News & Announcements

ONE MONTH until 2016 International Mars Society Convention Major Speakers to Discuss Humans-to-Mars in Washington, D.C. The Mars Society will be convening its 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. September 22-25, just weeks prior to the U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Leading scientists, government officials, commercial space representatives, policymakers and space advocates will address the four day conference on the latest updates about Mars exploration, planning for a human mission to… READ MORE >

Two senior representatives of Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s leading aerospace and global security companies, will participate in the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. With the recent announcement of Lockheed Martin’s Mars Base Camp plan, which would transport astronauts from Earth to a Mars-orbiting science laboratory by 2028, Tim Cichan, a Space Exploration Architect for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, will discuss the new… READ MORE >

University Rover Challenge Comes to the UK The new Mars Society United Kingdom chapter recently took on a major challenge during its first year of activity by planning and convening the United Kingdom University Rover Challenge (UKURC), its own version of the U.S. Mars Society’s highly-successful University Rover Challenge (URC), held annually at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The new UK branch is based out of Manchester, England, but its members also come from the areas of… READ MORE >

The number of senior NASA officials and scientists confirmed to speak at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention continues to grow. Recognized as the world’s premier conference on Mars exploration and humans-to-Mars planning, the International Mars Society Convention is scheduled for September 22-25 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. NASA representatives to “talk Mars” at our 2016 convention will include: Jim Green – Director, NASA Planetary Science Division: Mars & International Cooperation Jim Watzin – Director,… READ MORE >

The full program itinerary for the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25 at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., has been posted on our organization’s web site. Please take a few minutes to look over our list of plenary and track talk speakers, as well as our planned panel discussions and public debates on issues that will have a major impact on human Mars exploration in the years to come. Join us this September to hear… READ MORE >

Since its founding, the Mars Society has consistently been a major advocate of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, viewing this as a critical need if humanity is ever to begin seriously exploring the solar system, including the planet Mars, and moving in the direction of becoming a multi-planetary species. As part of this, the Mars Society has organized a special panel discussion on the subject of “STEM Education & the Pathway to the Human Exploration & Settlement of… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that another chapter has been added to the growing ranks of its world-wide network dedicated to the cause of humans to Mars. Late last week, a group of university students belonging to the Engineering Students Association of Bangladesh (ESAB) held an inaugural meeting of the Bangladeshi chapter of the Mars Society at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, the country’s capital. The U.S. Embassy organized a reception to host the new international Mars Society… READ MORE >

The Mars Society (US) would like to thank the student teams from Canada, Poland, India, Egypt and our generous host country, the United Kingdom, that participated in the inaugural 2016 UK University Rover Challenge (UKURC) in Manchester, England this past weekend. The Top 3 Winning Student Teams: 1st place – The Elite (Misr University for Science & Technology, Egypt) 2nd place – Nex Robotics (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland) 3rd place – The University of Warsaw Rover Team (Uniwersytet Warszawski,… READ MORE >

Chris Carberry, CEO and co-founder of Explore Mars, will give a plenary talk on “Creating a unified campaign for Mars” at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. In his role with Explore Mars, Mr. Carberry has led successful international conferences including the ISS & Mars Conference in Washington, D.C. and Strasbourg, France, and the Women & Mars Conference also in the U.S. capitol. He is considered… READ MORE >

Major Speakers to Discuss Humans-to-Mars in Washington, D.C. The Mars Society will be convening the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. September 22-25, just weeks prior to the U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Leading scientists, government officials, policymakers and space advocates will address the four day conference on the latest updates about Mars exploration, planning for a human mission to the Red Planet and other major space news. Some of the… READ MORE >

Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin spoke at TEDx Moscow during a trip to Russia in June, detailing the potential for the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. To watch the complete TEDx talk by Dr. Zubrin, please click here.  … READ MORE >

Dr. Adrian Brown, a planetary scientist working at NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute, will present a plenary talk about “the Martian Water Cycle” at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Dr. Brown’s field of expertise includes the planet Mars, astrobiology and remote sensing spectroscopy. His current research focuses on the analysis of data from the Mars instrument “CRISM” (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer… READ MORE >

