It is now apparent that the Shuttle Orbiter cannot be used much longer as a system for transporting crews to Earth orbit. The Columbia disaster has made it clear that the antiquated Orbiters are becoming increasingly unsafe. Moreover, even if the Orbiter could be flown safely, it is clear that using a launch vehicle with a takeoff thrust matching that of a Saturn V to transport half a dozen people to the Space Station makes about as much sense as using an aircraft carrier to tow water skiers. The Shuttle was designed as a self-launching space station. Absent a permanent space station on-orbit, such a vehicle had some justification. But with the establishment of the ISS, the rationale for using a flying Winnebago as a space taxi is no longer sustainable.
Take Part in Space Mission Design!
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.
Allure of the Red Planet beckons local enthusiasts San Diego City Beat
Since humans first looked to the stars for an answer to the great cosmic riddle, various celestial bodies have inspired a wide range of interpretations. In the past 100 years or so, the planet Mars has made a particularly strong mark on popular culture and holds a special attraction for many in the era of manned space exploration. In 2001, filmmaker Gerry Williams helped found the San Diego chapter of The Mars Society. Its goal: “to send humans to Mars to explore, colonize and create a second home for human civilization.”
Red Planet so near, so far, so possible Denver Post
If you’re wondering why you’re spending another Labor Day holiday roasting weenies in the backyard instead of enjoying the scenery on a jaunt to the Red Planet, join the club. Robert Zubrin can’t understand it either. And he’s president of the club. Zubrin, a former Lockheed Martin engineer and founder of Pioneer Astronautics in Lakewood, is president of the Mars Society, which was founded in 1998 to encourage exploration of the planet. The society began with 600 international members. In five years, it has expanded to 6,000.
Defender of the dream of colonizing Mars Seattle Post-Intelligencer
As Mars readies for its close-up on Aug. 27, , the Red Planet has already garnered a growing fan base of casual sky watchers eager to see new details during the planet’s closest swing-by in 60,000 years. But as Mars beams steadily brighter in the southeastern sky, it is more than a curiosity for members of the Mars Society. For this eclectic band of scientists and wishful thinkers, it also shines as a beacon of a dream: One day men and women will walk on Mars. And at the nexus of this group, which convened last weekend in Eugene, is an unlikely Pied Piper: University of Washington-trained nuclear engineer Robert Zubrin. He is the spiritual father of the dream of sending humans to Mars the way the late astronomer Carl Sagan was the Mr. Rogers of the cosmic neighborhood.
Sixth International Mars Society Convention a Success
Over 300 people gathered in Eugene Oregon August 14-17 2003 at the 6th International Mars society Convention to map out plans to make the human exploration of the Red Planet a reality. Over 100 talks were given, including plenaries by many mars society leaders as well as Mars Exploration Rover Deputy Project Scientist Albert Haldeman, NASA Astronaut John Grunsfeld, planetary scientist William Hartman, and leading science fiction author Greg Bear.
Humans to Mars: Crossroad and Crisis
Like some sort of celestial prank, just as Earth and Mars draw ever closer this month, those charting where next for Americas human exploration program are worlds apart. Later this month, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board will release its findings. They are likely to be an indictment of a NASA culture gone sour; government-contractor relationships that are frayed and a serious scrutiny of the rationale and risk of placing humans in harms way. In terms of its human spaceflight program, NASA itself is seemingly in free-fall, an agency whose wing has been crippled by a devastating blow. But for those gathered here at the Sixth International Mars Society Conference, that reddish dot so vivid in the nighttime sky represents a clarion call to action.
Researchers think caves may be perfect starter homes on Mars The Seattle Times
Duckweed and inflatable houses could help turn the caves of Mars into a home for any future human visitors to the red planet. That’s one of the topics on the agenda of a conference on Mars being held in Eugene this weekend. The Martian caves would protect humans from radiation and the severe weather and may hold minerals, water and ice the colonists could use for life support.
Mars Society Lands In Eugene KVAL TV
Putting a human on Mars. It is a long-range goal of the U.S. space program and an immediate desire of a couple hundred visitors to Eugene. They are members of the International Mars Society, a group pushing for the exploration and settlement of Earth’s nearest planet. They are convinced science fiction can and should be science fact. “Going to Mars has always been my dream and I figured this is the best way to get things, to get the ball rolling,” says Erik Carlstrom of Eugene.
Mars enthusiasts gather for convention in Eugene KATU News
Several hundred scientists, academics and space-travel wanna-bes will converge in Eugene this week at the Mars Society’s sixth annual convention. The group is dedicated to human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet.