The Mars Society is proud to announce that Team Aspera, an exceptional multi-national student team, has claimed the top spot in the Third Annual International Mission to Mars Engineering Design Competition. The winning team, comprised of Anay Ashwin (Australia), Tanay Naik (U.S.), Nidhi Mandrekar (U.S.), and Leonardo Berlinski (Italy), achieved an outstanding score of 91.67/100 in this prestigious global challenge. This year’s competition, which took place from June 3rd to July 12th, 2024, challenged high school students aged 13-19 to… READ MORE >
Topic Area: China
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 >
Join us at the 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention, where we’re excited to host Ling Xin, a veteran science journalist. Ms. Xin will be sharing insights into China’s expanding presence in space exploration, covering its activities in low Earth orbit (LEO), lunar missions, and ambitious long-term plans. Based in Ohio, Ms. Xin’s work has appeared in esteemed publications like the South China Morning Post, Science, Nature, and Scientific American, where she brings her expertise in space, physics, and astronomy… READ MORE >
With the growth of China’s space program in recent years and the potential for global competition in orbit and beyond, the Mars Society has invited Dean Cheng, senior advisor to the U.S. Institute of Peace’s China program, to give a plenary talk about Beijing and it plans for space exploration during the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention October 5-8, 2023 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Mr. Cheng joined USIP from The Heritage Foundation, where he spent over a decade… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Jingnan Guo, a research professor at the School of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Science & Technology of China, will give a virtual address about the potential radiation risks for future human Mars settlement, as well as China’s ongoing and future plans for exploring the Red Planet during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, set for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Dr. Guo has… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. William Bianco, a Professor of Political Science at Indiana University (Bloomington) and a former Fulbright Senior Scholar, will address the topic of “Russia and the Limits of Global Space Cooperation” during a plenary talk at the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1987, Dr. Bianco has held tenured positions at Indiana University, Penn… READ MORE >
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) have selected a joint project by Mars Society Peru and Mars Society España, two of the Mars Society’s international chapters, as part of their Access To Space For All initiative. Organized by university students from both countries, the combined Peruvian and Spanish research project is intended to study the effect of microgravity on the growth and biofilm production of disease-causing bacteria. Thanks to UNOOSA… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Joseph Michalski, an Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Science, will give a plenary address on Thursday, October 14th at 8:30 pm PT about China’s plans for exploring the planet Mars during the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention. The title of his virtual talk will be “How China’s Exploration Ambitions are Helping to Shape the Future of Mars Exploration.” As a trained geologist… READ MORE >
By Lawrence Klaes, Guest Writer, The Mars Society If there is one highlight among many that the Twenty-First Century can be noted for when it comes to space exploration, it is as the era when the automated rover really took off – and all over – the planet Mars. At this moment, there are three functioning multi-wheeled explorers making their way across different parts of the Red Planet, their suites of instruments gleaning what they can about their new homes… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to welcome Dean Cheng, a Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, as a virtual plenary speaker during the 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 15-18. Specializing in China’s space program and international relations, Mr. Cheng is part of the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center – Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. He has written extensively on the technological implications of China’s space program and ‘dual use’ issues associated with… READ MORE >