The Mars Society will officially open its 26th annual international convention one month from today on the picturesque Arizona State University campus in Tempe October 5-8, serving once again as the world’s largest multi-day forum on Mars exploration, planning for human settlement, and cutting-edge topics related to space exploration, science, and technology. As always, the four-day Mars Society conference will convene a wide range of scientists, engineers, aerospace executives, government policymakers, analog astronauts, and space advocates to discuss and analyze… READ MORE >
Topic Area: Humans To Mars
During the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for October 5-8, 2023 at Arizona State University (Tempe), the Mars Society and Debate to Educate will be convening the final round of a special debate held virtually on the issue of “Mars or Bust?” involving middle school and high school students from around the world. Debate to Educate, a prominent non-profit group that organizes international educational debates, and the Mars Society have scheduled a series of online debates on whether… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is launching its second annual International Mission to Mars Engineering Design Competition this summer for high school students from around the world. Students are encouraged to register online for this unique exploratory design challenge. Update: Please note that the deadline for registering for the 2023 Mission to Mars educational program has been extended until Friday, July 7th (5:00 pm MT), at which time student teams will be formed. Update: Both this year and last year’s Lectures are… READ MORE >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
A message from Mars Society Executive Director James Burk: I am pleased to announce our partnership with Million on Mars. Million on Mars is a game where you can explore creating and growing your own settlement on Mars. It is set in the 2070s, and the Ad Astra Unlimited corporation led by fictional character “Lane Dusk” has solved transportation, but the challenge is now on you – the brave settler of Mars – will you go hard on Solar or… READ MORE >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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? 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 >
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 >
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 >
The preliminary program itinerary for the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University (Tempe), is now available for viewing online. Visit https://bit.ly/3RSMptd to see the full four-day conference schedule (please note that the schedule is subject to change). This year’s Mars Society Convention will include interesting plenary talks, panel discussions, and public debates about the latest news on the exploration of Mars and planning for a human mission to the Red Planet,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Jingnan Guo, a research professor at the School of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Science & Technology of China, will give a virtual address about the potential radiation risks for future human Mars settlement, as well as China’s ongoing and future plans for exploring the Red Planet during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Dr. Guo has… READ MORE >
The Mars Society will be offering virtual attendance options for its in-person 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, to be held Thursday-Sunday, October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The international forum presents a unique opportunity for those interested in learning more about current efforts and future plans for the exploration of the planet Mars, including a human mission to the Red Planet, from leading scientists, aerospace executives, government policymakers, science journalists, and space advocates. Virtual attendance… READ MORE >
With some viewing NASA’s Artemis program as a stepping-stone to Mars, the Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Greg Autry, a Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy, and Business at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, will give a plenary address about Artemis and the Moon as a capabilities-building destination for the Red Planet during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022, at ASU (Tempe). In addition to his staff… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that former NASA Chief Scientist Dr. James Green will give a plenary address about “bringing Earth life to Mars” and how that will begin the long-term process of terraforming the planet during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University in Tempe. Currently a scientist and senior advisor at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Dr. Green previously held the position of Chief Scientist within the… READ MORE >