On July 9th, Crew 16 concluded their final full day of simulation at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island with two extended analog expeditions, marking a significant milestone in their mission. In the morning, the crew focused on geological and environmental tasks. They successfully collected breccia rocks, which are known for their fragmented texture, and water samples from various locations around the Haughton Crater. These samples will be essential for studying the geological history and current environmental conditions… READ MORE >
News & Announcements
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Michaela Musilova will be joining the 60-minute Red Planet Live podcast, hosted by Ashton Zeth, on Tuesday, July 16th, at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET – 90 minutes later than the usual time slot. Dr. Musilova is a distinguished astrobiologist, explorer, analog astronaut (including Commander of MDRS Crew 173), science communicator, keynote speaker, and author. Her impressive resume includes conducting space-related research at NASA, ESA, CalTech, University College London,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Jeremiah Pate, Founder and CEO of Lunasonde, will deliver a plenary address on “Mining Space Rocks” at the 27th International Mars Society Convention this August at the University of Washington in Seattle. An entrepreneur and visionary in space resource exploration, Mr. Pate and his team are pioneering ways to secure critical minerals for humanity while preserving our planet from the impacts of traditional mining. Lunasonde is paving a new path for accessing… READ MORE >
Crew 16 (Arctic Wolves) officially began their simulation on Saturday (July 6th) at the Mars Society’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island in Nunavut territory. Located near the 20-kilometer wide Haughton Crater, formed by a massive meteorite impact 31 million years ago, the analog station serves as an ideal environment for Mars mission simulations. Led by Dr. Ilaria Cinelli, the 7-person international team is conducting important research and field studies to help prepare future astronauts for exploring the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Bryan Versteeg, an award-winning conceptual designer, will be presenting at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention, taking place this August at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mr. Versteeg will deliver a talk titled “Future Habitats: Simulating the Path to Human Space Settlement.” His presentation will explore the innovative use of video game engine tools to enhance awareness and education about space exploration, focusing on both planetary surfaces and free space… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is thrilled to announce that Ashton Zeth, the dynamic host of our successful Red Planet Live (RPL) podcast, has been appointed the new Director of the Mars Society Ambassador program. Initially launched in 2020 by veteran space advocate, public speaker, and author James Melton, the program is a professional team of volunteer advocates from around the globe. Their mission is to elevate public awareness and support for landing human explorers on Mars within a decade, eventually leading… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Steven Benner, a renowned biochemist known for his pioneering work in synthetic biology, dynamic combinatorial chemistry, and paleo-molecular biology, will deliver a plenary address at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention in Seattle this August. His talk, titled “Strategies for Life to Survive on the Near Surface of Mars – Indigenous and Human,” promises to be one of the highlights of the event. Dr. Benner, a Distinguished Fellow at the… READ MORE >
David Down, a member of our Mars Society Facebook group page, recently used an AI chatbot called Poe to compose a poem about the first people landing on the Red Planet. It’s quite impressive. Here it is. Red Planet Pioneers Across the void of space they flew, Brave souls in vessels tried and true. Months of travel, dreams in sight, Mars growing larger, day and night. The rusty surface drawing near, Hearts racing fast with hope and fear. Descent begins,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is delighted to announce that a new breakthrough concept that could open the way to terraforming the Red Planet will be presented at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention, which will be held at the University of Washington in Seattle, August 8-11. Developed by a team led by University of Chicago Prof. Edwin Kite and in collaboration with Prof. Hooman Mohseni‘s research group at Northwestern University and Prof. Ramses Ramirez at the University of Central Florida,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that a distinguished three-person NASA panel will join the Red Planet Live (RPL) podcast on Tuesday, July 2nd at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET. This expert team will delve into topics including Mars exploration, strategies for sample returns from the Red Planet, and the architecture supporting Moon to Mars missions. Hosted by Ashton Zeth, this first podcast episode of July will mark the beginning of RPL’s new twice-a-month format (airing… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is excited to announce the return of an international crew to the organization’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in northern Canada for approximately two weeks, beginning on June 26th (weather permitting). Established in 2001, the Flashline station aims to develop the capabilities needed for Mars to enable productive field research during long human missions. Over the years, the facility has evolved to achieve higher levels of realism and fidelity, ultimately supporting the training of Mars-bound astronauts. Located… READ MORE >
