Presentations for the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for Thursday-Sunday, October 5-8, 2023 at Arizona State University in Tempe, are invited. This year’s four-day global forum will deal with all matters associated with the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet, including science, technology, engineering, politics, public policy & advocacy, STEM education, economics, etc. Abstracts between 150-300 words can be uploaded on our Mars Society convention web site at: abstracts.marssociety.org. Please note that the deadline for submitting abstracts… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
Launched in May 2022, the Mars Society Ambassador program continues to expand its numbers, currently with 35 ambassador volunteers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, participating in a coordinated effort to expand public awareness of the importance of human Mars exploration and the eventual settlement of the red planet. With dozens of applications being received by the Mars Society since late last year, those accepted as ambassador representatives have been working – in coordination with Mars Society management – to… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that it will be holding its 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention on October 5-8, 2023 at the same location as last year’s highly-attended event – Arizona State University in Tempe! The four-day international forum will bring together key scientists, commercial space executives, policymakers, members of the media, government representatives, and space advocates to discuss the leading issues of the day related to Mars, space exploration, technology advances, as well as political-economic developments… READ MORE >
Former NASA Chief Scientist Dr. James Green will join Red Planet Live host Ashton Zeth on Tuesday, April 18th (5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET) for a one-hour discussion about exploring Mars and the solar system, a return to the Moon via the Artemis program, the search for life, and much more. Dr. Green worked at the U.S. space agency for 42 years before retiring in December 2022. During his long career at NASA, he held the position of Chief Scientist and was… READ MORE >
A new science project begun by ALFA Mars (Agnostic Life Finding Association – Mars), a group of scientists, engineers, science communicators, and volunteers aiming to determine prior to initial human exploration of the red planet whether or not indigenous life is present today on Mars, has received the public backing of the Mars Society, the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of Mars. “We believe that ALFA Mars offers a new and important approach… READ MORE >
After the most competitive System Acceptance Review in University Rover Challenge (URC) history, a record 37 teams from 10 countries will compete at the URC2023 Finals, scheduled to be held June 1-3, 2023 at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah! 104 teams (also a record) began the year competing for a coveted invitation to the URC Finals. Teams submitted both written reports as well as video demonstrations of their rovers, which were scored by URC’s… READ MORE >
Crew 275 – ISAE-Supaero (France) Crew Commander: Jeremy RabineauExecutive Officer / Crew Engineer: Quentin RoyerCrew Journalist: Marie DelarocheHealth & Safety Officer: Corentin SenauxCrew Botanist: Adrien TisonCrew Scientist: Alice ChapironCrew Astronomer: Alexandre Vinas Introduction Crew 275’s rotation on the MDRS campus marks the 10thh time that students from ISAE-Supaero perform research in this station. We are very proud of the progress made between Crew 151, when two Supaero students joined an existing crew, and today: a fully student-run crew, conducting research over… READ MORE >
We’re glad to announce that members of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 269, led by their commander Dr. Kristine L. Ferrone, are set to appear on the next episode of the Mars Society’s Red Planet Live (RPL) podcast, scheduled for Tuesday, March 21st (5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET). A monthly one-hour video podcast hosted by Ashton Zeth, RPL brings together the people instrumental in planning for the exploration and eventual settlement of the red planet, covering a… READ MORE >
We decided to ask ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022, why humans should visit and explore the planet Mars. Here’s the response we received. 1. Mars is the most Earth-like planet in our Solar System, making it an ideal destination for exploration and possible colonization. 2. It is possible that life once existed on Mars, and evidence of this is still being sought. 3. Studying Mars’ geological features can provide insight into the formation… READ MORE >
By Jen Carver-Hunter, Veteran Educator, NASA Spaceward Bound Utah Spaceward Bound Utah (SWB) is a NASA-funded program at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah. The purpose of SWB is to inspire future space explorers by providing a Mars analog experience for classroom teachers. Each SWB cohort brings together a group of 6-8 educators with varied professional experience from Utah, across the country, and even internationally. The most recent SWB cohort, Crew 271, spent an engaging,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is sad to announce that long-time member and head & co-founder of the organization’s San Diego chapter Gerry Williams passed away on Friday, February 17th. An advocate of human spaceflight, Gerry was active in support of the goal of humans to Mars for decades in southern California, organizing chapter events, including a monthly Mars Movie Night, along with San Diego Vintage Sci-Fi and other film screenings at his studio and on location. As part of this, he… READ MORE >
We had an interesting and entertaining discussion with space visionary & entrepreneur Rick Tumlinson last night (Tuesday, February 21st) on our monthly Red Planet Live video podcast, hosted by Ashton Zeth. Both a rebel and a respected leader, Mr. Tumlinson is listed as one of the top 100 influential people in the space field, serving as a Partner in SpaceFund and Founder of the Earthlight Foundation. He coined the term “NewSpace” and is credited with helping create the new commercial space industry highlighted… READ MORE >
