Reflections from the Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2026 By Bill Maloney, Guest Writer, Red Planet Bound This past Sunday, I attended the “Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2026” as a representativeof The Mars Society’s Mars Technology Institute (MTI). The theme of the event was “AI’s Impacton the Future of Science.” The event featured many distinguished minds, including those at theforefront of the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which is changing the world as weknow it at an ever-increasing speed. Nobel laureates… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
September 24th, 2026
Mars Landing Pioneer Adam Steltzner Named Keynote Speaker for 2026 Int’l Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that renowned NASA engineer Dr. Adam Steltzner will deliver the keynote address at the Saturday evening banquet (September 24th at 7:00 pm PST) during the 2026 International Mars Society Convention, taking place October 22–24 at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. One of the most prominent engineering leaders associated with NASA’s exploration of Mars, Dr. Steltzner is an Engineering Fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and has played key… READ MORE >
September 22nd, 2026
Mars Is Calling: Join Us at USC in Just One Month!
We’re just one month away from the 2026 International Mars Society Convention, taking place October 22–24 at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles! Join us for three packed days bringing together leading scientists, engineers, space industry innovators, policymakers, and Mars advocates to explore the latest in Mars science, exploration, technology, geopolitics, and plans for human settlement of the Red Planet. And there’s more good news: Discounted student and senior registration rates are available, and we still have… READ MORE >
September 1st, 2026
Beyond Earth Ventures’ Patrick Beatty Joins 2026 Mars Society Convention
Patrick Beatty, U.S. Managing Director of Beyond Earth Ventures, will bring an investor’s perspective on the future of space exploration to the 29th Annual International Mars Society Convention, October 22–24, 2026, at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. Patrick’s presentation will explore investing in the growing space economy and how investment, innovation, and emerging technologies can help advance long-term human exploration and settlement of the Moon and Mars. A veteran venture investor, operator, and data science leader,… READ MORE >
August 31st, 2026
Red Planet Live: Mars Lessons from the High Arctic
What can one of the most remote places on Earth teach us about living and working on Mars? Join Red Planet Live on Tuesday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m. PT for a conversation with Crew Commander Trevor Jahn and Executive Officer Dr. Laura Thomas, members of Crew 19 – Tiriganiaq, the latest Mars analog crew to live and work at the Mars Society’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Canadian High Arctic… READ MORE >
August 28th, 2026
Astera Institute’s Mars Terraforming Engineer Fabrizio Pisani to Speak at 2026 Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is excited to announce that aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Dr. Fabrizio Pisani will be joining the 2026 International Mars Society Convention as a plenary speaker, taking place October 22–24 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Currently serving as Lead R&D Engineer for the Mars Terraforming Team at the Astera Institute, Dr. Pisani is helping advance one of the most ambitious long-term challenges in space exploration: developing the technologies and engineering concepts that could one… READ MORE >
August 26th, 2026
Manufacturing in the Cosmos: In-Situ Resource Utilization on Mars [Blog]
By Lou Farrell, Senior Writer, Red Planet Bound Blog Launch mass is expensive and limited, making it impractical to ship every future need from Earth for a Mars mission. A resupply run to the International Space Station can arrive within days if something needs urgent replacement. A supply mission to Mars works on an entirely different timescale, since launch windows only open on an infrequent, fixed schedule dictated by planetary alignment. In-situ resource utilization offers a different path. Future missions… READ MORE >
August 18th, 2026
K-12 Educators: Join Us on Mars!
Calling Utah K-12 Science/STEM-focused teachers! We have opened applications for our next Spaceward Bound Utah crew, which will be held October 12-16. Please note that the application deadline is Monday, September 14th (5:00 pm MT). Spaceward Bound Utah is a 5-day workshop at the Mars Desert Research Station outside Hanksville, Utah where K-12 teachers from Utah will be able to experience what living on Mars might be like in the future. The MDRS is a research facility that has been developed to simulate… READ MORE >