Join us on Tuesday, June 18th, at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET for the next episode of Red Planet Live (RPL) featuring James Burk, Executive Director of the Mars Society and veteran analog astronaut, and hosted by Ashton Zeth. We’re excited to welcome James back to our 60-minute podcast for an in-depth discussion on the Mars Society’s recent advancements, the newly launched Mars Technology Institute (MTI), and much more. With a rich history at Microsoft and over two… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is thrilled to announce that Dr. Alan Stern, a renowned planetary scientist and commercial astronaut, will be delivering an address at the Saturday evening banquet on August 10th during the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention. The event will take place at the University of Washington (Seattle) from August 8-11, 2024. Dr. Stern’s talk, titled “The Other Red Planet,” will focus on exploring Pluto. Dr. Stern is best known for his role as the principal investigator of… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is thrilled to announce that Steve Iuliano has secured first place in the 2024 Mars Society Poster Contest! Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, Steve is a professional learning specialist with expertise in 3D design, VR, AR, game design, coding, music composition, audio production, and interactive classroom presentations. The contest called for poster submissions incorporating the theme “The Road to Mars,” highlighting the technology, education, and advocacy driving humanity toward a future on the Red Planet. Steve’s winning poster… READ MORE >
Grant Bonin, Co-Founder and CEO of gravityLab, a Seattle-based company specializing in artificial gravity satellites for research and manufacturing in low Earth orbit by government, academia, and commercial businesses, will give a plenary talk at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention. The event is scheduled for August 8-11 at the University of Washington (Seattle). Mr. Bonin is an aerospace engineer with expertise in space mission design, spacecraft systems engineering, project management, and business development. He has contributed to over… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is issuing a call for dedicated volunteers to help out during a work party from October 6-12, 2024, at our MDRS – Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. A MDRS work party is a refit event that focuses on preparing the station for the upcoming crew field season. All applicants will be provided with transportation from/to Grand Junction, CO and lodging at the station, as well as water, food and Wi-Fi access. Those interested in joining… READ MORE >
After 3 days of incredible competition, the 2024 University Rover Challenge (URC2024) crowned a new champion, AGH Space Systems from AGH University of Krakow in Poland. This was the first championship win by a team from Poland since 2019. Team Mountaineers, the defending champions from West Virginia University (USA). The BYU Mars Rover team from Brigham Young University (USA) finished in third place for the second consecutive year. 102 teams from 15 countries began the year competing in URC2024. In March, the top 38… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. David Catling, Professor in the Earth & Space Sciences Department and the Astrobiology Program at the University of Washington (Seattle), will be a plenary speaker at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention this August. Dr. Catling’s presentation, “Live Fast, Die Young, and Leave a Red Corpse: The Environmental Evolution of Mars,” will explore the changes in Mars’ environment over its geological history and discuss the potential for life on the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Jonathan Schramm, a financial writer and former biochemist, will present (virtually) a plenary talk titled “Building a Martian Economy” during the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention this August at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mr. Schramm’s diverse background includes genetic analysis and clinical trials, as well as work in the pharmaceutical and water purification industries. Currently, he focuses on writing and analysis in finance, biotech, technological innovation, energy, and geopolitics…. READ MORE >
Joining us at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention is Dr. Vandi Verma, JPL Principal Engineer & Deputy Section Manager for NASA JPL’s Mobility & Robotics division. She’ll delve into the current missions of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers on the Martian surface. Happening from August 8-11, 2024, at the University of Washington in Seattle, this global conference promises insights into cutting-edge space exploration. Dr. Verma serves as Chief Engineer of Robotic Operations for Mars 2020 and has an… READ MORE >
Anna Wadhwa, a MD student at Harvard Medical School and a Ph.D. candidate at MIT’s Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, will give a presentation at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention at the University of Washington (Seattle) this August, with the title of her address being “You Spin Me ‘Right Round’: The Latest Research on Artificial Gravity by Centrifugation and Its Implications for Human Space Exploration.” Interested in enabling human space exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond, Ms…. READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that long-time writer and editor on science and space Alan Boyle will be giving a plenary talk about the field of space journalism during the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention this August at the University of Washington (Seattle). Mr. Boyle served as science editor for MSNBC.com and NBCNews.com from 1996 to 2015, and in that capacity, he won the 2006 Space Frontier Award for Excellence in Journalism and the 2014 National Space… READ MORE >
Embark on a virtual tour of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah, organized by Mars Society Chicago, the national organization’s Chicagoland chapter! On Sunday, May 26th at 1:00 pm PT / 4:00 pm ET, join Sergii Iakymov, the Director of MDRS and a seasoned analog astronaut, for an immersive online event. With extensive experience leading crew missions and serving as the Assistant Director of MDRS, Sergii offers invaluable insights into life and work in this very Mars-analog… READ MORE >
Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring two members of the space-science media, Ling Xin and Laura Forczyk. Tune in for the next episode of Red Planet Live on Tuesday, May 21st at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET to be part of this exciting opportunity to explore space exploration, lunar missions, and more! Ling Xin, originally from Beijing and now based in Ohio, is a science journalist known for her coverage of space, astronomy, and physics. With… READ MORE >
By Dr. Robert Zubrin, SpaceNews.com, 05.06.24 NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission has run aground, wrecked by a $10 billion price estimate, a 16 year timeline and excessive mission and programmatic risk. If the mission is to proceed, a much simpler and cheaper approach must be found. Fortunately, such an approach is available. The current MSR mission plan is so costly, complex, and risky because it has not been approached as a mission to be accomplished as swiftly and cheaply as possible,… READ MORE >