It is with excitement that the Mars Society announces the promotion of Dr. Shannon Rupert from her long-time role as Director of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah, the world’s largest and longest-running Mars analog facility, to the newly created role of Senior Director of Analog Research for the Mars Society. In this new role, Dr. Rupert will oversee a new Remote Science Team that will support the MDRS analog crews and will lead our efforts to… READ MORE >
Red Planet Live (RPL) is a monthly live podcast from The Mars Society. Host Ashton Zeth interviews the people instrumental in Mars and space exploration, STEM education, technology, women in science, the space economy, and much more. On our next episode of Red Planet Live, scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st (5pm PST / 8pm EST), Ashton will speak with Rick Tumlinson, Founder of Earthlight Foundation & Founding Partner of SpaceFund, about his latest endeavors in space advocacy and more. Both a rebel and a respected… READ MORE >
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 >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Sarah Milkovich of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be joining our one-hour Red Planet Live (RPL) video podcast with our new host Ashton Zeth on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 (5pm PST) to discuss current Mars robotic exploration as well as several Earth science projects she’s involved in for NASA. As a planetary geologist and systems engineer at JPL, Dr. Milkovich works on the Mars Perseverance Rover and with the Applied Earth Science Disasters program. She specializes in the science operations of robotic spacecraft,… READ MORE >
A new paper published by Andrew Terhorst & Jason A. Dowling in a leading science journal, Space: Science & Technology, cites our Mars Desert Research Station (Utah) as having published the second most peer-reviewed papers of any analog station around the world (with Mars-500 coming in first place) and with the MDRS facility having the most varied types of research. “The Mars-500 missions and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) analogue generated the most peer-reviewed research publications (151 and 123 publications, respectively)…. READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce a number of opportunities to participate as part of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Mission Support and/or Management Teams. There are plenty of opportunities to participate at MDRS other than as a crew member. If you would like to get involved in any capacity, or if any of the volunteer positions listed here interest you, please contact us. We would be delighted to have you join us. Remember, most of these volunteer… READ MORE >
Happy holidays from the Mars Society! We’d like to take a moment to celebrate our past year’s accomplishments and talk about our plans for 2023. We began the year by announcing the new Mars Society Ambassador Program. Over the course of this year, we have added over 50 Ambassadors from around the world. Led by Dr. James Melton, the Mars Society Ambassador program is meant to ramp up our outreach efforts as we work to inform, engage and inspire the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Sarah Milkovich of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be joining our one-hour Red Planet Live (RPL) video podcast (hosted by Ashton Zeth) on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 (5pm PST) to discuss current Mars exploration as well as several Earth science projects she’s involved in for NASA. As a planetary geologist and systems engineer at JPL, Dr. Milkovich currently works on the Mars Perseverance Rover and with the Applied Earth Science Disasters… READ MORE >
The following is the final summary report of Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 269 (The Aerospace Corporation). A full review of the 2022-23 MDRS field season and crew activities will be presented at the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention next year. The Aerospace Corporation Demo-1 Crew 269 Commander (CDR): Dr. Kristine Ferrone Executive Officer (XO): Allison Taylor Health & Safety Officer (HSO): Barbara Braun Crew Engineer (ENG): Ashley Kowalski Green Hab Officer (GHO): Matthew Eby Technology Officer (TECH): Trevor Jahn Crew 269… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Ashton Zeth will be serving as the new host of its video podcast, Red Planet Live (RPL), beginning in January 2023. The show will focus on a wide variety of topics, including Mars and space exploration, STEM education, technology, women in science, and much more, with exciting and open discussions involving experts in these respective fields. A Washington resident with experience in SaaS sales, strategic communications, business development, and public speaking, Ms…. READ MORE >
The Mars Society is calling for volunteers for a mission to reactivate its Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS). The FMARS is located on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic 900 miles from the North Pole in one of the most Mars-like environments on Earth. Since the early 2000’s, Mars mission simulations there have unmatched value in helping humans prepare to explore the Red Planet. The last mission to FMARS took place in the summer of 2017. The Mars Society… READ MORE >
Today is Giving Tuesday, an international day of charitable gifting occurring on the Tuesday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (November 29th). As the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy group dedicated to humans-to-Mars, the Mars Society continues to lead the way in educating the public, the media, and government representatives on the benefits of exploring the Red Planet and creating a permanent human presence there. We invite you to watch a special video message from our executive director James… READ MORE >
MDRS Crew 268 was an all-woman multi-national mission sponsored by the Mars Society. Planning for this mission commenced in 2020, so we were excited to arrive at the Mars Desert Research Station on November 13th and begin the journey. Some crew members have had their sights set on MDRS as early as 2012! CrewCommander: Dr. Jennifer Hesterman (United States)Executive Officer/Scientist: Jas Purewal (United Kingdom)Health and Safety Officer: Elizabeth Balga (United States)Biologist & Greenhab Officer: Caitlyn Hubric (United States)Engineer: Judith Marcos… READ MORE >