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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-06 17:43:49

Pro-Mars, Pro-Human (Blog)
By Evan Plant-Weir, Senior Writer, Red Planet Bound Blog
There is something curious at the heart of Mars settlement cynicism. Some specific, underlying mindset appears to be driving many critics of humans-to-Mars. Paradoxically, an awareness of that mindset can help us better understand the value of our multi-planetary future.
Have you noticed it?
Their language frequently resonates with a kind of knee-jerk pessimism. It feels like the sort of response usually elicited when somebody is confronted with an idea that they would rather not actually consider.
We pull away reflexively from notions that challenge the biases within us, and I detect a powerful bias within many detractors of a multi-planet future. This isn’t just an artifact of private discussion between laypeople, it can be found in the opinions of those with substantial public reach.
Articles published by otherwise reputable sources of journalism adopt hasty and dismissive postures while questioning the value of red planet settlement. Even from some of the most brilliant and celebrated communicators of science – individuals whom I grew up admiring – that vision has been flippantly brushed aside.
These do not feel like impartial reactions. It is as if the idea that we should go to Mars is an affront to something foundational within their world view, and thus it is discarded without genuine consideration.
Certainly, there are various apparent sources for Mars settlement skepticism.
For many, no doubt, the concept is just too unfamiliar. Civilization on Mars is so far outside the context of present daily life, that it’s no wonder some people respond with disbelief.
Political polarization is sometimes to blame as well. The moment that going to Mars is (incorrectly) perceived as something “the other side” would do, it becomes a default target for partisan disagreement.
Misdirected frustration over economic inequality is also a contributing factor. Billionaires sending rockets into space is readily misunderstood as frivolous and wasteful by those who are unaware of how effective space exploration is at stimulating our economy, generating valuable technology, and creating jobs.
Similarly, the mistaken assumption that going to Mars means side-stepping our responsibilities to Earth, seems to underpin the most heated pushback.
These are among the obvious motivations – whether justified or not – for balking at the idea of a multi-planetary future, but I think there’s something much more interesting and consequential at play.
To read the full blog, please click here.

The Mars Society
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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-09 12:38:57

Presentation on (Non-Crew) Biology Research at MDRS during the Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that a special one-hour virtual presentation entitled “Is There Life Out There: Current Biological Research at the Mars Desert Research Station” (MDRS) in Utah will be held during the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention on Friday, October 15th from 7:30-8:30 pm PT.
A group of four experts led by MDRS Director Dr. Shannon Rupert will highlight several long-term research projects that are being conducted at the MDRS facility, including new research looking at distribution of desert varnish, an agroecology project determining best practices in Mars crop production using traditional agricultural methods, a multi-year biodiversity survey of the MDRS ecosystem, and the NASA Spaceward Bound Utah program, celebrating its third cohort of teachers coming to MDRS this month. These projects are not conducted by visiting crews, but rather by teams of dedicated scientists, educators and interns.
Participating in the presentation will be:
+ Dr. Shannon Rupert, educator and ecologist, long-time Director of MDRS, Principal Investigator of the NASA Spaceward Bound Utah program, and lead of the Mars agriculture program.
+ Paul Sokoloff, botanist and researcher at the Canadian Museum of Nature, a member of the Arctic Flora of Canada & Alaska Project, Co- PI of the Mars 160 Project and Co-Lead of the Martian Biology Program.
+ Atila Meszaros, Assistant Director of MDRS, secretary of the Mars Society Latin America, a graduate (biology) of Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, and Co-Lead for the desert varnish study.
+ Jen Carver-Hunter, commander and master teacher of the NASA Spaceward Bound Utah program, 5th grade science teacher at Mountain View Elementary School and the 2022 Salt Lake City Teacher of the Year.
Owned and operated by the Mars Society, MDRS is the largest and longest-running Mars analog facility the world, supporting Earth-based research in pursuit of the technology, science, and operations required for the eventual human exploration of the planet Mars. To learn more about MDRS, please visit: www.marssociety.org.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention will be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For complete details, including online registration, a list of confirmed speakers, and sponsorship opportunities, please click here. Regular updates will be posted on the coming days on the Mars Society web site and its social media platforms.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-12 17:45:14

