills, have suitable existing work that might be loaned or donated, or would like to discuss an idea for a project, please get in touch with John Lewin. 

By helping us build this resource, you could enable the BIS to bring the story of spaceflight to new audiences across the country.

We are looking for a knowledgeable volunteer to educate and train our team to make better use of Microsoft 365.

We use a range of Microsoft Office and collaboration tools, including SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Planner/Tasks, OneDrive, Outlook and the wider Microsoft 365 suite. We would like practical support to improve confidence, consistency and day-to-day ways of working across the Society.

The help we are seeking may include:

• Reviewing how we currently use Microsoft 365 and identifying straightforward improvements.
• Advising on effective SharePoint structures for shared documents, information and internal resources.
• Helping us use Teams more effectively for communication, meetings, channels and collaboration.
• Providing guidance on Microsoft Planner, Tasks and related tools for managing work and projects.
• Delivering clear, patient and jargon-free training for colleagues with differing levels of experience.
• Producing simple written guidance or templates that staff can refer to afterwards.
• Advising on good practice for document management, permissions, version control and collaboration.

If you have strong practical experience of supporting small organisations or charities to get the best from Microsoft 365, we would be really grateful to hear from you.
Please contact John Lewin.