Presentations for the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention are invited. This year’s four-day global forum (August 8-11, 2024 at the University of Washington in Seattle) will deal with all matters associated with the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet, including science, technology, engineering, spaceflight, artificial intelligence, politics, public policy & advocacy, STEM education, economics, etc. Abstracts between 150-300 words can be uploaded on to our Mars Society abstract page. Please note that the deadline for submitting abstracts for consideration is Friday,… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
The Mars Society, led by Dr. Robert Zubrin, would like to take a moment to thank everyone who came to the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention in Los Angeles last week. With 350 (+) people attending the convention’s daily sessions, as well as the 300 who came to our sold-out Saturday evening banquet, this year’s international conference was one of the most successful to date. In addition, we would like to express our appreciation to all of the speakers… READ MORE >
The final convention schedule is now available online. For more details about the 2019 International Mars Society Convention, including registration for the four-day conference (October 17-20) and evening banquet, visit our convention information page…. READ MORE >
The 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 17-20 at the University of Southern California, will be broadcast via live webcast. This will include all major plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates over the course of the four-day conference in Los Angeles. Those unable to attend the international forum are kindly invited to watch any and all sessions at: http://webcast.marssociety.org. To view the conference’s program itinerary, please click here. For additional details about the Mars Society convention,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Rick Tumlinson, Founding Partner of Space Fund and Founder of Earth Light Foundation, Space Frontier Foundation and the New World Institute, will address the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention on Thursday, October 17th at 7:30 pm at the University of Southern California (in Los Angeles). Mr. Tumlinson’s talk – “Reality Check – Taking the Fiction Out of the Space Frontier” – will take a hard core look at some of the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society announced the convening of a special panel discussion entitled “Opportunities for Space Entrepreneurs” on Friday, October 18th at 11:30 am during its 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention in Los Angeles with the goal of helping attendees start their own companies focused on technologies with dual applications for Mars and Earth. The panel will be introduced by Dr. Alex MacDonald, NASA’s new Chief Economist, and facilitated by James Burk, Senior Manager of Artic Consulting and founding member… READ MORE >
SpaceX’s Paul Wooster to Speak at Mars Society Convention Banquet The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that this year’s Saturday evening banquet at the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention at USC in Los Angeles will include a talk by senior SpaceX representative Paul Wooster, providing an update about the company and its ongoing efforts to revolutionize space flight technology with the goal of enabling humanity to settle the solar system. Mr. Wooster currently serves as Principal Mars… READ MORE >
The full itinerary for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention is now available for viewing online. Please visit https://bit.ly/2kPIDqa to see the four-day conference schedule, running from October 17-20 at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles). The Mars Society convention program includes a series of plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates on important issues related to planning for a human mission to the Red Planet and general space exploration. Conference highlights will include an update about NASA’s… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Ashwin R. Vasavada, JPL Project Scientist for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), also known as the Curiosity rover, will give a plenary talk about MSL’s current operations on the Red Planet during the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention (October 17-20) at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Vasavada has been the lead scientist for the MSL mission since 2015, having served prior to that as deputy project… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a formal debate on NASA’s proposed Lunar Gateway project will take place at the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention on the evening of Thursday, October 17th at the University of Southern California. Currently still in development, Lunar Gateway is intended to operate as a small space station in lunar orbit, providing living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, a holding area for rovers and ports for visiting spacecraft…. READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Darlene Lim, a geobiologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, will give a plenary talk about designing mission elements in support of the human exploration of Mars during the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 17-20 at the University of Southern California. Dr. Lim is part of a large research network working to get humans to the Red Planet. Her specific contribution to… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Tom Hoffman, JPL Project Manager of Mars InSight, will address the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 17-20 at the University of Southern California, to give an update about the lander’s ongoing mission. Mars InSight successfully landed on the surface of the Red Planet in November 2018 in order to examine the deep interior of Mars with the goal of helping scientists better understand how terrestrial planets are formed and evolve…. READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Luther Beegle, JPL’s Deputy Division Manager for Science, will give an update about ongoing efforts to detect surface and subsurface life on the Red Planet during the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 17-20 at the University of Southern California. A senior planetary scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Beegle is involved in the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) mission, searching for and assessing past or present habitable environments… READ MORE >
