News & Announcements

60 teams have registered for the Third Annual European Rover Challenge (ERC). They hail from 12 countries, including Canada, Italy, Poland, Peru and the U.S. The final round of the competition will take place in Jasionka, Poland, September 10-13, 2016. In addition to participating in this major Mars rover competition, one of the main cores of the Rover Challenge series sponsored by the Mars Society, teams this year will participate in a mentoring workshop, according to ERC Director Lukasz Wilczynski…. READ MORE >

The Mars Society is saddened to announce the passing of Fredrick Gary Hareland, the founder and head of the organization’s China Lake-Upper Mojave Desert chapter, after a long illness. Known to Mars Society staff and friends as “Gary”, he was a strong advocate of a human mission to the planet Mars, as well as human spaceflight in general. Gary approached the Mars Society in September 2012 about the possibility of setting up a local chapter in the China Lake-Ridgecrest area… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce a new mission, Mars 160, using both of the organization’s analog research stations. This program will involve the same seven person crew doing similar science operations for the same period of time – 80 days – initially at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah in the fall of 2016 and then continuing at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) in northern Canada in the summer of 2017. The multi-national… READ MORE >

The following is the final mission report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 166 (Mission to Mars UCL). A full review of this year’s MDRS activities will be presented at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, to be held September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Stationed at MDRS from March 19th thru April 3rd, Crew 166 consisted of six students from the UCL (Université Catholique de Louvain), a Belgian university. It was… READ MORE >

Don McCoy, Project Manager of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars 2016 mission, will present a full update about the spacecraft’s journey to the Red Planet and long-term mission at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, to be held September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Scheduled to arrive at the planet Mars this October, this first part of the ExoMars program, consisting of an orbiter and lander, will search for gases in the Martian… READ MORE >

The U.S. human spaceflight space program is currently adrift. It needs a goal, and that goal should be sending human explorers to Mars in our time. In order to help provide such direction and get a serious humans-to-Mars program underway, the Mars Society launched the International Gemini Mars Design Competition in August 2015, which would create a plan for a two-person Mars flyby that could be placed on the desk of the President-elect in November 2016 and completed by the… READ MORE >

The Mars Society would like to extend its congratulations to Dr. Penelope Boston on her recent selection as the new Director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute (NAI), a California-based body that plays a major role in performing astrobiology research, as well as providing scientific leadership for astrobiology space missions. While a graduate student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, [then Ms.] Boston was one of the founders of the Mars Underground and helped organize a series of conferences called ‘The… READ MORE >

The following is the final mission report of Mars Desert Research Station Crew 165. A full review of this year’s activity at MDRS will be presented at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The call for papers for the conference can be viewed at the Mars Society web site. Crew 165 – Team Tharsis II & Team Nippon (March 5-20, 2016) Preface The MDRS crew… READ MORE >

The Mars Society, its staff and membership wish to extend their thoughts and prayers to the people of Belgium following today’s horrific terror attacks in Brussels. The two incidents in Belgium hit close to home for part of the Mars Society family, with Crew 166 (Mission to Mars UCL), made up of six Belgian university students, currently working at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The crew was notified of the attack this morning by MDRS Program Director Shannon… READ MORE >

In December 2015, a record 63 teams from 12 countries set out to design and build the world’s top Mars rover as part of the University Rover Challenge. Now 30 teams have advanced past the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage of the URC contest and will participate in the field competition, being held June 2-4, 2016 at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The 2016 rendition of this contest, URC2016, introduces the first ever Semi-Final round… READ MORE >

Guess what!! The Mars Society’s official Facebook page just topped 20,000 “Likes”, showing the growing public support of the group and its goal of exploring Mars and creating a permanent human presence on the Red Planet. The organization and its staff want to thank everyone who has visited the Facebook page and helped reach this important social media milestone. On to 30,000!!  … READ MORE >

The following is the final report of Mars Desert Research Station Crew 164. A full review of this year’s MDRS activity will be given at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. MDRS Crew 164 Final Report February 21 – March 5, 2016 Website: http://mdrssupaerocrew.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/mdrssupaero Twitter: @MDRSSupaeroCrew Crew 164, the MDRS Supaero Crew is comprised of six students from ISAE-Supaero, a leading Aerospace Engineering school… READ MORE >

Register Today for the 2016 Mars Society Convention Early Bird Ticket Prices Are Now Available Online registration for the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention is now open! Scheduled to be held at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. from September 22-25, the Mars Society conference will provide a major platform for leading scientists, policymakers, government officials, entrepreneurs and journalists to discuss the significance of the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could open the… READ MORE >