U of Hong Kong Scientist to Discuss China Mars Planning at 2021 Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Joseph Michalski, an Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Science, will give a plenary address on Thursday, October 14th at 8:30 pm PT about China’s plans for exploring the planet Mars during the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention. The title of his virtual talk will be “How China’s Exploration Ambitions are Helping to Shape the Future of Mars Exploration.”
As a trained geologist and planetary scientist, Dr. Michalski is involved in mission planning and landing site selection for future missions to Mars, the Moon and other solar system bodies in cooperation with the China National Space Administration.
Dr. Michalski’s field of research focuses on planetary geology, mineralogy, and astrobiology, and involves using remote sensing and spectroscopy as tools to explore the geologic history and habitability of Mars and other planetary objects.
He is also a Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and its Earth 4D Subsurface Science & Exploration Team, and previously served as a Research Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona and the Natural History Museum in London.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention will be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For complete details, including how to register online or to view the program itinerary, please click here. Regular updates will be posted in the coming days on the Mars Society web site and its social media platforms.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-13 12:54:45

Watch the 2021 Virtual Mars Society Convention (Oct. 14-17)!
The Mars Society will be convening the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention as a special virtual event on October 14-17, 2021.
The four-day online forum will bring together leading scientists, government policymakers, commercial space executives, and space advocates to discuss the latest scientific and technological developments and challenges related to the human and robotic exploration of Mars and the eventual human settlement of the Red Planet.
Some of the highlights of the convention include:
A special address by NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy on "NASA's Path to Mars"
A discussion by NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Green about the future of aerial exploration on Mars
A live broadcast with AMADEE-20 analog staff members in Israel and Austria
An update about NASA’s Perseverance rover mission by Deputy Project Scientist Dr. Katie Stack Morgan
A talk about human space exploration by former NASA astronaut & Tierra Luna Engineering CEO José M. Hernández
An address about terraforming the planet Mars by NASA Ames researcher Dr. Chris McKay
An update about the UAE’s Mars Hope mission by Project Manager Omran Sharaf
A presentation about China’s space program by the University of Hong Kong’s Dr. Joseph Michalski
A talk about possible biosignatures in the atmosphere of Venus by MIT’s Dr. Sara Seager
A discussion by JPL Principal Investigator Elizabeth Turtle about NASA’s Titan Dragonfly mission
Following the Mars Society’s successful 2020 virtual convention, which included over 10,000 attendees, one million live stream viewers, and 150 speakers, the organization will once again use unique technology to not only hold presentations and other lively formats, but to allow people from around the world to participate, posing questions and interacting with one another.
Participating convention speakers will appear via Zoom, while attendees will be able to network with speakers as well as each other using a variety of virtual tools including conference application Attendify by Hopin, chat & collaboration tool Slack, and virtual networking & adhoc video tool Wonder.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention will once again be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For complete details, including how to register online or to view the program itinerary, please click here. Regular updates will be posted in the coming days on the Mars Society web site and its social media platforms.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

Reminder! NewMars Moderator RobertDyck is speaking on Saturday!

He has two session scheduled.... on on the history of the first settlement of NewFoundLand, and the other on Large Ship.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-14 08:41:15

To attend the 2021 Mars Society Convention, register (for free) ...

Online registration for the 2021 International Mars Society Convention is now available (http://bit.ly/2021virtualconvention). Attendance is free of charge, and all are welcome!
Call for Papers

It should be possible to discover the exact time of the presentation by RobertDyck by studying the schedule.

The event itself starts today at Noon California time, or 3 PM Eastern Time.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-14 13:18:32

It appears the conference started at 9 AM California, or Noon Eastern.

No matter! All events will be saved and viewable at your convenience.

Here is a link to a pdf of the schedule:

https://www.marssociety.org/wp-content/ … hedule.pdf

RobertDyck is on at 4 PM California time, 7 PM Eastern for NewFoundLand

RobertDyck is on at 5 PM / 8 PM for Large Ship ... note that RopertDyck was given Track E for Large Ship.

I hope that several NewMars members will be able to "attend" his presentation(s) live.

They will definitely be available for later viewing.

I did run into a delay with processing of my registration. The initial password did not show up, so I had to request a reset, and that worked.

