The members of the Mars Society join together in grief over the loss of the seven member crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia this morning. The crew of the Columbia, as that of Challenger and Apollo 1 before them, gave their lives for the cause of opening the solar system to humanity. In the coming months, that cause will be put to the test, as those who do not honor it seek to use this tradgedy to put it to an end. This must not be allowed to occur. In memory of Shuttle commander Rick D. Husband, Pilot William C. McCool,Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson, Mission Specialists David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, let us therefore resolve that the cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion shall not be allowed to fail. From death there shall come life, and no life given shall be given in vain. The Mars Society offers its condolences to the families and friends of Columbia’s crew.
San Diego Mayor declares February 2 – 8th “Mars Society Week”
The official proclamation from the Mayor’s office designating Feb. 2 – 8 as Mars Society Week in San Diego has been released. Here’s what the proclamation says…
Students prepare for future mission to Mars BYU NewsNet
BYU students will soon have the opportunity to live on Mars–a simulated version, at least. Student researchers are working with the Mars Society developing and executing experiments to prepare astronauts for a future voyage to Mars. “The Mars Society’s goal is to establish human presence on Mars soon. When humans get to Mars, we want BYU to be recognized for what we did in getting people there,” said Doug Archer, a junior majoring in physics and a study participant.
Mars Society Resolution on Space Nuclear power
The Steering Committee of the Mars Society today issued a resolution supporting the revival of NASA
Mars Society Announces Kepler Design Contest
The Mars Society announced today that it is initiating an annual open spacecraft design contest. Named the Kepler Prize after the great renaissance thinker who first derived the laws of celestial motion based on observations of the planet Mars, the award for the winning team each year will be a trophy and two crew slots in the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station. In addition, the winning team will be invited to present its work at a plenary session of the Mars Society’s international convention. The contest is open to all individuals and teams who want to contribute their ideas in Mars mission design. For its first year’s contest, the Kepler Prize will be given to the team that presents the best design of an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for use in piloted Mars missions. In the contest, participants will propose their design for the ERV and have it judged based on set criteria and mission requirements.
MDRS Observatory Achieved First Light
On January 1, 2003 the new Musk Mars Desert Observatory at the MDRS achieved First Light. The initial image taken was the Great Nebula in Orion, a nursery for the birth of young stars. Crew astronomers Pete Detterline and Debi Lee Wilkenson labeled it “New stars for a new year.” The following night, the crew was able to take higher resolution photographs, including this one (right) of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy before the clouds rolled in. The color wheel will be hooked in shortly.
Mars Society to Build Observatory at MDRS
The Mars Society announced today that it will build an astronomical observatory at its Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah. Funding to establish the observatory was provided by a major donation by a Mars Society member who wishes to remain anonymous. The other prime sponsor of the observatory is Celestron, which has donated a high quality computerized eleven inch Schmidt Cassegrain Nexstar11GPS telescope for initial operations. Celestron has begun production of its new fourteen inch Schmidt Cassegrain system which includes a newly designed heavy-duty computerized German equatorial mount. This system, known as the CGE 1400, will be the finest instrument ever produced for the advanced amateur and university astronomy market. The Mars Society is in discussions with Celestron to obtain one of these systems for the Mars Society Desert Observatory as soon as one becomes available.
First MDRS Fall 2002 Crew Rotation Nears Conclusion
The first Mars Desert Research Station crew rotation of the fall 2002 season is now nearing its conclusion. MDRS crew # 7 was commanded by Franco-American geologist Charles Frankel and included Hilary Bowden (United Kingdom, journalist and health & safety officer); Stacy Cusack (USA, executive officer, CapCom and geologist); Pierre-Emmanuel Paulis (Belgium, educational liaison); Derek Shannon (USA, geobiologist); and Alain Souchier (France, engineer and CRV operator). In the course of their 14-day stint, the international crew brought the Desert Station up to speed, implementing a number of new systems added in the past few months by Frank Schubert, Jeff Zerr and co-workers. Most notable is the
Mars attracts The Guardian
With their maverick, DIY appeal, they have gadded around in spacesuits in a US desert and in the Arctic and now, thanks to British help, they will have a mock spaceship in Europe. Welcome to the slightly surreal world of the privately funded Mars Society, which originated in the US in 1998 and now has some 6,000 members in 50 countries with one unifying passion: establishing a human presence on Mars. Today the organisation took another small step towards its Mars dream when its British division announced that a third research station, Euro-Mars, will open next summer in Iceland at a cost of
New Greenhouse and Waste-Water Recycling System is Subject of Study for MDRS Sim Crews this Field Season
The 2002 MDRS field season has started with a new addition to the station, the H. T. Odum greenhouse. After the first greenhouse succumbed to the 60-plus-mph Utah winds last season, several teams of volunteers from the society’s GreenHab group installed a new beefed-up design this summer and fall. The 12′ long, 14′ diameter cylindrical structure is made of a sturdy steel frame with clear polycarbonate glazing panels donated by Suntuf, Inc. The Suntuf SUNLITE (R) and Suntuf (R) panels are clear, rigid, light-weight and nearly indestructible. Before the new structure was installed, 12-18″ of desert soil was excavated, then backfilled into the bottom of the cylindrical structure as a foundation for the insulated floor. In addition to several tons of soil ballast, the structure is secured with steel guy cables on the sides and ends. It was designed as an analog of an inflated Martian greenhouse and houses the ‘living machine’ aqueous biome component of the new water recycling system.