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Mars Society Australia (MSA) announced that its second near-space payload is ready for flight. Set to be lofted into the atmosphere on board a high-altitude weather balloon (courtesy of Robert Brand) later this month, the MSA science package was built by Trent McDougall & Steven Hobbs and consists of a variety of research instruments, including a fish-eye camera, a spectrometer, a visible camera, a near-IR camera and pressure and temperature sensors.   This effort is part of the Marsobot Project,… READ MORE >

By: Lorena Bueno, Guest Blogger Red Planet Pen (RPP) Blog, Issue #37 Crack open any mid-level science novel from the last 70 years and you’ll find, among fanciful descriptions of grand canals and sand-scattering weather systems, varied descriptions of what’s underfoot (or boot): Martian sand. Regolith, powder, basalt rock, even clay, hint at a time when Mars had enough water and geologic activity to create clay. As we plan our first trips to Mars on Earth with the Mars Desert… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is a membership-driven non-profit organization that advocates Mars exploration and a human mission to the Red Planet. Our organization thrives on promoting our mission through public and political outreach, establishing educational programs, organizing Mars simulations and STEM-related research projects and much more in the hope of growing this dream into a future reality. Utah is already home to one of the Mars Society’s two research stations – The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) outside Hanksville. Please join… READ MORE >

By Robert Zubrin SpaceNews, 03.30.18 The recent amazing success of the Falcon Heavy launch offers America an unprecedented opportunity to break the stagnation that has afflicted its human spaceflight program for decades. In short, the moon is now within reach. Here’s how the mission plan could work. The Falcon Heavy can lift 60 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO). Starting from that point, a hydrogen/oxygen rocket-propelled cargo lander could deliver 12 tons of payload to the lunar surface. We therefore… READ MORE >

From a record field of 95 student teams, the University Rover Challenge (URC) has announced the 36 team finalists from 10 countries which have been selected to compete May 31 – June 2 at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah.  [To watch the official video announcement, please click here.] Teams previously passed a Preliminary Design Review milestone, and most recently passed an extremely competitive System Acceptance Review milepost.  Vehicles competing at the URC finals will… READ MORE >

The following is the final summary report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 190 (UCL to Mars). A full review of this field season’s activities at MDRS will be presented at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center (Pasadena, California).  Final Mission Report Crew 190 – UCL to Mars March 2018 Maximilien Richald, Crew Commander Michael Saint-Guillian, Executive Officer Ariane Sablon, Crew Biologist Frederic Peyrusson, Crew Biologist Sophie Wuyckens, Crew Physicist & Astronomer Bastien Baix, Crew… READ MORE >

SoCal (Southern California) Hi-Desert Chapter Mars Society Inaugural Meeting – April 7, 2018 Join us for a free, community-interest exploration meeting on Saturday, April 7, 2018 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) at the Yucca Valley Community Center (Joshua Tree Room), 57090 29 Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA (with available parking in the rear). Agenda: 10:00 am Introductions • Dean Arvidson, Professor, Astronomy and Physics • James Melton, PhD, Author, Red Planet Leadership • Kenneth Wright, Professor, Astronomy and Physics 10:15… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Vlada Stamenković, the Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life Fellow (CalTech) and JPL Research Associate, will give a presentation about the evolution of the Red Planet during the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Serving as a post-doctoral scholar in Geophysics and Geobiology, Dr. Stamenković explores the fundamental principles of geophysics and the co-evolution of planets and life on Earth and… READ MORE >

MDRS Crew 189 – Final Mission Report The following is the final summary report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 189 (ISAE – SUPAERO). A full review of this field season’s activities at MDRS will be presented at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center (Pasadena, California). MDRS End of Mission Report Crew 189 – ISAE SUPAERO February-March 2018 1)   Introduction a- MDRS 189 mission origins Crew Member / Country… READ MORE >

Successful SEA Legislative Blitz Visits Capitol Hill   The Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) held its annual grassroots visit to Washington, D.C. in late February, convening dozens of volunteers from across the country to spend two days meeting with members of Congress and their aides on Capitol Hill. The purpose of the SEA Legislative Blitz is to advocate for a strong bi-partisan commitment to the U.S. space program, leading to the expanded exploration and development of the solar system.   SEA… READ MORE >

Michael Meyer, NASA Lead Scientist for Mars Exploration, to Address Mars Society Convention  The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Meyer, Lead Scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, will give a plenary talk about the agency’s current and future planning for Mars missions at the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center. A Senior Scientist at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., Dr. Meyer oversees the Mars… READ MORE >

Crew 189 Awarded MDRS Mission Scholarship The Mars Society and its Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) management team are pleased to announce that MDRS Crew 189, currently at the Utah station, was selected to receive full scholarships for their three-week field simulation. This is the first time that the organization has awarded an entire crew the MDRS mission scholarship. Crew 189, a team of seven students from ISAE SUPAERO, the first aerospace engineering school in France, was notified by Mars Society staff… READ MORE >

