After 3 days of incredible competition, the 2023 University Rover Challenge (URC2023) crowned a new champion, Team Mountaineers from West Virginia University in the U.S.! This was the first URC podium finish for Team Mountaineers, and the second consecutive victory by a team from the United States. Also for the second consecutive year Monash Nova Rover (Monash University, Australia) finished in second place. The BYU Mars Rover team from Brigham Young University (USA) finished in third place. Team Mountaineers (West… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
June 1st, 2023
[Op-Ed] A Declaration of Decadence
By Dr. Robert ZubrinQuillette, 05.30.23 The French historian Fernand Braudel remarks in Out of Italy that “decadence” is what occurs in a civilization when it rejects the ideas and ideals responsible for its origin and growth. In her recently published book, Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race, Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Professor of Religion and Science in Society at Wesleyan University, offers just such a bold rejection of everything that Western humanist civilization stands for or has ever stood for. If you… READ MORE >
May 30th, 2023
SpaceFund Founder Rick Tumlinson to Address 2023 Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Rick Tumlinson, Founder of SpaceFund, Earthlight Foundation, Space Frontier Foundation, and New Worlds Institute, will give a plenary talk during the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University (Tempe), scheduled for October 5-8, 2023. Listed as one of the top 100 influential people in the global space field, Mr. Tumlinson is a true space visionary and entrepreneur, having helped coin the term “NewSpace” and worked to create the new… READ MORE >
May 25th, 2023
Mars Society’s Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Book Now Available Online
The Mars Society’s latest publication, “Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design: New Ways to Explore Mars”, a 152-page paperback / e-book published by Polaris Books and edited by Frank Crossman, is now available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. In January 2022, the Mars Society announced the holding of an international contest – Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition – for the best design plan of diverse teams of specialized robots using a 10-metric ton Mars lander, an essential requirement… READ MORE >
May 6th, 2023
James Burk to Join Red Planet Live Days after MDRS Analog Mission
Red Planet Live will be welcoming James Burk, Mars Society Executive Director and veteran analog astronaut, to the show just days after the completion of Crew 261’s two-week simulation, which he is currently commanding at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah until May 13th. Join us three days later – Tuesday, May 16th (5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET) – for another one-hour podcast episode hosted by Ashton Zeth to learn from James about his and the crew’s mission “on Mars”…. READ MORE >
May 4th, 2023
Brightest Lights of NewSpace to Appear at ISDC in Texas May 25-28
The brightest lights of NewSpace are scheduled to appear in Frisco, Texas on May 25-28 at the National Space Society’s 2023 International Space Development Conference (ISDC). NSS’s annual space conference will bring together some of the best minds in space exploration, spaceflight technologies, development, and settlement planning. For the 2023 four-day event, this includes, among others, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, retired NASA astronaut, engineer, and educator • Jared Isaacman, founder of Polaris Dawn and Mission Commander for the Inspiration4 orbital flight… READ MORE >
May 1st, 2023
Mars Society Chicago Working on Unique EVA Link System for MDRS & Beyond
Initiated last year by Mars Society Chicago, a chapter of the Mars Society, a team of volunteers are working on developing a unique comms system for use at the organization’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah that would enable coordinated real-time field science between physical analog research facilities and virtual reality digital twins. The goal of the project – known as EVALink – is to improve science, situational awareness, and crew member safety at analog research facilities, such… READ MORE >
April 25th, 2023
Mars Society Calls for Creative Designs for its 2023 Poster Contest!
The Mars Society welcomes its membership, students, space enthusiasts, and the general public to participate in this year’s challenge by designing and submitting an original poster for consideration. The winning design will be used as the primary promotional graphic for the Mars Society’s main outreach event of the year – the Annual International Mars Society Convention, which will take place from October 5-8, 2023 at Arizona State University in Tempe. This year’s convention theme, “Mars for All,” focuses on the… READ MORE >
