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Getting It Done at MDRS!!

A new paper published by Andrew Terhorst & Jason A. Dowling in a leading science journal, Space: Science & Technology, cites our Mars Desert Research Station (Utah) as having published the second most peer-reviewed papers of any analog station around the world (with Mars-500 coming in first place) and with the MDRS facility having the most varied types of research. “The Mars-500 missions and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) analogue generated the most peer-reviewed research publications (151 and 123 publications, respectively)…. READ MORE >

Building the Future on Mars (at MDRS)!

The Mars Society is pleased to announce a number of opportunities to participate as part of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Mission Support and/or Management Teams. There are plenty of opportunities to participate at MDRS other than as a crew member. If you would like to get involved in any capacity, or if any of the volunteer positions listed here interest you, please contact us. We would be delighted to have you join us. Remember, most of these volunteer… READ MORE >

End of Year Fundraising Appeal

Happy holidays from the Mars Society!  We’d like to take a moment to celebrate our past year’s accomplishments and talk about our plans for 2023. We began the year by announcing the new Mars Society Ambassador Program.  Over the course of this year, we have added over 50 Ambassadors from around the world. Led by Dr. James Melton, the Mars Society Ambassador program is meant to ramp up our outreach efforts as we work to inform, engage and inspire the… READ MORE >

JPL’s Sarah Milkovich to Discuss Mars Exploration on 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 (hosted by Ashton Zeth) on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 (5pm PST) to discuss current Mars 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 currently works on the Mars Perseverance Rover and with the Applied Earth Science Disasters… READ MORE >

Final Mission Summary – MDRS Crew 269

The following is the final summary report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 269 (The Aerospace Corporation). A full review of the 2022-23 MDRS field season and crew activities will be presented at the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention next year. The Aerospace Corporation Demo-1 Crew 269 Commander (CDR): Dr. Kristine Ferrone Executive Officer (XO): Allison Taylor Health & Safety Officer (HSO): Barbara Braun Crew Engineer (ENG): Ashley Kowalski Green Hab Officer (GHO): Matthew Eby Technology Officer (TECH): Trevor Jahn Crew 269… READ MORE >

Red Planet Live Podcast to Welcome New Host Ashton Zeth

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Ashton Zeth will be serving as the new host of its video podcast, Red Planet Live (RPL), beginning in January 2023. The show will focus on a wide variety of topics, including Mars and space exploration, STEM education, technology, women in science, and much more, with exciting and open discussions involving experts in these respective fields. A Washington resident with experience in SaaS sales, strategic communications, business development, and public speaking, Ms…. READ MORE >

Volunteers Wanted for Expedition to Reactivate Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station

The Mars Society is calling for volunteers for a mission to reactivate its Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS). The FMARS is located on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic 900 miles from the North Pole in one of the most Mars-like environments on Earth. Since the early 2000’s, Mars mission simulations there have unmatched value in helping humans prepare to explore the Red Planet. The last mission to FMARS took place in the summer of 2017. The Mars Society… READ MORE >

Support the Mars Society on Giving Tuesday!

Today is Giving Tuesday, an international day of charitable gifting occurring on the Tuesday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (November 29th). As the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy group dedicated to humans-to-Mars, the Mars Society continues to lead the way in educating the public, the media, and government representatives on the benefits of exploring the Red Planet and creating a permanent human presence there. We invite you to watch a special video message from our executive director James… READ MORE >

Final Mission Summary – MDRS Crew 268

MDRS Crew 268 was an all-woman multi-national mission sponsored by the Mars Society. Planning for this mission commenced in 2020, so we were excited to arrive at the Mars Desert Research Station on November 13th and begin the journey. Some crew members have had their sights set on MDRS as early as 2012! CrewCommander: Dr. Jennifer Hesterman (United States)Executive Officer/Scientist: Jas Purewal (United Kingdom)Health and Safety Officer: Elizabeth Balga (United States)Biologist & Greenhab Officer: Caitlyn Hubric (United States)Engineer: Judith Marcos… READ MORE >

Seeking On-Site Management for MDRS (Utah)

The Mars Society is seeking applications from qualified people for onsite management positions at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, the largest and longest-running Mars analog facility in the world.  The station is set amid some of the most spectacular landscapes you will ever see, and researchers come from all over the world to participate in our analog research & educational programs here. We are presently taking applications for Station Managers beginning immediately.   You must be able to… READ MORE >

Support the Mars Society While Shopping Online

With the holiday season approaching, please consider supporting the Mars Society while doing your online shopping on Amazon.com. We’re pleased to announce that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of Amazon Smile purchases to your favorite non-profit organization – the Mars Society. Help the Mars Society to greatly expand its programs, including its Mars analog stations and STEM education initiatives, by doing your shopping via Amazon. To learn more about this special opportunity, please visit: https://smile.amazon.com (and remember to… READ MORE >

Volunteers Needed to Help with Mars Society Chapter Coordination

We are looking for two individuals who can serve as Chapter Coordinators for the Mars Society’s global network of chapters. One person would focus on U.S. chapters (and would need to be based in the U.S.), while the second person would cover our international chapters (outside the U.S.) and can be based anywhere. To learn more about the Mars Society’s chapters, both in the U.S. and international, we invite you to visit chapters.marssociety.org. Priority will be given to current chapter leadership… READ MORE >

Building a Mars Analog “Down Under”

Mars Society Australia (MSA), in conjunction with the Andy Thomas Foundation, led a public workshop recently at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide to discuss plans for establishing the Mars Arkaroola Research Station (MARS) in Australia. Speakers included Prof. Caroline McMillen, the Chief Scientist for South Australia, as well as industry and space agency representatives. Also joining in virtually were Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin, discussing the vision of humans-to-Mars, and Mars Desert Research Station Director Dr. Shannon… READ MORE >

Mars Society 25th Annual Convention a Great Success

This past week, the Mars Society convened its annual international convention for the 25th year in a row, and the first time in-person since prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The theme of this year’s event was “Searching for Life with Heavy Lift”, which was meant to encourage out-of-the-box thinking of presenters and attendees to develop new systems that take advantage of the increased payload capacity that is coming with NASA’s SLS and SpaceX’s Starship.   We worked with the excellent team… READ MORE >

In Person or Proxy to Mars and Beyond?

