It’s time to consider alternatives to sample return By Robert Zubrin, Space News, 12.07.23 NASA’s robotic Mars exploration program is in crisis. A recent review of the plan of its flagship Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission pegged its cost at $10 billion, a price tag that threatens to preclude funding any other exploration missions to the Red Planet for the next decade and a half. While the decadal plan issued by a National Academy of Science committee identifies the MSR mission as… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
December 6th, 2023
Univelt Makes Grand Donation to Support MTI Fundraising Campaign
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Univelt Incorporated has made a grand donation of books to help support the ongoing crowdfunding campaign to launch the Mars Technology Institute. The Univelt Mars Library is a 14-volume set of historic books including: 1. The Founding Convention of the Mars Society – proceedings volumes in three parts, edited by Robert Zubrin 2. Strategies for Mars (invited papers by Carol Stoker), Volume 86, AAS Science and Technology Series 3.. The Case for Mars – proceedings volumes from 1984,… READ MORE >
November 27th, 2023
Mars Technology Institute Crowdfunding Campaign Launched!
The Mars Society has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the Mars Technology Institute (MTI). Settling Mars will require dramatic advances in biotech (to enable food production at scale on very limited land), artificial intelligence (to deal with a severe labor shortage), and advanced energy (to power an energy-intensive society without fossil fuels) as well as many other areas of research. The MTI will develop these technologies and commercialize them for use on Earth. This will benefit our home planet… READ MORE >
November 3rd, 2023
New Director Appointed to MDRS Analog in Utah
During the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention held in early October at ASU Tempe, it was announced that Sergii Iakymov, long-time assistant director of the organization’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), would formally assume the role of director of the Utah analog facility. In this position, Sergii is supervising MDRS crew selection and logistical support, station maintenance and resupply, and on-site mission support and crew rotation, as well as participating in select analog simulations and field research. Sergii is… READ MORE >
October 25th, 2023
FMARS Crew 15 to Join Red Planet Live in November
The next episode of our Red Planet Live (RPL) video podcast hosted by Ashton Zeth will include a panel discussion with members of the Mars Society’s Crew 15, which visited the FMARS – Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island in northern Canada this summer. Join us for the live 60-minute RPL broadcast on Tuesday, November 21st (5pm PT / 8pm ET). The FMARS 15 crew included: Take advantage of this opportunity to ask this multi-national team (U.S., U.K…. READ MORE >
October 21st, 2023
A New Option to Help the Mars Society
As a registered non-profit organization, the Mars Society is always looking to raise additional funds in order to expand its existing programs, such as its Mars analog missions and STEM education projects, as well as create new initiatives to help prepare humanity for the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. As part of this, the Mars Society recently added a new option to its Donate web site page called Anonymous Donations, which allows individuals or companies to send fully… READ MORE >
October 17th, 2023
RPL Pre-Recorded Interviews from 2023 International Convention
The Mars Society invites you to a special pre-recorded episode of its Red Planet Live (RPL) video podcast with host Ashton Zeth interviewing a number of speakers from the recent 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University (Tempe). With Ashton serving as a senior volunteer during the Arizona conference October 5-8, a decision was made to schedule a series of brief recorded interviews with plenary and track talk speakers for the October show for streaming beginning Tuesday,… READ MORE >
October 2nd, 2023
Help Wanted: Scientists & Engineers to Enable the Human Settlement of Mars
The Mars Society is founding the Mars Technology Institute (MTI) to develop the technologies and financial engine needed to enable the human settlement of the Red Planet. We anticipate beginning research and development operations on approximately January 2, 2024, and are looking for highly-skilled and hard-working biotechnologists and chemical engineers to join our team. The location of our facility is still being finalized, but it will most likely either be in the Seattle or Denver area. The MTI will offer… READ MORE >
