The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. R. Aileen Yingst, Chair of MEPAG (Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group), a body chartered by NASA headquarters to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the Red Planet, will give a virtual address during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. The title of Dr. Yingst’s plenary talk will be “Mars for the Next Decade: A Report from the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group.” As a senior… READ MORE >
Topic Area: Mars Exploration
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael D. Griffin, former NASA Administrator, will be joining us (virtually) as a plenary speaker during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. The title of his address will be “Towards a Destination Driven Space Program.” Dr. Griffin served as head of the U.S. space agency under President George W. Bush. During this time, he focused on creating a more ambitious space strategy, which included the unveiling… READ MORE >
The Mars Society announced in February 2020 the holding of an international contest for the best design plan of a Mars city state of 1,000,000 people. No less than 175 teams have entered the global competition. There will be a prize of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second, $2,500 for third, $1,000 for fourth and $500 for fifth. In addition, the top 21 papers will be published in a new book “Mars City States: New Societies for a New… READ MORE >
Dr. Mark Panning, Project Scientist and Co-Investigator for NASA’s Mars InSight lander, currently operating on the Martian surface, will be joining us virtually to provide a mission update during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. After spending almost a decade at the University of Florida in the geological sciences division, Dr. Panning joined JPL in 2017 to focus on planetary interiors using seismology. He is also Co-Investigator on the Dragonfly mission to Titan, currently in… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO of Interstellar Lab, Inc. will give a virtual plenary talk during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18, 2020. Established in 2018, Interstellar Lab’s mission is to develop and build bio-regenerative habitats and life-support solutions to make human life sustainable on Earth, as well as on Mars and other planets in our solar system. Ms. Belvisi started her career as an investment manager… READ MORE >
Taber MacCallum, Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) and co-founder and CTO of World View Enterprises, will give a virtual plenary talk during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for October 15-18. Prior to World View, Mr. MacCallum served as co-founder, CEO and CTO of Paragon Space Development Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of hazardous environment life support equipment. During his tenure at Paragon, Mr. MacCallum served as the CTO and safety officer for Alan Eustace’s world… READ MORE >
Dr. Abigail Fraeman, a planetary scientist and deputy project scientist for NASA-JPL’s Curiosity rover mission, will provide an update about the space agency’s Mars rover missions during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. Her experience with NASA-JPL missions to the solar system are extensive, including having served as co-investigator for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), principal investigator for NASA Development & Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation, co-investigator for NASA Planetary Data Analysis &… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. David Poston, leader of the Compact Fission Reactor Design Team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, will give a virtual plenary talk during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. Dr. Poston’s research team at Los Alamos is responsible for the design and development of nuclear fission reactors for NASA, civilian and defense applications in space. As part of this, he serves as the Chief Reactor Designer… READ MORE >
Dr. Sarah Milkovich, lead Science Systems Engineer for NASA-JPL’s Mars Perseverance rover, scheduled to launch this July, will give a virtual update about the mission to the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for October 15-18. During her 14 years at JPL, Dr. Milkovich has specialized in science planning and operations for landed and orbital spacecraft, geomorphology and planetary science research, science communication and the ability to handle nebulous problems. Prior to the Mars 2020 rover mission, she served… READ MORE >
Presentations for the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention in October are invited dealing with all matters (science, engineering, politics, economics, technology, public policy, etc.) associated with the exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent by Friday, July 31st (5:00 pm MT). Those submissions received after the deadline may not be included in the convention literature and are lower priority for adding to the final schedule. Those intending to submit an abstract… READ MORE >
