Sunderflame
03-17-2004, 07:54 AM
We need despratley to call our legislators immedietly to save the Hubble telescope.
The man in charge is Okeif, I believe that is his name.
I'm really tired so I'm rambling.
It is cheaper to maintain the telescope. New mirrors hve already been bought and paid for with our tas dollars...It's easier to go on these mission than to mars. I emphatically urge the Ameican people to call your state reprasentatives ask about a Bill that is #505, I'm sure you could do a google sure....
This in monstrous that Okeif is trying so blatenly trying to ruin our space program. The humble telescope is a national tresure and it should be able to perform these task, etc...I'm tellyou all he wants to destroy Nasa. The director has no space back ground at all. It seem that Bush appointed him to slow down the process of going beyond where no man has been before..Someththing very wrong is going on. Please do some research so we really n need everyoones help....
I'm spent - must have sleep. Please someome look Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
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Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
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Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
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"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
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NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
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Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
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Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
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Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
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Mars Global Surveyor
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Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
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MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
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Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
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Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
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Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
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Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
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Mars Global Surveyor
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Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
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MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
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Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
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Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
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Mars Global Surveyor
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Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
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MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
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Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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The man in charge is Okeif, I believe that is his name.
I'm really tired so I'm rambling.
It is cheaper to maintain the telescope. New mirrors hve already been bought and paid for with our tas dollars...It's easier to go on these mission than to mars. I emphatically urge the Ameican people to call your state reprasentatives ask about a Bill that is #505, I'm sure you could do a google sure....
This in monstrous that Okeif is trying so blatenly trying to ruin our space program. The humble telescope is a national tresure and it should be able to perform these task, etc...I'm tellyou all he wants to destroy Nasa. The director has no space back ground at all. It seem that Bush appointed him to slow down the process of going beyond where no man has been before..Someththing very wrong is going on. Please do some research so we really n need everyoones help....
I'm spent - must have sleep. Please someome look Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
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Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
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Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
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"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
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NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
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Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
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Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
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Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Global Surveyor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
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Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
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Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
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"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
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NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
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Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
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Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Global Surveyor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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Hubble
02/02/2004
Robert Zubrin
President, Mars Society
Last week, the Steering Committee of the Mars Society released a statement supporting the new Bush space initiative, but taking strong exception to the decision by NASA Administrator O'Keefe to cancel all future Space Shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including SM4, the nearly-ready-to-go flight that would have installed the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Widefield Camera 3 instruments.
Since the release of that statement, I have received many communications congratulating the Mars Society for this stand, which several in the non-Mars science community characterized with words such as "unexpected but very welcome." A few space advocates, however, have written me, questioning why those whose primary concern is to further the human exploration and settlement of space should fight to save an astronomy project.
The answer to this is straightforward. We must defend Hubble because the abortion of the Hubble program is a crime against science. Furthermore, the grounds given for deserting Hubble are irrational, and constitute a form of moral cowardice that if accepted as the basis of space policy, would absolutely prevent any human missions to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
See the entire statement here.
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Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary
02/02/2004
Crew 22 has published their "Mission Summary". It's an interesting read, go take a look.
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MarsQuest Online Web Site Offers Interactive Exploration of Mars Rover Images
02/02/2004
Join the rovers on their historic exploration of Mars. The Mars Quest Online website provides easy access to the full set of images from the Mars rovers, in an intuitive point-and-click exploration environment. Explore the glorious full-color panoramic views of Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plain, zoom in for close-up views, click on rocks to examine them in microscopic detail, and follow the rovers as they move from site to site. You see the images at the same time as the scientists, with daily updates of ALL new images, through a direct feed from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The fundamental experience is an active, personally-directed exploration, akin to having a front-row seat on a rover as it explores the Martian surface. The site also includes interactive educational activities to help you learn about Mars, rovers and the search for evidence of water (a precursor in the search for life). MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation and developed through a collaboration between TERC, the Space Science Institute (SSI), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact David Shepard at TERC (617-547-0430 or David_Shepard@terc.edu).
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Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
01/24/2004
On January 23, 2004, the following statement concerning the new Bush space policy was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. The vote was 19 in favor, 3 abstentions, none opposed, and 5 not voting.
