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Mars Analog Research Stations Task Force
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Translife / Mars Gravity Biosatellite
The main current Mars Society news are listed below. We also have these other news listings:
- Chapters News
(News from Mars Society chapters activities) - Other News (Non Mars Society Mars/Space news)
- (news below)
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Mars Society News
Up one levelThe Mars Society is excited to announce the release of the Winter 2010 edition of The Mars Quarterly (TMQ). This edition, which marks the first anniversary of the critically-acclaimed publication, includes interviews with Elon Musk of SpaceX and Will Whitehorn of Virgin Galactic; Part III of the "Cold Dry Cradle" series by Gregory Benford and Elisabeth Malarte; a preview of the 2010 Space Exploration Alliance Legislative Blitz on Capitol Hill; and an article about the Mars Society's Humans to Mars petition.
National Geographic Article
The February 2010 issue of National Geographic has an article on terraforming Mars.
Student teams have until February 1 to declare their intent to compete June 3-5 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) against an exceptional international field of student designed and crafted Mars rovers.
Another crew has successfully completed her tour at the MDRS and is on its way home, while the next crew (89 under commander Brian Shiro, an FMARS veteran) is settling in. Crew 88 brought us a list of MDRS Quick Guides on the subjects that each crew needs to tackle: ATVs, radio sets, EVA suits, webcams, white, grey and black water systems, internet at the Hab, communications with mission support, engineering rounds and power systems. These will help each future crew understanding the seemingly fickle nature of the Hab. Even if the introduction to the Quick Guides state emphatically: “if you are reading this at any time later than January 2010, this information may be obsolete. Systems in the Hab change frequently and you should not trust ANY document, including this one, to be accurate and up to date. If in doubt, check with Mission Support.”
Six crews have completed their work at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station so far this season. A seventh crew is working hard at the MDRS right now. The crewmembers have had a lot of extra work due to the uncommon extreme cold. For although this desert area near Hanksville is always cold, basically every night, the extreme cold hit us and the good citizens of Hanksville somewhat by surprise. Bringing even more maintenance to the workload of the crews. All of them took the extra chores in good stride as you can read below in their own crew summary reports. We hope their stories give you insight in what it means to be part of a crew at the MDRS.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (January 12, 2010) – Space Florida has announced the names of the three Florida winning school teams in the recent Mars Experiment Design Competition sponsored by The Mars Society, NASA-KSC and the Florida Department of Education.
Potential Martian Microbes Found In New Antarctic Meteorites
The team of scientists who worked on the Allen Hills meteorite, famous for claiming to have found Martian microbes in that rock in the 1990s, has found similar structures in new meteorites from the Antarctic, and hopes to be able to prove definitively that they contain Martian fossils at some point this year.
Mars Society Launches Petition Campaign - "President Obama: Set the Course for Mars"
MarsPans.com Makes Mars Photography More Accessible
Building on the work of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, the web site MarsPans.com is offering large-scale prints and videos of some of the panoramic views taken by the robotic explorers.
"While the results obtained from the LCROSS mission are of some scientific interest, it needs to be understood that the amount of water discovered was extremely small. The 30 m crater ejected by the probe contained 10 million kilograms of regolith. Within this ejecta, an estimated 100 kg of water was detected. That represents a proportion of 10 parts per million, which is a lower water concentration than that found in the soil of the driest deserts of the Earth. In contrast, we have found continent sized regions on Mars, which are 600,000 parts per million, or 60% water by weight.
Registration is now open for the 2010 University Rover Challenge! Student teams have until February 1 to declare their intent to compete June 3-5 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) against an exceptional international field of student designed and crafted Mars rovers.
NASA and European Space Agency Sign Mars Agreement
NASA and the European Space Agency have signed up for a joint venture that will tie their robotic exploration of Mars together beginning in 2016.
The recently released report from the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee (AKA: The Augustine Commission), Seeking a Human Space Program Worthy of a Great Nation, states that "A human landing and extended human presence on Mars stand prominently above all other opportunities for exploration. Mars is unquestionably the most scientifically interesting destination in the inner solar system. It possesses resources which can be used for life support and propellants. If humans are ever to live for long periods with intention of extended settlement on another planetary surface, it is likely to be on Mars."
The Mars Society is excited to announce the release of the Fall 2009 edition of The Mars Quarterly (TMQ). This issue contains interviews with MIT professor Dava Newman and Hubble Service Mission crewmember John Grunsfeld; part II of the novella "A Cold Dry Cradle," by Gregory Benford & Elisabeth Malartre; a discussion of the recent TEMPO^3 balloon demonstration flight by project manager Tom Hill; an overview of the upcoming MDRS season by Artemis Westenberg; and more!
Ninth European Mars Convention - 15-17 October, 2009
The Italian Mars Society will be hosting the ninth annual European Mars Convention from 15-17 October, 2009, in Bergamo, Italy.
On September 8, 2009, the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee (AKA: The Augustine Committee) released its preliminary report of options for the future of the United States space program. While this report touches on some very worthy themes - particularly that Mars should be the goal of the United States space program - it appears to promote the concept of technology development without purposeful objectives and without a schedule that would require any effort to achieve its goals.
The Mars Society has examined copies of the cost projections being used by the Augustine Committee in currently considering the future of NASA's human spaceflight program. These estimates, generated by the Aerospace Corporation, a US Air Force funded policy oracle, have no scientific basis and have clearly been composed to make the case that human space exploration is unaffordable.
FMARS YouTube Channel Updates
The FMARS 2009 crew, now safely returned from a successful mission to Devon Island, is still busy providing additional material online related to their expedition.
Contained Smart Folders:
- Expired News — by Jean Lagarde — last modified 2007-06-05 00:50
- Expired news, newsletters, press releases (i.e. of mostly historical value).
Commentary: Rockets Run on Dreams