The Mars Society would like to congratulate all of the teams which have been selected as crew members for the upcoming 2016-17 field season at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. We look forward to another successful period of Mars surface simulation work and research, benefiting future pioneers of the Red Planet. Crew 171 – Dec. 17, 2016 – Jan. 1, 2017 — SEDS Crew 172 – Dec. 31, 2016 – Jan. 15, 2017 — Mars Society Crew… READ MORE >

Work on the Mars Society’s new GreenHab at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah is almost finished! The new greenhouse is a wonderful addition to the MDRS facility and will serve crew members in their important research for years to come. The earlier dome-shaped greenhouse that was constructed last year was unfortunately deemed unsuitable for some aspects of greenhouse use and will therefore be retrofitted into a state-of-the-art science lab, expanding the organization’s ability to carry out Mars-related… READ MORE >

HBO Vice, the network’s award-winning news program, will broadcast a 15-minute report about current planning for a human mission to Mars on Friday, July 1st at 11:00 pm EDT (8:00 pm PDT). The segment will include a visit to the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, which took place last December during the field rotation of Crew 158. The program can be viewed on television, but can also be seen online via HBO GO immediately after the show is… READ MORE >

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD), the ranking member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Space, will address the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention on Friday, September 23rd, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A strong advocate of Mars exploration and a human mission to the Red Planet, Rep. Edwards will discuss the future of  the U.S. space program and the need for Congress to increase NASA’s budget, including funding for a humans-to-Mars program. Rep. Edwards currently… READ MORE >

Opportunities to Participate as Part of the Mars Desert Research Station Mission Support Team As the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) begins its 16th year of analog studies in southern Utah, we look back with pride on the people who have supported the station in the past, those who have been and are now working on their dreams through their professional position in the space sector. There are plenty of opportunities to participate at MDRS other than as… READ MORE >

After months of extensive work, design and updates by a dedicated group of volunteers, the Mars Society has officially launched a major update of MarsPapers, an extensive online archive of over 500 Mars-related papers, presentations and documents, all available in PDF format for viewing or downloading. While many of the documents in MarsPapers have been presented at past Mars Society international conventions, members of the public are encouraged to submit any Mars-oriented document for inclusion in the archive, where it will… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is sorry to announce that Charles Zubrin, father of Dr. Robert Zubrin, passed away late last week at the age of 100. A descendant of Russian Jewish immigrants, Mr. Zubrin was an army veteran of World War II, a successful businessman and world traveler. He will be truly missed by family and friends.  … READ MORE >

Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin recently concluded a whirlwind tour of Russia, giving a series of seven talks in Moscow and St. Petersburg and conducting meetings with Russian space leaders and numerous interviews with Russian press along the way. Dr. Zubrin arrived in Moscow on May 26th, and after attending a gathering that evening went on to give interviews with Komsomolnaya Pravda Radio, Izvestia and Life TV the following day. On May 28th he spoke at the TEDx Moscow… READ MORE >

Jim Watzin, Director of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, will address the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Appointed “Mars Czar” in December 2014, Mr. Watzin oversees NASA’s Mars portfolio and budget, helps shape the robotic exploration of the Red Planet, including current planning for the Mars 2020 rover mission, and develops strategies for future Mars research and programs. Prior to this role, Mr. Watzin served as… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is convening its 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Every year, members and non-members who volunteer to help at the international convention (a minimum of ten hours required) receive free entry to the four-day conference. Please let us know if you’re interested in serving this year as a volunteer. Contact Nicole (nicolew@marssociety.org) for full details. Thanks!  … READ MORE >

The 2016 University Rover Challenge concluded on Saturday (June 4th) at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah as 28 rovers and more than 300 college students took on the harsh Mars-like terrain of this unique venue.  Following two rounds of competition and five different events over a three-day period, the Legendary Rover Team from Rzeszow University of Technology in Poland defended their title from 2015 with another amazing victory. The podium was rounded out by… READ MORE >