Presentations for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention (October 17-20, University of Southern California) are invited, dealing with all matters associated with the human exploration and settlement of Mars, including science, technology, engineering, politics, economics and public policy. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent by August 31st, 2019 (please note new date) to ensure scheduling of sessions and inclusion in our printed conference materials. After this date we cannot guarantee that your session will be… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce the winner of its 2019 Mars Society Poster Contest – Joseph Sweeney of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. In addition to being a creative designer, Joseph is a data analyst and program manager and is also the founder of ‘Aspiring Martians.’ Graphic artists who participated in the annual competition were asked to submit a poster using the theme “The Space Launch Revolution: Opening the Way to Mars” for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention… READ MORE >
The 2019 Mars Society Poster Contest begins today. Members, friends, students and space enthusiasts are invited to submit a creative poster for consideration, with the winning design to be used as the main promotional graphic for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 17-20, 2019 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Those intending to create a poster for the annual competition are asked to incorporate the theme of this year’s convention – “The Space… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened Thursday-Sunday, October 17-20, 2019 on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. The four-day event is being held in concert with the Southern California Commercial Spaceflight Initiative. The Mars Society conference will bring together prominent scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, journalists and space advocates to discuss the significance of the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic-social developments that could impact… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a formal debate on NASA’s proposed Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a human-tended facility in orbit around the Moon, will be held at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention on Thursday, August 23rd at 8:00 pm in the Pasadena Convention Center’s main ballroom. The discussion will involve the following proposition: “Resolved: The Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway is the right next step for NASA’s human spaceflight program to take to support the human exploration and development of space.” Speaking… READ MORE >
Mars Society Convention Hosting Panel on Hulu Series The First The Mars Society is pleased to announce that it will be hosting an exciting and timely panel discussion on the new Mars-driven Hulu original series, The First, as part of its 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Actors Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone lead an ensemble cast in this near-future drama about a crew of astronauts attempting to become the… READ MORE >
STILL TIME to Register for the 2018 Mars Society Convention With a little more than one week until the beginning of the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018, there is still time to register online for this major space conference to be held at the Pasadena Convention Center. The four-day International Mars Society Convention will include a series of plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates on issues of great importance to the humans-to-Mars effort, as… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a special panel discussion entitled Virtual Reality & Mars will be held at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention on Saturday, August 25th (11:30 am) at the Pasadena Convention Center. A five-person panel will give a presentation about the Mars Society’s new MarsVR program and how virtual reality has quickly become a serious research tool to support and promote planning for human Mars exploration. Supported through a recent crowdfunding campaign, the… READ MORE >
An updated itinerary for the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention is now available for viewing on the organization’s web site. The program schedule includes a series of plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates on issues of great importance to the humans-to-Mars effort, as well as other space-related news. Some of the areas of discussion will include the future of U.S. Mars exploration, an update on the Mars InSight mission, the debate over planning for the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, the past, present and… READ MORE >
The preliminary itinerary for the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention is now available for viewing on the organization’s web site. The program schedule includes a series of plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates on issues of great importance to the humans-to-Mars effort, as well as other space-related news. Some areas of discussion will include the future of U.S. Mars exploration, an update on the Mars InSight mission, the debate over planning for the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, the past,… READ MORE >
The 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, the organization’s primary public forum on human Mars exploration, will be convened August 23-26, 2018 at the picturesque Pasadena Convention Center in southern California. The Mars Society convention brings together leading scientists, engineers, aerospace industry representatives, government policymakers and journalists to talk about the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could help pave the way for a human mission to the Red Planet. This Saturday (June 30th, 5:00 pm MDT)… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Kris Zacny, Vice President and Director of Exploration Technology Group at Honeybee Robotics, will give a plenary talk about plans for drilling for water on the surface of Mars at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center. A 13-year veteran of Honeybee Robotics, Dr. Zacny is a leading expert in terrestrial and extraterrestrial robotic drilling, excavation, sample handling and processing, geotechnical… READ MORE >