For that reason, I recommend anyone intending to "attend" the presentation(s) by RobertDyck should register and login well ahead of time.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-14 17:41:03

NASA Ingenuity Operations Lead to Give Update at 2021 Mars Society Convention
With NASA-JPL’s Ingenuity helicopter making history on an almost weekly basis with flights above the Martian surface, the Mars Society is pleased to welcome Theodore (Teddy) Tzanetos, Ingenuity Operations Lead, as a virtual plenary speaker on Friday, October 15th (10:00 am PT) during its 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention.
Mr. Tzanetos serves as a Robotics Technologist in JPL’s Robotics Mobility Group, focusing on the Mars science helicopter mission. His expertise involves embedded system development with an emphasis on state estimation for inertial navigation.
Mr. Tzanetos graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention will be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For details, including online registration, a list of confirmed speakers, and sponsorship opportunities, please click here. Regular updates will be posted in the coming weeks on the Mars Society web site and its social media platforms.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

The convention is in session Thursday through Sunday.

Register for free tickets at the Mars Society web site.

Be sure to exercise the admission process before any session you might want to "attend".

it may be necessary to ask the admission system to send you a reset password.

Copy that from your email, paste it into the admission form, and you will be good to go.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-15 10:56:13

MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT
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Mars Society Selects New Chapters Coordinator
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that Raksha Kammandore Ravi of Melbourne, Australia has been selected to be the organization’s next Chapters Coordinator. She will be responsible for providing support to Mars Society chapters in the U.S. and around the world and assisting with the formation of new chapters.
Raksha is a graduate student studying computer science at the University of Melbourne and is also an intern with the engineering team of the Melbourne Space Program. In addition, she serves as a brand ambassador for Mars Society Australia (Victoria) and Mars University (Australia & India).
The chapters system of the Mars Society is an important component of our public outreach mission, as well as a way for the organization to build community and fellowship in the global movement to promote humans to Mars.
Raksha will work with other senior leadership at the Mars Society and chapter leaders worldwide to expand and grow our chapter and membership base and publicize their activities across the organization and out to the general public.
She will be meeting virtually with chapter leaders and prospective chapter organizers at the upcoming International Mars Society Convention during our semi-annual Chapters Council meeting (via Zoom) on Sunday, October 17th at 6:00 pm PT. Those interested in learning more about the Mars Society’s chapter activities by attending the Chapters Council meeting can access the details on the organization’s web site (www.marssociety.org).
Please join us in congratulating Raksha on her new role! She can be reached via email at: raksha@marssociety.org.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-15 11:01:42

MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT
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Deputy NASA Administrator Pamela Melroy to Address 2021 Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that Pamela Melroy, Deputy NASA Administrator, will give a virtual keynote address on Saturday, October 16th at 9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET on "NASA's Path to Mars” during the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 14-17.
As Deputy Administrator, Ms. Melroy performs the duties and exercises the powers delegated by the Administrator, assists the Administrator in making final agency decisions, and acts for the Administrator in his absence by performing all necessary functions to govern NASA operations. She is also responsible for laying the agency's vision and representing NASA to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of federal and other appropriate government agencies, international organizations, and external organizations and communities.
Ms. Melroy was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in 1983. As a co-pilot, aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and test pilot, Melroy logged more than 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft before retiring from the Air Force in 2007. She is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause, with more than 200 combat and combat support hours.
Ms. Melroy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994. Initially assigned to astronaut support duties for launch and landing, she also worked advanced projects for the Astronaut Office. She also performed Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) duties in mission control. In addition, she served on the Columbia Reconstruction Team as the lead for the crew module and served as Deputy Project Manager for the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Team. In her final position, she served as Branch Chief for the Orion branch of the Astronaut Office.
One of only two women to command a space shuttle, Ms. Melroy logged more than 38 days (924 hours) in space. She served as pilot on two flights, STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and was the mission commander on STS-120 in 2007. All three of her missions were assembly missions to build the International Space Station.
After serving more than two decades in the Air Force and as a NASA astronaut, Ms. Melroy took on a number of leadership roles, including at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Nova Systems Pty, Australia, and as an advisor to the Australian Space Agency. She also served as an independent consultant and a member of the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.
Ms. Melroy holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention will be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For complete details, including online registration and the full program itinerary, please click here. Regular updates will be posted in the coming weeks on the organization’s web site and social media platforms. Please note that the scheduled date/time of the address is subject to change.
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-16 16:57:54

Live Conference Report .... The speaker ahead of RobertDyck is a representative of the Catholic Church.

This is a track devoted to non-technical subjects.

The Catholic Church perspective on humans moving away from Earth is interesting (to me at least). The speaker explained that throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been openings of new locations where members of the Church might congregate. The impression that came across to me is that the Church will continue to provide services to it's members wherever there go.

