Russian-American relations are deteriorating. It is not just a matter of side issues such as Edward Snowden and Syria. A faction in the Kremlin’s ruling camp, exemplified by prominent Putin adviser Alexander Dugin, is urging the regime to embrace a new “fourth political theory” synthesis of communism and fascism to prop up the regime’s domestic power and make Russia the leader of the global forces opposing the West. “Liberalism,” says Dugin, meaning the whole Western consensus, “is an absolute evil. … Only a global crusade against the U.S., the West, globalization and their political-ideological expression, liberalism, is capable of becoming an adequate response. … The American empire should be destroyed.”
This is dangerous stuff. It not only threatens the prospects for freedom in Russia but also could lead to a global catastrophe. We need to turn this trend around. How? Here’s my answer: Let’s invite Russia to join with us in a grand project of sending humans to Mars.
Op/Ed: Relaunch the space race
Spaceflight experts work on alternate vision for Mars trips NBC News
While NASA works on a multibillion-dollar, decades-long space exploration plan that relies on monster rockets, an informal cadre of engineers is laying out a different vision that would take advantage of cheaper, smaller spacecraft that can fuel up at “truck stops” along the way.
Right now, the alternate vision, known as the “Stairway to Mars,” is little more than an engineering exercise. But the plan’s proponents on the Space Development Steering Committee say their scenario for Mars missions in the 2030s may have a better chance of becoming a reality than NASA’s scenario.
World Space Walk simultaneously puts three Mars-capable spacesuits to the test gizmag
On October 8, three teams in various parts of the world participated in an unprecedented simultaneous test of three experimental spacesuits. Coordinated from a mission control center in Innsbruck, Austria run by the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), World Space Walk 2013 aims at setting standards for developing suits for the future exploration of the planet Mars. “If we are going to prepare for a human mission to Mars in the future, we need to have as much knowledge as possible on the practicalities and limitations of working in spacesuits on planetary terrains,” says Gernot Groemer, the President of the Austrian Space Forum. “For World Space Walk 2013, we have had the amazing opportunity to work with four different teams who are developing spacesuits and to collaborate on the same set of tasks. This technical test is a simple, yet important, first milestone to compare different analogue suit systems worldwide and to contribute to a growing area of research.”
Cache and Not Carry: Next Mars Rover to Collect Samples for Return to Earth—Someday Scientific American
Have rover, need payload. That’s the state of things for NASA, which is planning to launch its next rover to Mars in 2020. The rover has ambitious goals, including searching for signs of habitability and life on the Red Planet, and collecting rock samples to be stored for future return to Earth. Now, NASA is asking scientists to propose instruments that will help the spacecraft accomplish its mission.
The space agency released an “announcement of opportunity” on September 24 calling for proposals by December 23. Researchers who plan to put an instrument in the hat must file a heads-up about their plans, called a notice of intent, by October 15.
Mars Society Recommends ‘Generation One: Children of Mars’ Comic
“Someday Mars will have its own Laura Ingalls Wilder to tell the tale of growing up on the new frontier. But with ‘Generation One: Children of Mars,’ we can experience some of that story now. It’s going to be great.” –Dr. Robert Zubrin, Mars Society President and author of “The Case for Mars” Generation One is a 3-issue limited comic book series created with the hope of getting kids and young adults excited about Mars exploration and colonization. We’re really hoping to show how 1) Mars colonists might live happy, productive lives full of meaning without ever setting foot on Earth, 2) humanity can avoid making the same mistakes on Mars as it has on Earth, and 3) Mars is an interesting place worth discovering!
Student Contest Launches to Aid Private Manned Mission to Mars
A private manned Mars mission may get some help from students on its way to the launch pad in 2018.
A newly announced contest asks students to propose design concepts for the Inspiration Mars mission, a private effort that aims to launch two astronauts on a flyby of the Red Planet in January 2018.
“Inspiration Mars is looking for the most creative ideas from engineers all over the world,” Dennis Tito, executive director of the nonprofit Inspiration Mars Foundation, said in a statement.
LIVE VIDEO: The Mars Society Conference The Mars Society
The Mars Society will be hosting its 16th Annual International Mars Society Convention from August 15-18 at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The organization is pleased to announce that all plenary talks during this year’s convention will be broadcast live on the Internet via a special video webcast.
Generation One: Children of Mars Kickstarter
A comic about the first generation of children born on Mars—and what we might become, together, if we have the courage to try.
“Someday Mars will have its own Laura Ingalls Wilder to tell the tale of growing up on the new frontier. But with ‘Generation One: Children of Mars,’ we can experience some of that story now. It’s going to be great.”
—Dr. Robert Zubrin, Mars Society President and author of “The Case for Mars”
Mars Society Announces High-Level Science Team for Mars Arctic 365 Simulation The Mars Society
Several weeks ago, the Mars Society announced that it was initiating a ground-breaking project known as Mars Arctic 365, a special one-year Mars surface simulation mission to take place at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island in northern Canada.
The Mars Arctic 365 program, scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014, will provide scientists with the most extensive testing to date on how a multi-person crew can live and work together under isolated, stressful and harsh conditions as part of a human mission to the Red Planet.
15-Year-Old May Be on Her Way to Mars Mashable
Abigail Harrison, who operates under the online persona “Astronaut Abby,” has already amassed an impressive following. \Harrison’s niche celebrity, though, wasn’t her original intention. It all started with an eighth-grade project she was doing about the ISS.
“My mom helped me set up Twitter to get in touch with NASA employees for quotes,” she says. “So I started sharing pictures of projects I was working on and writing about my dreams.”
NASA and other influencers in the space community took notice and helped fill her plate with projects. Harrison now travels around the country promoting space and STEM careers in schools. She’s introducing a pen-pal program in which she’ll send readers personal emails about her experiences. This August, she will speak at a convention for the Mars Society about her No. 1 love: the importance of putting a human on the Red Planet.