Celebrating its 25th Annual International Convention at Arizona State University in Tempe October 20-23, the Mars Society will be hosting, both in-person and virtually, a large contingent of senior representatives from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), discussing the latest news about exploring Mars, planning for a human mission to the Red Planet, and much more.
Leading off the NASA-JPL involvement at the four-day conference will be Dr. Jim Bell, an Arizona State University professor and a planetary scientist involved in numerous NASA robotic missions. He will provide an update on Thursday, October 20th at 9:30 am MST about NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, including planning for the Mars sample return mission.
Next, Dr. Marcia Rieke, a University of Arizona professor and the Principal Investigator (NIRCam) for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, will give a presentation about the exciting results from the first few months of the telescope’s mission on Thursday, October 20th at 10:00 am MST.
With rover activity on Mars in full swing, Dr. Vandi Verma, JPL Chief Engineer of Robotic Operations for the Perseverance mission, will outline (virtually) on Thursday, October 20th at 10:30 am MST how she and her team navigate both the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers across the Martian surface on a daily basis.
Having retired as NASA’s Chief Scientist earlier this year, but still serving as a senior advisor at agency headquarters, Dr. Jim Green will speak on Friday, October 21st at 10:00 am MST about “bringing Earth life to Mars” and how that will begin the long-term process of terraforming the planet.
Dr. Bhavya Lal, NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy & Strategy, will discuss the agency’s plans for fission-based propulsion, space nuclear propulsion and their possible application for exploring Mars and beyond on Friday, October 21st at 10:30 am MST.
Finally, the Mars Society will welcome Pamela Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator and former astronaut, to the international convention on Friday, October 21st at 11:00 am MST, where she will talk about “The Human-Machine Teaming Path to Get Us There”.
For complete details about the 2022 International Mars Society Convention, including in-person or virtual registration, the program itinerary, and volunteer opportunities, we invite you to visit our web site at: www.marssociety.org.
