MDRS Crew 268 was an all-woman multi-national mission sponsored by the Mars Society. Planning for this mission commenced in 2020, so we were excited to arrive at the Mars Desert Research Station on November 13th and begin the journey. Some crew members have had their sights set on MDRS as early as 2012! CrewCommander: Dr. Jennifer Hesterman (United States)Executive Officer/Scientist: Jas Purewal (United Kingdom)Health and Safety Officer: Elizabeth Balga (United States)Biologist & Greenhab Officer: Caitlyn Hubric (United States)Engineer: Judith Marcos… READ MORE >
Topic Area: The Mars Society
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 >
We are looking for two individuals who can serve as Chapter Coordinators for the Mars Society’s global network of chapters. One person would focus on U.S. chapters (and would need to be based in the U.S.), while the second person would cover our international chapters (outside the U.S.) and can be based anywhere. To learn more about the Mars Society’s chapters, both in the U.S. and international, we invite you to visit chapters.marssociety.org. Priority will be given to current chapter leadership… READ MORE >
Mars Society Australia (MSA), in conjunction with the Andy Thomas Foundation, led a public workshop recently at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide to discuss plans for establishing the Mars Arkaroola Research Station (MARS) in Australia. Speakers included Prof. Caroline McMillen, the Chief Scientist for South Australia, as well as industry and space agency representatives. Also joining in virtually were Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin, discussing the vision of humans-to-Mars, and Mars Desert Research Station Director Dr. Shannon… READ MORE >
This past week, the Mars Society convened its annual international convention for the 25th year in a row, and the first time in-person since prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The theme of this year’s event was “Searching for Life with Heavy Lift”, which was meant to encourage out-of-the-box thinking of presenters and attendees to develop new systems that take advantage of the increased payload capacity that is coming with NASA’s SLS and SpaceX’s Starship. We worked with the excellent team… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a 10-person delegation from a leading Mongolian space advocacy group called MarsV will attend this year’s Saturday evening banquet (October 22nd) at the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University in Tempe. Led by Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, a 39-year-old graduate of Harvard Law, former Mongolian military officer, and author-translator, MarsV is a highly influential organization with some three thousand members, including corporate and bank presidents, prominent cultural figures, political party… READ MORE >
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… READ MORE >
We invite you to join us for a rocking good time at MARS Rocks! on Friday, Oct. 21st (7-10 pm MST) in Phoenix! Open to the general public and free for all Mars Society ASU convention attendees, this special three-hour music event will include performances by Tedbaby, Revolushn and Jason Achilles. Enjoy a variety of space tunes in an intimate, live music setting (+21) at Last Exit Live located in the historic warehouse district of downtown Phoenix. Organized as part… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Michael Edmonds, Senior Vice President for Strategy, Marketing, and Sales at Blue Origin, will give an update about the company and its plans for space on Saturday, October 22nd at 7:00 pm MST during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University (Tempe). Founded in 2000 by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin is a private space company developing vehicles and technologies that dramatically improve access to space for… READ MORE >
As the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to humans-to-Mars, the Mars Society has been bringing together for years leading scientists, commercial space executives, and government policymakers to discuss the latest news about exploring Mars and plans for a human mission to the Red Planet, as well as topics involving space exploration, science, and technology. For the last two years, due to the pandemic, the organization’s international conference has been virtual only, resulting in a significant online audience. This year,… READ MORE >
Located in southern Utah, the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a private scientific facility used by trained crew members to carry out important research and field studies to help future human explorers on Mars. Our MDRS field season, which includes rotating analog crew missions on site, begins at the end of October 2022 and concludes in early June 2023. MDRS does not offer public touring of the facility or campus. People are allowed to pass by from Cow Dung… READ MORE >
As part of its 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention format, the Mars Society will be holding a special public panel discussion about ‘The Search for Life on Mars’ on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe on Thursday, Oct. 20th (7:00-9:00 pm MST). Scheduled to participate in the event are leading experts in the field of Mars exploration, including Dr. Steve Benner, Founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Dr. Jim Bell, former Planetary Society President & NASA… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Albert Haldemann, the European Space Agency’s Mars Chief Engineer, will be giving a virtual talk about Europe’s plans for Mars and space exploration during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23 at Arizona State University (Tempe). Serving in this role within the Mars Exploration Group of ESA’s Directorate of Human & Robotic Exploration since 2020, Dr. Haldemann’s responsibilities include oversight of cooperation agreements and interface requirements with… 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 >
As the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to humans-to-Mars, the Mars Society has been bringing together for years leading scientists, commercial space executives, and government policymakers to discuss the latest news about exploring Mars and plans for a human mission to the Red Planet, as well as topics involving space exploration, science, and technology. For the last two years, due to the pandemic, the organization’s international conference has been virtual only, resulting in a significant online audience. This year,… READ MORE >
The preliminary program itinerary for the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University (Tempe), is now available for viewing online. Visit https://bit.ly/3RSMptd to see the full four-day conference schedule (please note that the schedule is subject to change). This year’s Mars Society Convention will include interesting plenary talks, panel discussions, and public debates about the latest news on the exploration of Mars and planning for a human mission to the Red Planet,… 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 >
By Dr. Robert Zubrin, President, The Mars Society, Space.com, 09.08.22 We can reverse the conventional relationship of students to scientific knowledge. Around the world, in all the best university engineering programs, students encounter at some point a class different from all the others. This is the engineering design class, within which, instead of being tested as individuals on their mastery of lectures and texts, the class is challenged to work as a team to design a complex engineering system capable… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Peter Beck, founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Engineer of Rocket Lab, a leading launch and space systems company opening access to space to improve life on Earth, will be interviewed virtually about his company and its plans for the future at the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention on Thursday, October 20th at 3:00 pm MST. Rocket Lab’s capabilities span the space economy, including satellite design and manufacture, industry-leading spacecraft software… READ MORE >
The Mars Society will be offering virtual attendance options for its in-person 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, to be held Thursday-Sunday, October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The international forum presents a unique opportunity for those interested in learning more about current efforts and future plans for the exploration of the planet Mars, including a human mission to the Red Planet, from leading scientists, aerospace executives, government policymakers, science journalists, and space advocates. Virtual attendance… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that former NASA Chief Scientist Dr. James Green will give a plenary address about “bringing Earth life to Mars” and how that will begin the long-term process of terraforming the planet during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University in Tempe. Currently a scientist and senior advisor at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Dr. Green previously held the position of Chief Scientist within the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Jan Millsapps, a veteran filmmaker and Professor Emeritus of Cinema at San Francisco State University, will give a presentation during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention (October 20-23, 2022 at ASU in Tempe) about Model Mars, a unique, interdisciplinary STEAM learning platform that invites young people from around the world to create their own futures as virtual settlers living in simulated communities on Mars. Launched in early 2022 by Dr. Millsapps and co-developers… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is convening its 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention October 20-23, 2022 at Arizona State University. It’ll be the organization’s first in-person convention since 2019 due to the pandemic, with hundreds of people expected to attend and thousands to watch the four-day event via livestreaming. Convention planners would like to remind everyone of two important convention deadlines coming up on Wednesday, August 31st (5:00 pm MT). The first involves our call for papers, inviting members of the… READ MORE >
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dylan Taylor, Chairman & CEO of Voyager Space, a multi-national space holding firm that acquires and integrates leading space exploration enterprises globally, will give a plenary talk on October 20th (11:00 am MST) about how the commercial space industry will likely evolve over the next five years during the 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention at Arizona State University (Tempe). As an early-stage investor in more than 50 emerging ventures, including Accion, Kepler, York,… 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 >