Over 140 students from around the world entered the Mars Society’s Student Mars Art (SMArt) contest over the past few months. The objective of the international competition was for students to depict any phase of the human future on the planet Mars, from first landing to full settlement. The contest was divided into three groups: Elementary (grades 4-6), Middle School (grades 7-9) and high school (grades 10-12). The winners for all three categories are now being announced below. To view… READ MORE >
Month: June 2017
As part of the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled to take place at the University of California Irvine (September 7-10), a panel discussion involving four major science fiction authors has been organized to examine the human future in space and the role science fiction plays in its planning and direction. The four scheduled participants, all award-winning writers, include: Gregory Benford, a science fiction author, professor emeritus at UC Irvine in the field of physics and contributing editor to… READ MORE >
One Week until Submission Deadline The Mars Society invites presentations for the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10, 2017 at the University of California Irvine. Subjects for discussion can involve all matters associated with Mars exploration and establishing a permanent human presence on the Red Planet, including science, technology, engineering, politics, economics, public outreach, government affairs, etc. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent by June 30th to: The Mars Society, 11111 W…. READ MORE >
By Bob Bruner (guest writer) Red Planet Pen, Issue #36 Bob Bruner has attended and presented at the scientific conferences described below since 2015. His contribution is entitled “Special Exhibit on Meteorites and Minerals associated with the Origin of Life on Earth or Mars” and can be found on the web. He is a long-time member of the Mars Society and is a volunteer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Four popular origin of life theories that have influenced the hunt… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Mike Elsperman, Director of Boeing’s Space Science & Advanced Space Utilization division, will give a plenary address about the company’s role in Mars mission planning at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10 at the University of California Irvine. In addition to being involved in the development of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), Boeing announced concept plans in April for the Deep Space Gateway, a habitat in cislunar orbit… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Tom Mueller, Propulsion Chief Technology Officer for SpaceX, will speak about his company’s ongoing development and plans for travel to the Red Planet at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10 at the University of California Irvine. A founding employee of SpaceX, Mr. Mueller focuses on new technology developments for propulsion, including Mars main propulsion and surface power. Prior to becoming SpaceX CTO in 2014, he served as… READ MORE >
Radiation Hucksters Strike Again By Dr. Robert Zubrin, Mars Society President, 06.08.17 According to a publicity campaign launched on behalf of a paper authored by University of Nevada Las Vegas Professor Frank Cucinotta, new findings show “collateral damage from cosmic rays increases cancer risks for Mars astronauts.” However an examination of the paper itself shows no discussion of experimental methods or results, because no experiments were done and no data was taken. Rather the much-ballyhooed paper is a discussion of… READ MORE >
After three days of intense competition under the hot desert sun, the Mars Rover Design Team (MRDT) from the Missouri University of Science and Technology became the first team from the United States to win the University Rover Challenge (URC) since 2010. 35 rovers and more than 500 students from seven countries descended upon the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah for this annual competition which asks college students to design and build the world’s best Mars rover…. READ MORE >