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: Engineering
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 >
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 >
The Mars Society is thrilled to announce the launch of the Third Annual International Mission to Mars Engineering Design Competition for high school students aged 13-19 worldwide. Students are invited to register online for this exciting exploratory design challenge. Inspired by engineering design courses at leading universities, the virtual program will feature morning and afternoon sessions (Monday-Friday) from June 3rd to July 12th, 2024. Participants will engage in lectures led by prominent scientists and engineers from NASA, the aerospace industry,… READ MORE >
Mars Society Welcomes Nissan Advanced Technology Center Silicon Valley (NATC-SV) as 2024 URC Sponsor
The Mars Society is excited to welcome the Nissan Advanced Technology Center – Silicon Valley (NATC-SV) as a sponsor of the 2024 University Rover Challenge. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., NATC-SV is the center of global excellence for Artificial Intelligence and next-generation mobility solutions at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Researchers and scientists at the center study all areas of automotive research, from the use of AI for developing new battery materials to the design of new systems on a chip for the… READ MORE >
Mark your calendars for an inspiring episode of Red Planet Live on Tuesday, February 27th at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET. We’re honored to host former NASA astronaut Jose M. Hernandez alongside his son, Dr. Julio Hernandez, a researcher at Purdue University and former Mars analog astronaut. Jose worked at NASA Johnson Space Center from 2001 to 2011, where he served as an astronaut, legislative analyst, branch chief, and materials research engineer. He was on the STS-128 shuttle mission, during which he oversaw… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Kris Zacny, Vice President and Director of Exploration Technology at Honeybee Robotics, will address the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention (October 5-8 at Arizona State University) about robotic space exploration and mining. Honeybee Robotics is a prominent R&D engineering company that creates advanced robotic systems for the most demanding environments and applications, both on Earth and in space. Industries served include spacecraft, planetary exploration, defense robotics, medical devices, mining, oil and gas,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is launching its second annual International Mission to Mars Engineering Design Competition this summer for high school students from around the world. Students are encouraged to register online for this unique exploratory design challenge. Update: Please note that the deadline for registering for the 2023 Mission to Mars educational program has been extended until Friday, July 7th (5:00 pm MT), at which time student teams will be formed. Update: Both this year and last year’s Lectures are… READ MORE >
After 3 days of incredible competition, the 2023 University Rover Challenge (URC2023) crowned a new champion, Team Mountaineers from West Virginia University in the U.S.! This was the first URC podium finish for Team Mountaineers, and the second consecutive victory by a team from the United States. Also for the second consecutive year Monash Nova Rover (Monash University, Australia) finished in second place. The BYU Mars Rover team from Brigham Young University (USA) finished in third place. Team Mountaineers (West… READ MORE >
The Mars Society’s latest publication, “Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design: New Ways to Explore Mars”, a 152-page paperback / e-book published by Polaris Books and edited by Frank Crossman, is now available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. In January 2022, the Mars Society announced the holding of an international contest – Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition – for the best design plan of diverse teams of specialized robots using a 10-metric ton Mars lander, an essential requirement… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is seeking applications from qualified people for onsite management positions at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, the largest and longest-running Mars analog facility in the world. The station is set amid some of the most spectacular landscapes you will ever see, and researchers come from all over the world to participate in our analog research & educational programs here. We are presently taking applications for Station Managers beginning immediately. You must be able to… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to welcome back to its International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University, Dr. Vandi Verma, JPL Chief Engineer for Robotic Operations for NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rover missions currently operating on the surface of Mars. Dr. Verma will give a virtual address from JPL titled “Mars Rover Operations and the Role of Autonomy and Humans in Sample Return.” She joined JPL’s Mobility and Robotics Systems Section 14 years ago,… READ MORE >
The Mars Society, the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to sending humans to Mars, has recently concluded its first cohort of a groundbreaking educational program “International Mission to Mars”, an engineering design competition for high school students. The program is modeled on the approach taken in engineering design courses at some of the leading universities in the world. In conducting this program, the Mars Society sought to demonstrate the value of a new and much more creative way to teach… READ MORE >
The Mars Society will hold an international high school student Mars Mission Design Class & Competition this summer. The virtual class will be a unique experience, allowing high school students from around the world to take part in an educational activity modelled on the design course now practiced by the best world-wide university engineering departments. A university design class differs greatly from a typical college class. Instead of being taught some material by a professor and then being tested on… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that veteran astrobiologist Dr. Charles Cockell, will give a virtual plenary address at the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention (Oct. 14-17) about the concept of “engineering a free Mars” by reviewing how humanity can “use engineering to drive extraterrestrial society away from tyranny and toward freedom.” As Chair of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics & Astronomy, Dr. Cockell’s research group focuses on the study of life in extreme… READ MORE >
During the recent 2020 International Mars Society Convention, the first, second, third, fourth and fifth place winners of the Mars City State Design Competition were chosen following a highly competitive final round involving ten teams from around the world. Announced in February by the Mars Society, the contest received a total of 175 team applications from over a dozen countries, requiring several down-select rounds to eventually reach the semi-finals and finals. The top five winning teams (by name, points and… READ MORE >
Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin visited Boca Chica, Texas yesterday to meet with SpaceX Founder & CEO Elon Musk. During their meeting, Mr. Musk explained his company’s extraordinary plan to begin the human settlement of the planet Mars, which was very much in evidence as hundreds of people were lined up outside the facility to join his team to build Starships. Dr. Zubrin asked Mr. Musk what the Mars Society could do to help his Mars effort and was… READ MORE >