Dear Friend,
As we approach the end of 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible progress we’ve made together at the Mars Society and invite you to join us in celebrating Giving Tuesday (December 3), a day of global giving on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Thanks to your unwavering support, our mission to advance humanity’s journey to Mars continues to thrive.
This year, we embarked on new adventures and solidified our place as pioneers of Martian research and advocacy:
- Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station: We conducted our second Arctic expedition in two years, establishing a robust annual cadence for high-latitude research.
- Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS): Now beginning its 23rd field season, the MDRS has hosted over 300 crews and 2,000 crewmembers, including four astronauts who’ve reached space—a testament to the 1-in-500 chance of our alumni joining their ranks.
- State-of-the-Art Facilities: Both Flashline and MDRS are now in their best condition in years, thanks to continued maintenance and upgrades led by our volunteer work crews.
- Educational Challenges: The University Rover Challenge brought together over three dozen teams this year, while our High School Engineering Challenge reached participants online and through local cohorts. Our body of available K-12 Curriculum, materials and labs is growing steadily.
- Mars Against Hunger: We launched this impactful campaign with a $10,000 first place cash prize to explore sustainable solutions for addressing food security challenges, both on Earth and Mars.
- Mars Technology Institute: Our new initiative aims to drive innovation, not only by launching the Mars Against Hunger campaign, but also by incubating the promising AI project Athena. We are planning a public workshop in April 2025 with more details to be released soon.
- Annual Mars Society Conference: This past August. over 250 attendees gathered at the University of Washington to exchange ideas and fuel our vision for Mars exploration. We are planning next year’s conference in Los Angeles in September 2025 with exact venue & registration announcements to be made soon.
- Growing Community: This year, we formed new chapters in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Central Florida, expanding our network of passionate advocates for space exploration. Our goal is to have a minimum of 50 chapters in the USA to support our other initiatives. Tell your friends to Join the Society to help us!
These milestones are only possible because of your dedication to our shared dream of a future where humans live and thrive on Mars.
On this Giving Tuesday, I ask for your continued support. Every contribution brings us closer to making humans to Mars a reality. Your gift will help fund our research stations, educational programs, and cutting-edge initiatives that inspire the next generation of Mars explorers and scientists.
Donate Now to Support Mars Exploration
Together, we are proving that the dream of Mars is not just an idea but a plan in motion. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey.
With gratitude and excitement,
James Burk
Executive Director, The Mars Society
