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12 Teams Propose Designs for Int’l Gemini Mars Competition

The U.S. human spaceflight space program is currently adrift. It needs a goal, and that goal should be sending human explorers to Mars in our time. In order to help provide such direction and get a serious humans-to-Mars program underway, the Mars Society launched the International Gemini Mars Design Competition in August 2015, which would create a plan for a two-person Mars flyby that could be placed on the desk of the President-elect in November 2016 and completed by the… READ MORE >

Mars Society Veteran Penny Boston Selected NAI Director

The Mars Society would like to extend its congratulations to Dr. Penelope Boston on her recent selection as the new Director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute (NAI), a California-based body that plays a major role in performing astrobiology research, as well as providing scientific leadership for astrobiology space missions. While a graduate student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, [then Ms.] Boston was one of the founders of the Mars Underground and helped organize a series of conferences called ‘The… READ MORE >

MDRS Crew 165 (Teams Tharsis II & Nippon) Files Final Mission Report

The following is the final mission report of Mars Desert Research Station Crew 165. A full review of this year’s activity at MDRS will be presented at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The call for papers for the conference can be viewed at the Mars Society web site. Crew 165 – Team Tharsis II & Team Nippon (March 5-20, 2016) Preface The MDRS crew… READ MORE >

Mars Society Stands with Belgium & Crew 166

The Mars Society, its staff and membership wish to extend their thoughts and prayers to the people of Belgium following today’s horrific terror attacks in Brussels. The two incidents in Belgium hit close to home for part of the Mars Society family, with Crew 166 (Mission to Mars UCL), made up of six Belgian university students, currently working at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The crew was notified of the attack this morning by MDRS Program Director Shannon… READ MORE >

30 Student Teams Advance to 2016 URC Semi-Finals

In December 2015, a record 63 teams from 12 countries set out to design and build the world’s top Mars rover as part of the University Rover Challenge. Now 30 teams have advanced past the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage of the URC contest and will participate in the field competition, being held June 2-4, 2016 at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The 2016 rendition of this contest, URC2016, introduces the first ever Semi-Final round… READ MORE >

Mars Society Reaches Facebook Milestone

Guess what!! The Mars Society’s official Facebook page just topped 20,000 “Likes”, showing the growing public support of the group and its goal of exploring Mars and creating a permanent human presence on the Red Planet. The organization and its staff want to thank everyone who has visited the Facebook page and helped reach this important social media milestone. On to 30,000!!  … READ MORE >

France’s MDRS Crew 164 Files Final Mission Report

The following is the final report of Mars Desert Research Station Crew 164. A full review of this year’s MDRS activity will be given at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. MDRS Crew 164 Final Report February 21 – March 5, 2016 Website: http://mdrssupaerocrew.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/mdrssupaero Twitter: @MDRSSupaeroCrew Crew 164, the MDRS Supaero Crew is comprised of six students from ISAE-Supaero, a leading Aerospace Engineering school… READ MORE >