Author: James Burk

Posts by James Burk

From Sol to Sol: The Crew Montes Journey

By Rodrigo Nascente Schmitt, Crew 306, Mars Desert Research Station “Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.” Radiation, freezing cold, suffocation, starvation—on Mars, being prepared is no longer an option. It’s necessary. During our twelve-day mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), Crew Montes faced a planet that seemed determined to kill us. Nevertheless, we discovered that even a single Martian sunrise can make all the hardships worthwhile. Our crew—Commander Jesus (whom we affectionately call Messiah), Geologist Elizabeth… READ MORE >

Mars Society Launches Global Campaign to Support Mars Desert Research Station

HANKSVILLE, Utah – March 21, 2025 – The Mars Society announced today the launch of a landmark global fundraising campaign to bolster the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), a critical hub for training future Mars explorers and advancing research for life on the Red Planet. Located in the Utah desert, MDRS serves as a premier analog facility where simulated Mars missions and cutting-edge STEM education converge to prepare humanity for its interplanetary future. The campaign aims to raise $250,000 to… READ MORE >

Mars Society Starts Congressional Campaign to Make NASA Produce a Humans to Mars Plan

The Mars Society announced today that it is beginning a nationwide grassroots campaign to get Congress to pass legislation compelling the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to produce a plan to get humans to Mars within a decade. As part of the campaign, the Mars Society has drawn up a draft Mars Exploration Act requiring NASA to produce a plan, and mobilizing its chapters across the nation to meet with their representatives and Senators in their home offices to explain… READ MORE >

Inspiring Women of Exploration: A Tribute on International Women’s Day

By Ashton Zeth, Guest Writer, Red Planet Bound, 03.08.24 International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8th, is dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. Beyond celebrating the triumphs of women, IWD also focuses on raising awareness about ongoing struggles and campaigning for gender equality. According to the US Census Bureau, International Women’s Day dates back to March 8, 1857, in New York City, when “female textile workers marched in protest of unfair working conditions… READ MORE >

Blog: Mars Ambassadors are Catalysts for Change

By James Melton, PhD, Mars Society Chief Ambassador Red Planet Bound Blog OUR STORY In the dark stillness of the night, zero four hundred hours a Zoom link is clicked in Pakistan. Nasir reaches for his notepad for the call. Simultaneously, in Australia, at 0700 hours at dawn, Jonathan is ready for work, but before leaving, he clicks on the Zoom link. In the United Kingdom, at 10:00 PM, Emma and Steve join in. At 4:00 PM in Austin and… READ MORE >

Rethink the Mars Program (R.Zubrin – Op.Ed.)

It’s time to consider alternatives to sample return By Robert Zubrin, Space News, 12.07.23 NASA’s robotic Mars exploration program is in crisis. A recent review of the plan of its flagship Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission pegged its cost at $10 billion, a price tag that threatens to preclude funding any other exploration missions to the Red Planet for the next decade and a half. While the decadal plan issued by a National Academy of Science committee identifies the MSR mission as… READ MORE >

International Crew Concludes Multi-Week Mission to FMARS in Northern Canada

The Mars Society is pleased to announce the successful completion of the latest mission to the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS), which was conducted from July 15-30th, 2023. The international crew diligently worked to complete all mission objectives. Among their tasks was the essential maintenance and updating of the main Hab, which will pave the way for additional planned annual expeditions and further ongoing exploration and understanding of the Martian analog environment on Devon Island. The crew, a five-person… READ MORE >

Here Be Radioactive Dragons and Other Stories

By Kris Davidson, Guest Writer, Journalist, MDRS Crew 261 During the zenith of the Age of Exploration, spanning the 14th to 16th centuries, a captivating sway of the monstrous and mythical prevailed over cartography. This period, signified by insatiable curiosity, saw audacious explorers venturing into uncharted territories. The maps of that era, intricate renderings of the known and the unknown, served as essential tools for navigation and understanding Earth’s expansive geography. They bore witness not only to discovered territories but… READ MORE >

Book Recommendation: The Case for Nukes by Robert Zubrin

Book Review by James Burk, Executive Director of the Mars Society Dr. Robert Zubrin’s latest book, The Case for Nukes, provides a sweeping history of energy technology advances and presents a compelling and detailed defense of one of humanity’s most promising yet misunderstood sources of energy. Many positive reviews are coming in, such as this one from Reason magazine, and I want to join those who are hailing this as an influential and thought-provoking work. In addition to promoting nuclear… READ MORE >

Mars Society Announces Ongoing Partnership with Million on Mars

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 >

Mars Society Offers Virtual Option for Attendance at 2022 Int’l Convention

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 >

Mars Society Concludes its “International Mission to Mars” Design Class & Competition for High School Students

The Mars Society, the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to sending humans to Mars, has recently concluded its first cohort of a groundbreaking educational program “International Mission to Mars”, an engineering design competition for high school students.  The program is modeled on the approach taken in engineering design courses at some of the leading universities in the world. In conducting this program, the Mars Society sought to demonstrate the value of a new and much more creative way to teach… READ MORE >

Int’l Mars Mission Design Competition Moving into the Final Round

After two weeks of lectures and two weeks of intensive design work, the Mars Society’s International Mission to Mars Design Class & Competition for high school students is now moving towards its final stage, with the five teams of approximately seven students each – one from Asia, one from Europe and Africa and three from the Americas – now writing up their design reports in preparation for the concluding contest beginning next week. The final shootout will occur in three… READ MORE >

