On February 5-6, Mars Society president Robert Zubrin visited Washington DC, meeting with numerous influential people and participating in two public events. Among those meeting with Dr. Zubrin were Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), the Chairman of the Senate Space Subcommittee, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), the leading Democratic Party space advocate, aides to Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Representative Mark Udall (D-CO), and several other staffers. In addition, Dr. Zubrin met with Presidential Science Advisor Dr. John Marburger and members of his staff, as well as with a representative of the White House Office of the President.
February 2nd, 2004
Mars Desert Research Station, Mission Summary (Crew 22)
The biggest constraints to working in Sim were decreased visibility and communication, both of which made teamwork more difficult. In Sim we communicated rarely and mainly used gestures. It was also difficult to see our work, especially when the Sun was low, or to be aware of what others were doing. The weight of the backpack and the bulk of the suit had a smaller effect than the decrease in visibility and communication.
January 24th, 2004
Mars Society Statement on Bush Space Initiative
On January 14, President George Bush gave a speech at NASA headquarters outlining a new strategic orientation for the American space agency. While some of the initial ideas for implementing the new space policy can and should be substantially improved upon, the policy overall clearly represents a significant and long-overdue step in the right direction for the American space program.
January 19th, 2004
Summary Report
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. We came to MDRS with an ambitious set of projects, a small step perhaps, toward the goal of getting humans to Mars. We accomplished most of what we set out to do, while achieving a relatively rigorous sim, albeit for a shorter time than we had anticipated. The following is a brief summary of the results obtained during our rotation.
January 15th, 2004
Marsupial Rover
The Australian analogue rover project, the Starchaser Marsupial Rover was formulated with a longer term vision to develop a family of such rovers and provide Australians which could contribute to the design database for future real Mars rover vehicles. Now based in Fremantle, Western Australia, the vehicle is based on the chassis of a Forward Control Landrover. The FC Landrover is a Series IIA and has a distinguished history as a rugged 4WD military truck, emergency ambulance, expedition and safari transport. We intend the Marsupial rover to be driveable on public roads, since this will greatly enhance its useability.
December 30th, 2003
To Touch The Stars Released
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.
December 24th, 2003
MDRS Log Book December 24, 2003 (Crew Twenty)
Merry Christmas to MDRS Crew 20 from MDRS Mission Support (San Diego) and all the Elves!
December 19th, 2003
Post Kitty Hawk Momentum Shifts to Mars
Human Mars exploration advocates emerged as the winners this week from the decision by President Bush to defer any decision about America’s next major goal in space into 2004. Since Admiral Gehman’s Columbia accident report, which strongly criticized NASA for not having a goal for its manned spaceflight activity, the Bush administration has been engaged in a top level review to determine a destination for America’s space program In the weeks prior to the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s flight December 17th, a group of people opposed to NASA setting humans to Mars as its goal had attempted to rush the Bush administration into a preemptive decision to make a pseudo-commitment to return to the Moon in 20 years. In addition to being the wrong goal, this formulation would have avoided the need for any positive action in this administration or the next, and thus would have led nowhere at all. Instead it would simply have set the stage for yet another decade of wasteful constituency-driven random spending by NASA and zero progress in manned spaceflight.
December 14th, 2003
The Mars Society USA Political Action Task Force
The purpose of the U.S. Political Task Force is to support the endeavor of The Mars Society to establish a human mission to Mars as the primary goal of the U.S. Space Program. This will be accomplished by means of an aggressive campaign of contact with our elected officials asking them to actively support the required technologies and legislation in support of this vision. The Political Task Force will mobilize and assist our membership and other space advocates with up-to-date information and the necessary tools for effective communication to accomplish this goal. Further, we will seek to act in ways that garner sufficient media and public support for the goal of sending humans to Mars.
December 10th, 2003
NY Times Misrepresents Mars Radiation Danger
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.