Dr. Chris McKay, a senior planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center and one of the co-founders of the Mars Underground, will give a virtual plenary talk during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. A renowned astrobiologist and expert on planetary atmospheres and terraforming, Dr. McKay’s research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origins of life. He is also involved in planning for future Mars missions including human exploration. He has… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to welcome Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Founder and Executive Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, as one of its plenary speakers at the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled to be held virtually October 15-18, 2020. Named several years ago by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Dr. Diamandis is an international pioneer in the fields of innovation, commercial space and incentive-based competitions. His X PRIZE initiative is best known for… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. S. Pete Worden, Executive Director of Breakthrough Starshot, will be joining us virtually as a plenary speaker during our 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention set for October 15-18, 2020. Breakthrough Starshot is a $100 million research and engineering program aiming to demonstrate proof of concept for a new technology, enabling ultra-light unmanned space flight at 20% of the speed of light and to lay the groundwork for a flyby mission to Alpha Centauri within… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened Thursday-Sunday, October 15-18, 2020 all over the world via the Internet! Through the use of unique technology provided by the TMRO company (Anaheim, CA), it will be possible not only hold debates, panel discussions and presentations, but to allow people from all countries to participate, posing questions and interacting with each other, creating a global teleconvention of a type never before seen…. READ MORE >
Support the Mars Society while shopping on Amazon during these difficult times. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of AmazonSmile purchases to the Mars Society. To learn more, please visit smile.amazon.com (and remember to select the Mars Society as your charity of choice). Thank you (and Amazon) and stay safe!… READ MORE >
The Mars Society invites you to join its subreddit page (r/MarsSociety) to learn more about the organization and its efforts to advocate for human Mars exploration, as well as current news about planning for a human mission to the Red Planet. Our direct link is: https://www.reddit.com/r/MarsSociety/new. With almost 2,000 members, the Mars Society’s subreddit account is growing fast and having a major impact on the Reddit space community. Leading group representatives, including its president, Dr. Robert Zubrin, are participating in chats to… READ MORE >
Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin visited Boca Chica, Texas yesterday to meet with SpaceX Founder & CEO Elon Musk. During their meeting, Mr. Musk explained his company’s extraordinary plan to begin the human settlement of the planet Mars, which was very much in evidence as hundreds of people were lined up outside the facility to join his team to build Starships. Dr. Zubrin asked Mr. Musk what the Mars Society could do to help his Mars effort and was… READ MORE >
In October 2018, the Mars Society announced that it was holding a special international contest called “The Mars Colony Prize” for designing the best plan for a Mars colony of 1,000 people. There would be a prize of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third. In addition, the top 20 papers would be published in a new book – “Mars Colonies: Plans for Settling the Red Planet.” This is that book. The 580 page grey-scale softcover… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that a new group has been added to its international network of chapters, with the recent establishment of Mars Society Cyprus. Set up in coordination with the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization (CSEO), the new Cypriot chapter will seek to promote the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet and help drive Mars-related research locally and in cooperation with other countries. “Welcome to Mars! We look forward to all the exciting things our… READ MORE >
Hi Friends. We all know how important social media is to public outreach these days. As part of this, the Mars Society maintains an active social media presence, focusing primarily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Linkedin. I want to encourage each of you to visit and connect with our social media platforms, if you haven’t done so already, in order to learn more about our organization and mission. Also share with your friends and contacts our online presence. Please… READ MORE >
On behalf of myself and the Mars Society, I’d like to take the occasion of Buzz Aldrin’s 90th birthday to thank him for his heroic role in piloting the first human landing on the Moon and for all the work he has done since then to make sure that occasion wasn’t only the epic achievement of its time, but indeed, “a giant leap for all mankind.” Happy birthday Buzz! We look forward to honoring your 100th with the first “small… READ MORE >
By Dr. Robert Zubrin, National Review, 01.09.20 Fears that water-consuming microbes from the Red Planet would desiccate Earth are absurd. In a special issue, the last of 2019, the web magazine Quillette deals with the exploration and settlement of Mars. The issue includes contributions from Michael Shermer, Cathy Young, and Michael Solana, all of whom address the question of future governance on the Red Planet. The topic might seem to some to be far-fetched, but it nevertheless provides these able conservative and libertarian writers ample scope… READ MORE >
Donate to the Mars Society on #GivingTuesday Each year on Giving Tuesday, non-profit organizations rally their supporters for a day of maximum impact. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday provides an opportunity for people around the world to support what matters most to them and share that cause with their social media networks. The Mars Society relies on the generous contributions of members and friends like you to sustain and expand our programs, including the long-running Mars Desert Research Station in Utah,… READ MORE >
Hi space fans! We invite you to ask Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin questions about Mars and space exploration. The event will take place in its own dedicated thread this Saturday! What: AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Dr. Zubrin Where: reddit, r/SpaceX, u/DrRobertZubrin When: Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 12:00 pm PT (20:00 UTC) Why: Let’s go to Mars! For details, visit: https://bit.ly/35jRIsX. Thank you!… READ MORE >