Author: Michael Stoltz

Posts by Michael Stoltz

Team Mountaineers Crowned URC2023 Champion!

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 >

[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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

Mars Society Hails Starship Flight Test

The Mars Society today congratulated SpaceX for the first flight test of its fully reusable Starship space launch system. The test flight, which for the first time launched the Starship upper stage integrated with its Superheavy booster, was, by a factor of two, the most powerful rocket launch in human history. Lasting over three minutes, the flight test revealed numerous issues with the system, including insufficient protection of the launch infrastructure, failures during launch or flight of eight out of… READ MORE >

Set at ASU Again, 2023 Mars Society Convention Promises to be a State-of-the-Art Event 

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention will be held once again on the picturesque campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe on Thursday-Sunday, October 5-8, 2023.  As in previous years, the international conference will bring together leading scientists, engineers, commercial space executives, government policymakers, members of the media, and prominent space advocates to discuss the latest news about current and future Mars exploration and planning for a human mission to the… READ MORE >

Call for Abstracts

Presentations for the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for Thursday-Sunday, October 5-8, 2023 at Arizona State University in Tempe, are invited. This year’s four-day global forum will deal with all matters associated with the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet, including science, technology, engineering, politics, public policy & advocacy, STEM education, economics, etc. Abstracts between 150-300 words can be uploaded on our Mars Society convention web site at: abstracts.marssociety.org. Please note that the deadline for submitting abstracts… READ MORE >

35 Mars Society Ambassadors Leading the Way in Space Advocacy

Launched in May 2022, the Mars Society Ambassador program continues to expand its numbers, currently with 35 ambassador volunteers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, participating in a coordinated effort to expand public awareness of the importance of human Mars exploration and the eventual settlement of the red planet. With dozens of applications being received by the Mars Society since late last year, those accepted as ambassador representatives have been working – in coordination with Mars Society management – to… READ MORE >

Save the Dates (!) – The 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that it will be holding its 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention on October 5-8, 2023 at the same location as last year’s highly-attended event – Arizona State University in Tempe! The four-day international forum will bring together key scientists, commercial space executives, policymakers, members of the media, government representatives, and space advocates to discuss the leading issues of the day related to Mars, space exploration, technology advances, as well as political-economic developments… READ MORE >

Red Planet Live to Welcome Former NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green

Former NASA Chief Scientist Dr. James Green will join Red Planet Live host Ashton Zeth on Tuesday, April 18th (5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET) for a one-hour discussion about exploring Mars and the solar system, a return to the Moon via the Artemis program, the search for life, and much more. Dr. Green worked at the U.S. space agency for 42 years before retiring in December 2022. During his long career at NASA, he held the position of Chief Scientist and was… READ MORE >

Mars Society in Favor of ALFA Mars Initiative to Find Martian Life before Initial Human Exploration

A new science project begun by ALFA Mars (Agnostic Life Finding Association – Mars), a group of scientists, engineers, science communicators, and volunteers aiming to determine prior to initial human exploration of the red planet whether or not indigenous life is present today on Mars, has received the public backing of the Mars Society, the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of Mars. “We believe that ALFA Mars offers a new and important approach… READ MORE >

37 Teams Advance to 2023 University Rover Challenge Finals!

After the most competitive System Acceptance Review in University Rover Challenge (URC) history, a record 37 teams from 10 countries will compete at the URC2023 Finals, scheduled to be held June 1-3, 2023 at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah! 104 teams (also a record) began the year competing for a coveted invitation to the URC Finals. Teams submitted both written reports as well as video demonstrations of their rovers, which were scored by URC’s… READ MORE >

Final Mission Summary (MDRS Crew 275)

Crew 275 – ISAE-Supaero (France) Crew Commander: Jeremy RabineauExecutive Officer / Crew Engineer: Quentin RoyerCrew Journalist: Marie DelarocheHealth & Safety Officer: Corentin SenauxCrew Botanist: Adrien TisonCrew Scientist: Alice ChapironCrew Astronomer: Alexandre Vinas Introduction      Crew 275’s rotation on the MDRS campus marks the 10thh time that students from ISAE-Supaero perform research in this station. We are very proud of the progress made between Crew 151, when two Supaero students joined an existing crew, and today: a fully student-run crew, conducting research over… READ MORE >