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Zubrin on NPR
01/23/2004
There was a four minute interview with Mars Society President Robert Zubrin on NPR this morning. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1613381
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Summary ReportMDRS Crew 21
01/19/2004
Crew 21 was fortunate to be at MDRS for two historic events sure to shape our future on Mars. We arrived here on the same day that Spirit arrived at Gusev Crater. The following week, just as Spirit rolled onto the regolith of Mars for the first time, President Bush announced a major new space initiative that promises, if fulfilled, a human presence on Mars within our lifetimes. See the Crew 21 Summary for the rest of the report.
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Conference Announcement
01/10/2004
We are very excited to formally announce that the 7th International Mars Society Conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2004.
The conference will be jointly hosted by the Illinois chapters of The Mars Society and the Michigan chapter.
More information will be available on this web site soon.
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Computer Generated Mars Images
01/10/2004
A web site comprising computer-generated renders of Mars may be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/rockbuster_99/index.html
Images are based on MOLA and Viking data.
Some images are speculative while others attempt to portray Mars as accurately as possible.
(Pretty cool, and links are available to make your own images...hpm)
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SPIRIT LANDED!!
01/03/2004
The JPL/NASA SPIRIT Mars mission appears to be safe on surface of the Red Planet. See the mission home page for up-to-date information.
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Daily Live Webcasts from the Mars Desert Research Station
01/10/2004
Radio Free Mars is proud to announce that Crew 21 of the Mars Desert Research Station will begin webcasting LIVE its daily EVA debriefings on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 1700 MST / 1900 EST. Listen in daily at that time as the crew of the Mars analog station discuss their activities inside and outside the hab.
"Listening in today during our test of the webcast system, I heard the crew communicating by radio to their crewmate recompressing in the airlock after a long EVA," said Rocky Persaud, commander of Crew 14 (Expedition One) last year. "The sound quality was so good I felt like I was sitting there in the hab right beside the HabComm station. That certainly brings back memories. Hearing the voice of one of my past crewmates (Shannon Rupert Robles, now commander of Crew 21) was great too. The comradery of the crew is evident, and the debriefing helps those of us on the Remote Science Team get a better feel for the results of their explorations. Anyone listening in will get a much better idea of what it is like to live and work in the hab by listening to these webcasts."
To listen in go to the RFM website and click on the "RFM Live Webcast" link, or tune your audio software player to http://chapters.marsociety.org:8888.
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MDRS Crew 20 Summary
01/03/2004
Allan Morrison
Commander
This rotation has been quite an experience. The crew really pulled together right from our meeting in Salt Lake City. There were major livability problems with the Hab at the start and a bout of the flu for two of the crewmembers. Everyone did their part and we worked through the problems at hand. The problems encountered limited the science and engineering that we hoped to achieve while here, however, we gained new insight into the problems that a Mars crew may encounter: See the rest of the Report.
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Mars Day in Arizona is January 17, 2004!
The Challenger Center in Peoria is currently seeking speakers to give talks and have displays/poster session for Mars Day. Anyone who is currently working on Mars is encouraged to present your research to the general public, special interest groups, educators, students, etc., at this event. 2004 is going to be a busy year for Martian Planetary Geologists.
Please contact Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto and let her know if you are interested in particpating. She is the Coordinator for ASU with the Challenger Center for this event.
More information about this exciting event will be forwarded to you when you contact Veronica Ann at the above link.
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Drive On Mars - Rover Simulation
The folks over at The Digital Space Commons have been working with the Mars Society on several quiet projects. One of them is a virtual reality simulation of the Rover. Take a peek at Drive On Mars when you have a few moments to spare.
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"TO TOUCH THE STARS" RELEASED
Mars Society Sponsored Space Songs CD Now Available
December 30, 2003
The Mars Society is proud to announce the release of "To Touch the Stars", a joint project of the Mars Society, Prometheus Music, and the National Space Society.
The album's 17 tracks span a stylistic range encompassing folk, rock, majestic ballads, and ska. Among the songs featured is Karen Linsley and the late Lloyd Landa's winning "Pioneers of Mars" entry to the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting contest, which debuted at our Toronto Conference.
Dr. Robert Zubrin writes in his introductory essay to the album, "If we are to win the hearts and souls of humanity to the vision of a spacefaring future, the space exploration movement must also develop its songs. Few, if any, great social movements have succeeded without it."
