Snow conditions at Haughton Crater on Devon Island still do not allow a safe landing by Twin Otter. There is too much snow on the airstrip for a wheeled landing, too little for a landing on skis. The only way in at this time is by helicopter. There is no helicopter available in Resolute Bay right now, but the one chartered by the Noranda mineral exploration company will be arriving tomorrow and we’ve arranged to use it to fly a few team members to Haughton Crater at the earliest opportunity.

Snow conditions at Haughton Crater on Devon Island still do not allow a safe landing by Twin Otter. There is too much snow on the airstrip for a wheeled landing, too little for a landing on skis. The only way in at this time is by helicopter. There is no helicopter available in Resolute Bay right now, but the one chartered by the Noranda mineral exploration company will be arriving tomorrow and we’ve arranged to use it to fly a few team members to Haughton Crater at the earliest opportunity.

The Polish chapter of Mars Society is working on the final details of their analog Mars Pressurized Vehicle (MVP), a project which began a few months ago in response for the contest organized by the Mars Society headquarters. The main component and structure solutions are ready, some changes are still needed to cut down the costs. The project gathered massive press interest, including extensive articles in major newspapers and several short programs in local TV and radio stations. Also, several companies contacted our team and offered help and resources in exchange for publicity. If everything goes well we hope to start the production of the vehicle within 1-2 months. For now, a 1:20 model of the MPV is being prepared and will be displayed during two public events in the upcoming weeks.

On July 1 registration fees will increase so now is the time to register. Our abstract deadline has been extended until July 15th. There are few dormitory rooms available, book now while you can. And for a second year we have a matching donor program.

The winners of the 2001 Hakluyt prize for the best letter written by students to world leaders advocating a humans-to-Mars initiative have been announced. First place goes to Bridget Gallaway of Portland, Oregon. Bridget just graduated from high school and will be attending college in Texas next fall. Bridget wrote to the heads of state of 26 countries, to Pope John Paul II, and to all the members of the Science committees of the US House and Senate about the need to inspire the human spirit with the dream of a Martian civilization.

The Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA) has become the newest major sponsor of the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station. Founded in 1888, the SMWIA has about 160,000 members. Together with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) the SMWIA sponsorship brings to over half a million the number of skilled union men and women represented in the Mars Desert Research Station project.

This summer the Mars Society’s second analog habitat, the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), will be exhibited at the Kennedy Space Center visitors complex. The exhibit is scheduled to open July 1 and will run through the labor day long weekend. The Mars Desert Research Station was fabricated for the Mars Society by Built on Integrity (BOI), of Boulder City Nevada. Founded by Scott Fisher, of the Fisher Space Pen company, a longtime supporter of space exploration in general and the Mars society in particular, BOI has developed a proprietary construction technology combining a steel frame, foam core, and elastomeric skin to produce an ultra lightweight structure with extremely effective insulation properties. The MDRS used this technology to produce a station that is the same size as the fiberglass honeycomb Flashline Station, but which weighs less than half as much. The Mars society intends to take advantage of the lightweight nature of the MDRS to make it mobile, moving it to support exploration at several different desert locations in the course of its operating lifetime. Engineering support for the design of the MDRS is being provided by the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Over 150 people gathered in the Netherlands for a symposium titled “Mars – The Living Planet” hosted by the Dutch chapter. The symposium was widely covered in the Dutch media. Featured speakers included Mauro Messerotti, John Karemaker, Erwin Kroll, Robert Zubrin and Chris McKay. By all accounts this was a successful symposium. The meeting however is just a warmup for the upcoming first European Mars Society Conference to be held in Paris September 28-30.