MDRS Crew 269 to Appear on Red Planet Live Podcast

We’re glad to announce that members of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 269, led by their commander Dr. Kristine L. Ferrone, are set to appear on the next episode of the Mars Society’s Red Planet Live (RPL) podcast, scheduled for Tuesday, March 21st (5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET). A monthly one-hour video podcast hosted by Ashton Zeth, RPL brings together the people instrumental in planning for the exploration and eventual settlement of the red planet, covering a… READ MORE >

Why Mars? We Asked ChatGPT

We decided to ask ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022, why humans should visit and explore the planet Mars. Here’s the response we received. 1. Mars is the most Earth-like planet in our Solar System, making it an ideal destination for exploration and possible colonization. 2. It is possible that life once existed on Mars, and evidence of this is still being sought. 3. Studying Mars’ geological features can provide insight into the formation… READ MORE >

From Classroom to Mars: A Teacher’s Experience with NASA Spaceward Bound Utah

By Jen Carver-Hunter, Veteran Educator, NASA Spaceward Bound Utah Spaceward Bound Utah (SWB) is a NASA-funded program at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah. The purpose of SWB is to inspire future space explorers by providing a Mars analog experience for classroom teachers. Each SWB cohort brings together a group of 6-8 educators with varied professional experience from Utah, across the country, and even internationally. The most recent SWB cohort, Crew 271, spent an engaging,… READ MORE >

San Diego Chapter Head Gerry Williams – R.I.P.

The Mars Society is sad to announce that long-time member and head & co-founder of the organization’s San Diego chapter Gerry Williams passed away on Friday, February 17th. An advocate of human spaceflight, Gerry was active in support of the goal of humans to Mars for decades in southern California, organizing chapter events, including a monthly Mars Movie Night, along with San Diego Vintage Sci-Fi and other film screenings at his studio and on location. As part of this, he… READ MORE >

In Case You Missed It (RPL Podcast 02.23)

We had an interesting and entertaining discussion with space visionary & entrepreneur Rick Tumlinson last night (Tuesday, February 21st) on our monthly Red Planet Live video podcast, hosted by Ashton Zeth. Both a rebel and a respected leader, Mr. Tumlinson is listed as one of the top 100 influential people in the space field, serving as a Partner in SpaceFund and Founder of the Earthlight Foundation. He coined the term “NewSpace” and is credited with helping create the new commercial space industry highlighted… READ MORE >

Mars Society Promotes Dr. Shannon Rupert to New Position of Senior Director, Analog Research

It is with excitement that the Mars Society announces the promotion of Dr. Shannon Rupert from her long-time role as Director of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah, the world’s largest and longest-running Mars analog facility, to the newly created role of Senior Director of Analog Research for the Mars Society. In this new role, Dr. Rupert will oversee a new Remote Science Team that will support the MDRS analog crews and will lead our efforts to… READ MORE >

Red Planet Live Interview with Space Visionary Rick Tumlinson

Red Planet Live (RPL) is a monthly live podcast from The Mars Society. Host Ashton Zeth interviews the people instrumental in Mars and space exploration, STEM education, technology, women in science, the space economy, and much more. On our next episode of Red Planet Live, scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st (5pm PST / 8pm EST), Ashton will speak with Rick Tumlinson, Founder of Earthlight Foundation & Founding Partner of SpaceFund, about his latest endeavors in space advocacy and more. Both a rebel and a respected… READ MORE >

Register Today for Red Planet Live Podcast

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Sarah Milkovich of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be joining our one-hour Red Planet Live (RPL) video podcast with our new host Ashton Zeth on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 (5pm PST) to discuss current Mars robotic exploration as well as several Earth science projects she’s involved in for NASA. As a planetary geologist and systems engineer at JPL, Dr. Milkovich works on the Mars Perseverance Rover and with the Applied Earth Science Disasters program. She specializes in the science operations of robotic spacecraft,… READ MORE >