The album is now available for $15.97 per CD plus shipping. For more information and six full-length downloadable MP3 tracks, visit: http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html
$2.50 from the price of each CD will go directly towards Mars Society programs when purchased at this special ordering URL: http://www.prometheus-music.com/buy/thestars-ms.html
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NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
Data taken from the LBL MARIE instrument on Mars Odyssey, normalized (doubled) to eliminate the effects of blocking by the planet, show that radiation dose rates experienced in interplanetary space, without shielding, would be a factor of two larger than those experienced on the ISS. Radiation dose rates on the Martian surface would be somewhat less than ISS doses.
figure courtesy Dr. Cary Zeitlin, Lawrence Berkely Labs
December 10, 2003
In an article appearing on page 1 of the science section of the New York Times December 9, Times reporter Mathew Wald grossly misrepresented the danger posed by cosmic radiation to astronauts on a human Mars mission.
The Times report is very misleading, as it compares the Mars mission to Skylab, and then on that basis, claims that to the Mars radiation dose is unprecedented. In reality, astronauts have already spent much longer times aloft than Skylab, and taken doses fully comparable to those of the Mars mission.
Radiation is not a show-stopper for a human Mars mission.
The Mars Society respectfully requests that the New York Times correct its inaccurate article.
A complete explaination is here.
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Tell Bush to Make Human Mars Exploration NASA's Goal!
12/06/03
The word is out that President George Bush is preparing to set a major goal for NASA, with an announcement possibly coming as soon as the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight December 17th.
The key issue is what that goal will be; a dead-ended multi-decade cislunar space activity program that will be used to justify continued wasteful random spending on an assortment of diversionary and useless projects and defer Mars exploration half a century, or a near-term humans-to-Mars program that will drive NASA to be productive and give us access to the Moon and the near Earth asteroids as well. It is essential that the bolder latter goal be embraced, or NASA will enter a cislunar porkbarrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades.
Read the entire call to action. Then get off your duff and DO SOMETHING!
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Robert Zubrin's US Senate Testimony
October 31, 2003- UPDATED!!
On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin presented testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee on the subject of the future of the US space program. Audio and links to video files are available, as is a .PDF file of Bob's testimony.
Radio Free Mars will also be playing Dr. Zubrin's comments on a regular schedule.
A summary of the meeting is also available.
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Two Roads for NASA - Op-Ed by R. Zubrin
October 15, 2003
In the recent Columbia hearings, numerous members of congress continually decried the fact that the US space program is "stuck in Low Earth Orbit." This is certainly a serious problem. If it is to be addressed adequately, however, America's political leadership needs to reexamine NASA's fundamental mode of operation.
Click Here to read the full text.
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Volunteers Needed for Mars Desert and Flashline STATION Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory
October 9, 2003
The Mars Society is requesting volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during extended simulations of human Mars exploration operations in the Utah desert (Nov 2003-April 2004) and on Devon Island (summer 2004). Volunteers should state what segments of this span they are available. MDRS crew rotations are generally 2 weeks in duration, the FMARS season will consist of a single 4-week crew. Those wishing to serve in FMARS are encouraged to also apply to MDRS, as FMARS selection is extremely competitive and prior MDRS service is considered a strong plus in the crew selection process.
Both volunteer investigators who bring with them a proposed program of research of their own compatible with the objectives of MDRS or Flashline Station and those simply wishing to participate as members of the crew supporting the investigations of others will be considered. Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 60 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the desert or Arctic simulation. Crew members traveling to Utah will be expected to pay their own way to Salt Lake City. FMARS crew members will pay their own travel expenses to Resolute Bay. The Mars Society will field expenses during the simulation in the Desert or the Arctic. There will be no salary. Applications including resume, character references, and a brief letter explaining why you wish to participate should be sent to Volunteers, Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454 no later than Oct 31, 2003 (for MDRS) or Jan 31, 2004 (for FMARS). Total length of applications should not exceed 3 pages. Please include 3 copies.
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Radio Free Mars is again Operational
October 9, 2003
Radio Free Mars, an on-line "Radio Station" is again up and running at http://www.radio-free-mars.org/. They are seeking programming materials to add to their regular items. They are seeking contributions from Mars Society chapters and other space groups all over the world.
Want to be a broadcaster from RFM? Want to help with the website or manage the playlists? Want to broadcast your local event (talk, interview, party etc.) live? It's really easy. Contact the station manager at info@radio-free-mars.org.
The entire report is here.