Wanted: Creative Artists for 2018 Mars Society Poster Contest The 2018 Mars Society Poster Contest kicks off today. Members and friends alike are invited to submit a poster for consideration, with the winning design to be used as the main promotional graphic for the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for August 23-26 at the Pasadena Convention Center (Pasadena, California). Those intending to create a poster for the annual competition are asked to incorporate the main theme of this… READ MORE >

A Purpose-Driven Space Program? By Dr. Robert Zubrin, National Review, 03.02.18 On February 12th the Trump administration revealed its proposed budget for NASA. While the $19 billion in total funding provided was not much different from the levels approved by the Obama and Bush administrations, the new plan did manage to increase the incoherence in space-agency thinking to truly remarkable levels. Particularly outstanding examples of illogic were the administration’s decisions to cancel the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) while proceeding… READ MORE >

By Robert Zubrin The Weekly Standard, 02.16.18 On February 6, 2018, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy took flight, demonstrating a capacity to lift 60 tons to low Earth orbit while playfully sending a Tesla Roadster on a trajectory that will take it beyond the orbit of Mars. To add to the coup, two of the Falcon’s three booster stages flew back to land gracefully together at the Cape, while the third barely missed pulling off a recovery landing on a drone… READ MORE >

Call for Papers 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention August 23-26, 2018, Pasadena Convention Center Presentations for the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention are invited dealing with all matters (science, engineering, politics, economics, public policy, etc.) associated with the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent by June 30, 2018 to: The Mars Society, 11111 West 8th Avenue, Unit A, Lakewood, CO 80215 or via email to: abstracts@marssociety.org… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened August 23-26, 2018 at the picturesque Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California. The four-day international conference will bring together key scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, journalists and space advocates to discuss the significance of the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could impact on planning for the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. The Pasadena Convention Center is conveniently… READ MORE >

“Today SpaceX achieved a spectacular and historic success.  Seven years ago, the Augustine commission said that NASA’s Moon program had to be cancelled, because the development of the necessary heavy lift booster would take 12 years and 36 billion dollars. SpaceX has now done that, on its own dime, in half the time and a twentieth of the cost. And not only that, but the launch vehicle is three quarters reusable. This is a revolution. The naysayers have been completely… READ MORE >

New NASA images show layers of ice peeking out of eroded cliffs—a potential boon for future humans on the red planet. By Michael Greshko National Geographic, 01.11.18 At sites across the midsection of Mars, scientists have found layers of water ice buried mere feet beneath the red planet’s surface. The discovery adds crucial detail to Mars’s geologic history, and it may shape how future humans on Mars get their water. “This is a new window into ground ice on Mars,” says Colin Dundas,… READ MORE >

End of the Year Letter From Dr. Robert Zubrin Dear Friend, We live in interesting times with regard to human Mars exploration. I can’t remember a period in which the issue of humans-to-Mars has been so front and center, both in terms of significant progress being made with the actual Mars launch infrastructure, engineering and planning, as well as growing public discussion and excitement about the possibility of humans going to the Red Planet. Things are definitely happening, and the Mars… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that we are finally able to offer student interns the opportunity to come to our Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) campus in Utah to work on projects related to their educational and career goals.  We are very excited to have another way for students dedicated to working in the space sector to gain valuable experience in human spaceflight and living on the Red Planet. These MDRS interns will not be part of a… READ MORE >

In Memoriam: Alain Souchier Alain Souchier, President and founding member of Association Planète Mars, the French chapter of the Mars Society, passed away on December 13th at the age of 70 as a consequence of severe cardiovascular problems that began a year ago. His close friend and collaborator, Richard Heidmann, provided the following comments about Alain and his life: A space propulsion engineer who graduated from the prestigious École Centrale Paris, Alain devoted his long career to the propulsion systems… READ MORE >

Get Involved – Project Mars Competition Join NASA’s Orion and Space Launch Systems teams and SciArt Exchange in visualizing humans venturing into deep space, to the Moon and beyond to Mars. Interested college students and early career professionals worldwide are invited to submit short films and graphic art about this mission, what astronauts may see, and their dreams for the future of exploration. Entries will be judged by film and graphics industry professionals and NASA astronauts. Winning entries will be… READ MORE >

New Engineering Module Added to Mars Simulation Station in Utah The Mars Society welcomes another addition to its Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) campus in southern Utah with the installation of its new Repair & Assembly Module (RAM) near the main hab. The new stand-alone facility will serve as an engineering bay for the station, allowing crew members to engage in research while also helping maintain the growing fleet of electric ATV vehicles. To learn more about MDRS and its… READ MORE >