In Person or Proxy to Mars and Beyond? By Larry Klaes, Guest Writer, Red Planet Bound In 1972, singer, pianist, and composer Sir Elton H. John (born 1947) released a song titled “Rocket Man”. This music piece, which was inspired by a Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) science fiction story of the same name, has an individual who sees his job in outer space not as some grand adventure as one might expect of a typical astronaut, but rather as ordinary and… READ MORE >

Mongolian MarsV Delegation to Address Mars Society Convention Banquet

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a 10-person delegation from a leading Mongolian space advocacy group called MarsV will attend this year’s Saturday evening banquet (October 22nd) at the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University in Tempe. Led by Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, a 39-year-old graduate of Harvard Law, former Mongolian military officer, and author-translator, MarsV is a highly influential organization with some three thousand members, including corporate and bank presidents, prominent cultural figures, political party… READ MORE >

Large NASA-JPL Presence at 2022 Mars Society Convention

Celebrating its 25th Annual International Convention at Arizona State University in Tempe October 20-23, the Mars Society will be hosting, both in-person and virtually, a large contingent of senior representatives from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), discussing the latest news about exploring Mars, planning for a human mission to the Red Planet, and much more. Leading off the NASA-JPL involvement at the four-day conference will be Dr. Jim Bell, an Arizona State University professor and a planetary scientist involved… READ MORE >

MARS Rocks! A Live Music Event to Benefit the Mars Society

We invite you to join us for a rocking good time at MARS Rocks! on Friday, Oct. 21st (7-10 pm MST) in Phoenix! Open to the general public and free for all Mars Society ASU convention attendees, this special three-hour music event will include performances by Tedbaby, Revolushn and Jason Achilles. Enjoy a variety of space tunes in an intimate, live music setting (+21) at Last Exit Live located in the historic warehouse district of downtown Phoenix. Organized as part… READ MORE >

Blue Origin SVP Michael Edmonds to Speak at 2022 Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Michael Edmonds, Senior Vice President for Strategy, Marketing, and Sales at Blue Origin, will give an update about the company and its plans for space on Saturday, October 22nd at 7:00 pm MST during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University (Tempe). Founded in 2000 by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin is a private space company developing vehicles and technologies that dramatically improve access to space for… READ MORE >

2 Weeks out from 2022 Int’l Mars Society Convention at ASU

As the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to humans-to-Mars, the Mars Society has been bringing together for years leading scientists, commercial space executives, and government policymakers to discuss the latest news about exploring Mars and plans for a human mission to the Red Planet, as well as topics involving space exploration, science, and technology. For the last two years, due to the pandemic, the organization’s international conference has been virtual only, resulting in a significant online audience. This year,… READ MORE >

A Public Reminder about MDRS

Located in southern Utah, the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a private scientific facility used by trained crew members to carry out important research and field studies to help future human explorers on Mars. Our MDRS field season, which includes rotating analog crew missions on site, begins at the end of October 2022 and concludes in early June 2023. MDRS does not offer public touring of the facility or campus. People are allowed to pass by from Cow Dung… READ MORE >

Public Panel about ‘The Search for Life on Mars’ during 2022 Mars Society Convention

As part of its 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention format, the Mars Society will be holding a special public panel discussion about ‘The Search for Life on Mars’ on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe on Thursday, Oct. 20th (7:00-9:00 pm MST). Scheduled to participate in the event are leading experts in the field of Mars exploration, including Dr. Steve Benner, Founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Dr. Jim Bell, former Planetary Society President & NASA… READ MORE >

ESA Mars Chief Engineer Albert Haldemann to Address Int’l Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Albert Haldemann, the European Space Agency’s Mars Chief Engineer, will be giving a virtual talk about Europe’s plans for Mars and space exploration during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Serving in this role within the Mars Exploration Group of ESA’s Directorate of Human & Robotic Exploration since 2020, Dr. Haldemann’s responsibilities include oversight of cooperation agreements and interface requirements with… READ MORE >

Star Harbor Academy CEO Maraia Tanner to Outline Pathways to Space at Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society is pleased to welcome Maraia Tanner, CEO of Star Harbor Academy, as one of its plenary speakers at the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Her address will focus on new pathways to space that are opening up for individuals through programs being created at Star Harbor. Star Harbor representatives announced earlier this year details of its planned 53-acre mixed-use development campus and training center to be built… READ MORE >

JPL’s Chief Rover Driver Vandi Verma to Address 2022 Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society is pleased to welcome back to its International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University, Dr. Vandi Verma, JPL Chief Engineer for Robotic Operations for NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rover missions currently operating on the surface of Mars. Dr. Verma will give a virtual address from JPL titled “Mars Rover Operations and the Role of Autonomy and Humans in Sample Return.” She joined JPL’s Mobility and Robotics Systems Section 14 years ago,… READ MORE >