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Congressmen Take Note of Mars Society Campaign to Convert the Shuttle
Sept. 10, 2003
In hearings today, members of congress cross-examined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as to what he thought of the Mars Society's idea to converting the Shuttle to a heavy lift vehicle to open the way to human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The plan, which also involves shifting the human launch function from the Shuttle Orbiter to a much simpler and safer capsule system that could be launched at much lower cost aloft a medium lift launch vehicle, was explained in an op-ed Mars Society president Robert Zubrin published in the Sept. 8 issue of the industry weekly Space News. Such a plan, Zubrin said, would offer much greater capability and safety at much lower cost than NASA's current proposal to spend $17 billion to develop a complex mini-shuttle type Orbital Space Plane as its next major project.
At the hearings, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) entered the full text of the Zubrin op-ed into the Congressional Record, and then asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe what he thought of it. Mr. O'Keefe responded defending NASA's current app roach, saying that the ideas in the op-ed represented "wrong headed thinking."
Who is right? You decide. With the permission of Space News, the controversial Zubrin op-ed is here.
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Take Part in Space Mission Design!
09/10/03
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.
All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.
Contest due dates are as follows:
August '03 - kick-off
Decenber 1, 03 - intent to participate
January 1, '04 - mid-term report (10 pages)
June 1, '04 - Final report
July '04 - Winner Announced
August '04 - Awards
The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.
For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.
For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here.
To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.
If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net)
Good luck!
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All Out Fight Begins for Future of US Space Program,
Mars Society Calls for Mobilization
08/25/03
The week since the release of the damning Gehman report on the Columbia Shuttle disaster has seen an all out fight emerge on the future of the US space program.
NASA's policy of maintaining a human presence in space without a discernable goal has come under withering criticism. On the one side are those who, pointing to the present program, say the risks and costs of human spaceflight are unjustifiable, and therefore such activity should be curtailed or eliminated. On the other are those who insist that the space program be given a goal that is worthy of the costs and risk human spaceflight necessarily entails. See the whole story here.
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Mars Society Chapters Challenge Each Other
08/25/03
Several of the Chapters have agreed to compete in this years "Chapter's Challenge". Read the rules here. Current scores are posted here.
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Conference Information
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MDRS 03/15/2004
(Crew 26)
Photo of the Day:
Commander's Log:
The crew has maintained great cohesion and harmony so far. It will be interesting to see if this continues under the duress of strict simulation rules...
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Save up to 40% on some products in the Mars Society mall. A percentage of each purchase goes to support the society's projects.
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Mars Global Surveyor
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Information on the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite
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MARS NEWS
NEW! Check out
MarsNews.Com
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Mars Underground: The Harsh Reality of Life Below
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: South Polar Cap
NASA Mars Rover Landing Site Update - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Large Boulders in a Trough
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: West Candor Layers
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 5 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 4 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 7 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 6 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Rovers Status - 5 Mar 2004
Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
MER Mission Status Center - 07 Mar 04
Littering Mars But Who's There To Complain
Scientists Examine Image of Mars Beagle 2 Lander
Mars Stinks: Sulfur Deposits May Make Red Planet Putrid
Opportunity Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
NASA TO OPEN NEW 3-D REALITY THEATER IN MARS CENTER
Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars
Scientists May Have Spotted Britain's Beagle Probe
Code T: goals, decisions and technology
Beagle 2 may have sped to its death
Kiwi scientist working on Mars drill project
Israeli college developing Mars vehicle
Mars/Once it was the Wet Planet, too
Twin Mars Rovers Prepare to Search for More Signs of Ancient Water
Looking for ... something ... on Mars
Survival in space
NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'
Life lessons from Mars
So, where did the water on Mars come from?
