Panel of Science Fiction Greats to be Featured during Mars Society Convention The Mars Society is proud to announce that the opening night of its twentieth annual international convention – Thursday, September 7th – will feature a panel of four of the greatest science fiction authors of all time to discuss “The Human Future in Space.” Members of this special panel will include Greg Benford (Timescape, The Martian Race, Chiller), David Brin (Startide Rising, The Uplift War, The Postman), Larry… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
TWO WEEKS until 2017 International Mars Society Convention Great Line-Up of Scientists, Aerospace Industry Reps & Academics to Discuss Mars Exploration In just 14 days, the Mars Society, the world’s largest and most influential Mars advocacy organization, will be marking its twentieth annual international convention dedicated to the study of and planning for human Mars exploration. This year’s conference will take place September 7-10 on the picturesque campus of the University of California Irvine. Leading scientists, engineers, aerospace industry representatives, government officials… READ MORE >
Robert Zubrin to Address AIAA (Los Angeles-Las Vegas) Dinner Mars Society President & Founder Dr. Robert Zubrin will give a special address entitled “Destination Mars” at the 2017 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) Dinner on Wednesday, August 30th (6:00-9:30 pm PST) in Redondo Beach, California. As one of the world’s leading experts on the Red Planet, Dr. Zubrin will talk in detail about the challenges facing human Mars exploration, recent technological developments related to human space flight and details about… READ MORE >
Final Crew Report Mars 160 Mission (FMARS) Summer 2017 Hello from Mars, 火星からこんにちは (Kasei kara konnichiwa), Привет с Марса (Privet s Marsa), मंगल ग्रह से नमस्ते (Mangal grah se Namaste), Salutations Martiennes, This is the final crew expedition of the Mars 160 program. We are six people living in the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station(FMARS), in the Canadian High Arctic far from home. Over here we can only rely on ourselves. The nearest town is Resolute Bay, a one hour of… READ MORE >
Limited Number of Participants – Register Today The Mars Society is pleased to announce that, with the cooperation of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, we will be able to offer two special tours of the JPL facility in Pasadena, California to those registered to attend the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention scheduled to be held at the University of California Irvine September 7-10. There will be two kinds of tour options available. A science and technology tour led by a JPL… READ MORE >
Continuing its leadership in high-level Mars analog research, the Mars Society is pleased to announce that the second half of its Mars 160 mission has officially begun with the arrival of a six-person crew this weekend at the organization’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS), located on Devon Island in northern Canada. Mars 160 is a unique two-part mission involving a sustained program of advanced field exploration and testing in Mars-like terrain, initially in a desert setting at the Mars Desert… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is very honored to release on its official YouTube channel a new inspirational anthem dedicated to the human journey to explore and settle the Red Planet entitled “Rise to Mars!” The uplifting music for the new song was composed by Mumbai, India-born opera singer Oscar Castellino, while the words were written cooperatively by Mr. Castellino and Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin. The YouTube video version of “Rise to Mars!” was taken from the world premiere performance of… READ MORE >
Great Line-Up of Scientists, Aerospace Industry Reps & Academics to Discuss Mars Exploration In two months, the Mars Society, the world’s largest and most influential Mars advocacy organization, will be marking its twentieth annual international convention dedicated to the study of and planning for human Mars exploration. This year’s conference will take place September 7-10 on the picturesque campus of the University of California Irvine. Leading scientists, engineers, aerospace industry representatives, government officials, members of academia and the media will… READ MORE >
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 >
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 >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert Pappalardo, a Project Scientist in JPL’s Planetary Science Division, will provide an update about NASA’s Europa Clipper mission during the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10, 2017 at the University of California Irvine. Due for launch in the 2020’s, the Europa Clipper mission will place a spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter in order to perform a detailed investigation of the giant planet’s moon Europa – a… READ MORE >
“Monsieur, your song is worth an extra thousand men in battle!” once said a French general of Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle’s ‘La Marseilles’. For those of us pushing for a human future in space, an inspiring tune could motivate millions and convince governments that we need to get to Mars, and we need to get there now! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tune! “Rise to Mars!”, an inspirational melody composed by Mumbai-born opera singer Oscar Dom Victor Castellino,… READ MORE >
By Joel Achenbacher, Washington Post, 05.17.17 Robert Zubrin started the Mars Society nearly two decades ago with the dream of creating a human settlement on the Red Planet. “The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars!” he announced one night in the summer of 1998, at the group’s founding convention in Boulder, Colo. He then read the society’s Founding Declaration: “We must go, not for us, but for the people who are yet to be. We must do… READ MORE >
The Mars Society and Team Mars are jointly producing a special limited series of t-shirts and rover decals to mark the annual University Rover Challenge (URC), the leading world-wide competition for college students to design, build and field the next generation of Mars rovers. Join the growing number of space enthusiasts dedicated to the robotic and human exploration of the Red Planet by ordering a URC t-shirt or decal at the special web site maintained by the Mars Society and… READ MORE >
By Robert Zubrin National Review, 05.15.17 At the recent Space Foundation conference held in Colorado Springs, NASA revealed its new plan for human space exploration, superseding the absurd Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) championed by the Obama administration. Amazingly, the space agency has managed to come up with an even dumber idea. In the early months of the Trump administration, some lunar advocates spread the rumor that the new president would seek a return to the Moon within his first four years,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that former NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Dava Newman will speak about current planning for human space exploration at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10, 2017 at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Newman served as deputy to Administrator Charles Bolden from 2015-17, helping provide leadership, planning and policy direction for NASA, while also representing the agency to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of federal and… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company, will give a plenary talk at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10 at the University of California Irvine. In these two senior roles, Mr. Whitesides is responsible for guiding all aspects of building the world’s first commercial spaceline and overseeing the manufacturing of the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo space vehicles. Before joining Virgin Galactic, Mr. Whitesides served as… READ MORE >
A committee of Mars Society staff members took a close look at nearly two dozen creative designs submitted to the 2017 Mars Society Poster Contest. After a longer than expected review period, the winner of the annual competition was selected – Violaine Bourgeais (France). Graphic artists were asked to submit a poster using the theme “Mars: From Imagination to Reality” for the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set to take place September 7-10 at the University of California Irvine…. READ MORE >
Dr. John Grotzinger, former NASA Project Scientist for the Curiosity/Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission, will give a plenary talk at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 7-10, 2017 at the University of California Irvine. The planned address will involve a full review of the results of the ongoing Curiosity rover mission on the Red Planet. In addition to Dr. Grotzinger’s work with MSL over a period of nine years, he was also involved as a… READ MORE >