With public interest in Mars exploration and a human mission to the Red Planet growing, due in part to the success of 20th Century Fox’s movie, “The Martian”, with Matt Damon, two Fox News crews visited the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah in late January. Fox 13 (Salt Lake City) and Fox 31 (Denver) sent reporters and film teams to the MDRS habitat to learn more about the Mars Society program and the activities of the… READ MORE >

We Need Your Creativity and Involvement! The Mars Society is looking for fun, creative design submissions for its annual poster contest, with the winning entry to be used as the primary promotional graphic for the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. When designing a poster, participants are asked to incorporate the main theme of the Mars Society convention into their layout. This year’s theme will be:… READ MORE >

The following is the final report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 161. A full review of this year’s activity at the MDRS habitat will be presented at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled to be held September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A call for papers for the 2016 convention has also been issued, with full details available on the Mars Society web site. MDRS Crew 161 Final Report Crew… READ MORE >

The following is the final report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 160. A full review of this year’s activity at the MDRS habitat will be presented at the 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled to be held September 22-25, 2016 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A call for papers for the 2016 convention has also been made, with details available on the Mars Society web site (www.marssociety.org).   Mars Desert Research Station Crew… READ MORE >

By Bob Bruner Guest Blogger, Red Planet Pen, #34 Bob Bruner is an amateur scientist that has attended all the ‘Case for Mars’ conferences given by the Mars Underground in the 1980’s and 1990’s and joined the Mars Society at its founding.  This story is a case of an amateur scientist actually having an impact on NASA decisions for its next big mission to Mars, the Mars 2020 rover, by suggesting a specific mineral to cache and return to Earth… READ MORE >

Dear Mars Society Supporter, It has truly been an exciting year for Mars and human space exploration with NASA’s announcement of the Journey to Mars program that includes a human mission to the Red Planet, astronaut Scott Kelly starting a one-year mission on board the ISS, the highly-publicized debut of “The Martian” movie, the successful growth of SpaceX and the commercial space industry, and NASA’s recent confirmation of water on the surface of Mars. For the first time since humans… READ MORE >

The Mars Society, its staff and membership commend SpaceX, its founder, Elon Musk, and its team of scientists and engineers on the successful landing of the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral. SpaceX brought the rocket back to Earth for a soft touchdown, marking the first-ever rocket landing during an orbital launch. This major accomplishment proves launch vehicle re-usability, a pivotal event that will move humanity one step closer to exploring the solar system, and with… READ MORE >

The Mars Society will convene its 19th Annual International Mars Society Convention on the beautiful tree-lined campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. from September 22 – 25, 2016. The main convention events will take place in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. The four-day conference will bring together leading scientists, engineers, policymakers, government officials, entrepreneurs and journalists to address the significance of the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could open the way… READ MORE >

Among planetary bodies in our solar system, Mars is singular in that it possesses all the raw materials required to support not only life, but a new branch of human civilization.  This uniqueness is illustrated most clearly if we contrast Mars with the Earth’s Moon, the most frequently cited alternative location for extraterrestrial human colonization. In contrast to the Moon, the Red Planet is rich in carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, all in biologically readily accessible forms such as carbon… READ MORE >

We’re pleased to announce that the Mars Society’s group discussion page on Facebook has achieved an important milestone – reaching 10,000 members. Our social media presence on Facebook continues to be a great source for interesting discussion, commentary and postings on issues related to Mars exploration and planning for humans-to-Mars. If you’re not already a member of our Facebook group discussion page, please consider joining! https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheMarsSocietyUS/… READ MORE >

Members of Crew 156 stationed at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah received a special phone call earlier today from, of all places, Earth orbit. NASA astronaut and physician Dr. Kjell Lindgren, currently serving on the International Space Station (ISS), reached out to the MDRS crew for a short chat. According to MDRS crew commander Ben Easter, Dr. Lindgren spoke with members of the crew about some of his experiences so far during his five months… READ MORE >

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Florence Maisch, the organization’s Volunteer Coordinator since September 2013, has been appointed to the newly-created post of Director of Volunteers & Chapters. As part of this new position, Mrs. Maisch will supervise volunteer recruitment and placement for the organization, as well as outreach and coordination between the Mars Society and its U.S. and international chapters. A resident of the Chicagoland area, Mrs. Maisch is a long-time proponent of Mars and space exploration,… READ MORE >