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers
NASA asks Yukon developer for ice-core drill
GeoPlayer Mars Demo
THEMIS Images as Art #25
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: East Arabia Layers
Spirit finds more signs of water on Mars
Watch It On Demand At Space.TV - Rover Press Conferences
NASA Gets the Picture About Water on Mars
More signs of water found on Mars
Mars critics say billions are ill-spent
Space Foundation testifies to Moon/Mars Commission
Astronaut urges McNair students to reach for Mars
John Glenn Calls for "Direct to Mars" Plan
Volcanic Rock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Past Water
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #24
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 3 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 1 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cerberus Fossae Trough
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 4 Mar 2004
MER Mission Status Center
Take That Opportunity: Spirit Rover Finds Own Water To Play In
Messages From Mars: New Findings Change Focus of Future Exploration
Martian Moon Captured Crossing the Sun by Opportunity Rover
Crops of Circles Imaged on Mars
Mars Art from Spirit
Welcome to the New MarsNews.com
Lost in space? Business, labor groups try to revive the Mars project
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase
NASA Mars Rover Spirit Also Finds Evidence of Past Water Flow
Another Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Water
In search of the red sea
Mars: To go or not to go
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
How Much Water on Mars? Rover Road Trip Seeks Answers
Curious Cautionary Caveat on NASA Future Mission Artwork
The Moon, Mars and a Half-Century of Air Force Space highlight a "stellar" agenda at 20th National Space Symposium
NASA says that rocks on Mars' Meridiani Planum were "Drenched"
NASA Mars Rovers Update - 2 Mar 2004
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: South Polar Polygons
Making Tracks on Mars
MER Mission Update
NASA Rover Photographs Mars Solar Eclipse
CU researchers use Mars enthusiasm to promote science, engineering to girls
MSU prof says Mars could be spoiled by rovers
Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning Point in Human History
Colorado likely to land lucrative Mars contracts
Mars job thrills, tires `Tommy Test Tubes'
Evidence of Water Found on Mars
NASA Mars Rover Update - 1 March 2004
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #23
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Scarp
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 29 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps - 28 Feb 2004
The Chemistry of Mars
MARS EXPRES ROVER - Mission Update
Mars Water Once "capable of supporting life as we know it"
Future UA Mars probes enhanced by water find
'Bonneville' has Link with Mars
Bookies fear life on Mars
Water On Mars Is Close Call For Seafood Chain
Book Review: Sojourner, An Insider's View of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
Water On Mars? Duh!
Mars finding shifts focus to inner planets
Brewing Sulfur with Martian Water
Mars Water Discovery Spurs Deeper Questions
Teachers see inspiration in space missions
No 'Showstoppers' for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Mars Mission Confirmed
'U' students to run experiment with NASA airplane
NASA Water Press Conference Video
Rover Finds Mars Was Wet Enough for Life
House Science Committee Chair Boehlert Praises Mars Rover Discovery
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Mesa in Capri Chasma
The Sky This Week 2004 February 27 - March 5
NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: THEMIS Images as Art #21
Rover finds evidence landing site once wet, habitable
NASA: Mars once "drenched" with water
NASA says life could have existed on Mars
Water Once Filled Mars Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Opportunity Stows Arm at Guadalupe
Water Flowed from Mars Volcano
Ancient Mars: Renderings Show Raging Floods, Vast Oceans
Statement on Mars Rover discovery
Meridiani Planum: "Drenched"
Mars Gives Up Secret of Watery Past
Opportunity Finds Evidence of Past Liquid Water
Rover finds Mars was wet enough for life
Waterworld?: Mars could have supported life
Life was viable on Mars
Opportunity finds formerly drenched terrain
Rover Finds Evidence Mars Had Water
NASA: Liquid water once on Mars
Colin Pillinger to address public meeting
Pepsi Mars Rover Ad
How the Mars Rovers Phone Home
Mars Photo Posters
Outpost 8 Mars Game
Rodriguez, Paramount Plan Princess of Mars Adaption
Divining Water: The Plot Thickens?
NASA Set to Make Major Mars Science Announcement
Major news from Mars rover to be announced Tuesday
NASA Headquarters Mars Rover Opportunity Press Briefing - March 2
Dayton Region Ready to Serve as the Next Step in the Journey to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Knob in Propontis
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Olympian Lava Channels
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Data: Charlie Flats Spectra
NASA Mars Opportunity Rover Image: Multicolored Pebbles and Spherules at Charlie Flats
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 27 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Global Surveyor TES Dust And Temperature Maps 26 Feb 2004
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Status - 29 Feb 2004
MER Mission Status Center - 01 March 2004
Mars atmosphere discovery
NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars
Spirit Advances Martian Science On Multiple Levels
Breaking Trail On Primordial Land
Mars Express In The Shadow Of Mars
Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped
NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday
NASA: New Rover Findings 'Significant'
Broadband alive and well on Mars
Mars Theory Not Just Hot Air
Mars atmosphere has life-killing chemical
Hydrogen peroxide is found on Mars
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