Deep in the deserts of southeast Utah, Mars enthusiasts have conducted simulated voyages to the Red Planet since 2002. It’s how the Mars Society inspires and prepares humans for interplanetary travel.
David D. Levine, a Hugo-award winning science-fiction writer and Portland resident, just returned from two weeks at the Mars Society’s desert research station, where he lived and worked with five others in 23-foot-wide cylindrical habitat with a failing electric generator and nonfunctioning showers.
He spoke with The Oregonian upon his return…
Portland science-fiction writer David D. Levine spends two weeks on Mars — in Utah The Oregonian
Next stop, Mars The Oregonian
Sheridan Mayor Joe Fabiano beamed with pride as his town of nearly 6,000 residents became one of the world’s space capitals for a few hours Monday. “This is one of the biggest events I’ve ever seen here,” Fabiano said, as he and about 600 schoolchildren, parents and government officials packed into Sheridan’s Chapman School gymnasium to hear NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and astronaut David Wolf talk about space exploration.
‘Mars: Dead or Alive’ is a tale fraught with drama, sci-fi elements The Oregonian
Fans of suspense adventures will soon learn the end of a story that started a long time ago — last year, at the very least. In the imagination, decades — if not centuries. Another American spacecraft is due to land on Mars tonight. Sunday’s “Mars: Dead or Alive,” a “Nova” documentary on the project, provides detailed background on the project.
Dreaming of Mars The Oregonian
A stronaut Don Pettit says he would hop on a spaceship to Mars tomorrow if one were available. Despite returning earlier this year after 51/2 months in orbit, the Oregon native said he’d be excited about heading for the Red Planet. “We’ve demonstrated that there are no barriers for human physical performance for a trip to and landing on Mars,” said Pettit, who is in Oregon this week to promote the nation’s manned spaceflight program.