Finalists Chosen in Mars Society’s Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that six finalists have been chosen in the Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition (TMEDC), an international contest announced in January which asked the entrants to design the best set of robotic exploration hardware using a 10-ton payload Mars lander. The finalists include teams from the U.S., Canada, and Europe and are listed below: MIFECO Proposal – Robert Mills United States (Michigan) Carl Greenbaum United States (South Dakota) Moran_TMEDC_Team United States (Virginia) Innspace Team… READ MORE >

Mars Society Conducting “International Mission to Mars” Design Course & Competition for High School Age Students

This summer, the Mars Society has been conducting a truly groundbreaking educational program for 40 high school students from around the world, modeled on the approach taken in engineering design courses at some of the best universities in the world. With this six-week virtual program, which began on July 5th and will conclude in mid-August, the Mars Society looks to make educational history by demonstrating the value of a new and much more creative way to teach science and engineering… READ MORE >

Mars, Meaning and COVID Fatigue

By Evan Plant-Weir As we quickly approach the grim milestone of two consecutive years in a global pandemic, many of us are experiencing a feeling of growing despair. Once again, our holiday season is marred by uncertainty in the shadow of a new and potent COVID-19 variant. The rapid and shocking spread of Omicron is pushing us apart, precisely when we are meant to come together. The closing of a year should be a time for celebration of the little… READ MORE >

2021 Virtual Mars Society Convention Application is Now Open

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that its virtual experience for the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 14-17, 2021, is now available for all attendees.  The International Mars Society Convention presents a unique opportunity for those interested in the planet Mars to come together and discuss the science, technology, social implications, philosophy, and a multitude of other aspects of Mars exploration. Powered by the Attendify software that was used last year, this virtual experience allows… READ MORE >

Pro-Mars, Pro-Human

By Evan Plant-Weir There is something curious at the heart of Mars settlement cynicism. Some specific, underlying mindset appears to be driving many critics of humans-to-Mars. Paradoxically, an awareness of that mindset can help us better understand the value of our multi-planetary future. Have you noticed it? Their language frequently resonates with a kind of knee-jerk pessimism. It feels like the sort of response usually elicited when somebody is confronted with an idea that they would rather not actually consider…. READ MORE >

International Collaboration in Space: Doorway to a Wiser Humanity

By Evan Plant-Weir International collaboration in space is an important catalyst for the growth of our species. Not only does is bolster our total scientific and economic productivity as a planet, but it also constitutes an important mechanism for our transition into a more planetary-minded people. Humanity is fumbling through its adolescence. We grapple with the messy contradictions found at the intersection of our violent past, and our aspirations for the future. We have matured enough as a species to… READ MORE >

Robots Are No Substitute For Human Space Exploration

By Evan Plant-Weir Space exploration is not just about gathering data. By and large, the last few hundred days on Earth are not going to be remembered fondly. Few will recall the COVID-19 years with a sense of happy nostalgia. Ultimately, however, this time won’t be entirely defined by the beating we took at the hands of a pandemic. Despite the many tragedies and challenges therein, we still managed to pull off some pretty remarkable things. Somewhere high on that… READ MORE >

Mars City State Designs Book Published!

The Mars Society is proud to announce that its book, “Mars City States: New Societies for a New World”, has now been published. The book, edited by Frank Crossman, contains the twenty top designs for a one million person Mars City State, is now on sale in both paperback and kindle formats. People will soon be able to go to the Red Planet. But that very possibility opens a still more interesting – indeed truly grand – question: What will we… READ MORE >

History as a Bridge Between Worlds

By Evan Plant-Weir The scope and scale of Mars settlement is so significant that it can defy our intuitions. Generally speaking, thinking about endeavours on this scale does not come naturally to us. Especially for those that are new to the idea, it can feel detached from practical reality. The trick to shrinking this unwieldy concept down into an accessible format, is found by thinking a little bigger. We have to consider it within the broader context of history. In… READ MORE >

No, Mars is not a Hellhole [Blog]

By Evan Plant-Weir For the past few weeks, an article has been circulating throughout the Mars science and exploration community that serves as a sharp reminder of how much work remains to be done in educating the public (and apparently journalists) on the subject of the red planet. ‘Mars Is a Hellhole’ seemingly aims to characterize the objective of a long term human presence on Mars as folly. By couching scary-sounding Mars factoids within a blatantly ad hominem swipe at… READ MORE >

MarsVR Video Update 1

The MarsVR team has released their first Video Update for the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. In this video, James Burk (Director/IT, Mars Society) and Jeff Rainer (CEO MXTReality) talk about the goals for the project and answer some of the questions that have come in. We have passed four thousand dollars through the support of 46 backers who have pledged at one of the available donation levels.  MarsVR will deliver a stunning experience to schools, museums, the public and our future… READ MORE >

Beyond Luna

By Evan Plant-Weir Humanity has some unfinished business with the Moon. The lunar surface has fallen back into the realm of the remote and unfamiliar for too long. The Apollo landings kindled a dream of an expansive, space-faring future for our species, and that vision continues to inspire us nearly a half century later. Though we have sustained an ember of that dream through crewed missions to the International Space Station, it diminishes a little with every passing year that… READ MORE >