One brief moment was devoted to the occurrence of the words "Earth" and "World" in the documentation of the Church. I missed the end of that part of the presentation due to a YouTube video I had started accidently.

The registration process required me to log in again and ask for another password, but ** this ** time it let me choose a password, so perhaps I'll be able to use that password the next time I connect.

***
Martian Day .... What is the corresponding Earth Day ?

Online calculator .... Apparently there has been an effort to try to bring about some sort of correlation between the two planets.

Every 37 or 38 days we lose a day because of the longer Martian Sol.

Interesting dilemma.

Update a 19:32 local time after the talk about Newfoundland by RobertDyck.

There was a respectable audience for the talk ... a few people tuned in and stayed, a few started and drifted away ... the number who stayed for the talk and the Q&A was still a good number.

The Mars Society volunteer who headed up the Q&A had prepared well. A couple of members of the audience pitched questions or comments as well.

There was a reference to an earlier talk by Dr. Charles Cockell, University of Edinborough - Engineering a Free Mars

RobertDyck said he had caught that talk.

A few of the names I saw on the attendance list were:

Bryant Barlow
Bonny Lee Michaelson
Frank Crossman
Susan Ip-Jewell
Adrianne MacLean
James Secosky
Jack Hay
Kay Radzik
Wayne Taylor
Holger Isenberg
Chris Humber
Rene Aquilina
Zac M
John Oldson
Tom Miller
Denis Deschenes

I hope at least ** one ** additional NewMars member will be able to join the live audience for the Large ship talk.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the images RobertDyck has already shared with the forum, and perhaps a few new ones as well.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-16 18:33:36

Live Broadcast with AMADEE-20 Mission Staff in Austria & Israel during Mars Society Convention
The Mars Society is pleased to announce that it will be carrying out a live interview with members of the AMADEE-20 mission staff based in Austria and Israel during the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention on Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 9:00 am PT / 18:00 GMT Austria / 19:00 GMT Israel.
Organized by the Austrian Space Forum (Österreichisches Weltraum Forum) and hosted by the Israel Space Agency, AMADEE-20 is an integrated Mars analog field mission being conducted October 4-31 at D-MARS (Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station) at the Ramon Crater in Israel’s Negev Desert.
The AMADEE-20 simulation will include a crew of highly-trained analog astronauts using sophisticated space suit prototypes for testing in preparation for future use by human explorers on the Red Planet. 200 researchers from 25 countries will be involved in AMADEE-20 research and field studies. Originally scheduled for November 2020, the AMADEE-20 mission was postponed until October 2021 in recognition of COVID-19 concerns and health guidelines.
Members of AMADEE-20’s support staff in Innsbruck, Austria will talk virtually about their role in the mission, while additional support staff working on-site at D-MARS in Israel will provide an update about the crew’s mission and field studies at approximately the mid-way point of their analog program. Questions will also be taken from the convention’s virtual audience during the 30-minute live broadcast.
This year’s virtual Mars Society convention, scheduled for October 14-17, will be free of charge (although donations are welcomed). For complete details, including online registration and the program itinerary, please click here. Regular updates will be posted in the coming weeks on the Mars Society web site and its social media platforms.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-16 18:40:54

Post presentation report ...

The audience for this presentation was quite a bit larger than was the case for Newfoundland.

The high water mark was 35 participants.

As before, some folks joined and others departed.

One persistent person kept pushing the Aldrin Cycler idea, and RobertDyck was quite courteous in gently pushing that idea to the side.

Others were appreciative of the talk. A Dr. Walt Nilsson was particularly generous in praise.

Alas, no one else from NewMars forum was able to connect.

The slides were ones the NewMars forum has seen, packaged in a single flow, with text slides showing topics such as Food, Waste, etc.

One point that RobertDyck made is new (at least to me) ...

In response to the persistent Cycler fan, RobertDyke suggested the Large Ship could serve as an orbital hotel between Mars trips. That makes a ** lot ** of sense!

Extending that idea a bit.... such a ship could take a sojourn out to the Moon and back.

I do want to point out one familiar name who was present: Bruce MacKenzie!

There was a nice mix of gents and ladies in the audience.

All in all! Bravo for a well done presentation.

It will be worth the wait for the YouTube version.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-17 13:06:36

More post presentation reporting....

The attendee list for the Newfoundland talk (as well as I could transcribe it) included:

Newfoundland Talk
Adrianne MacLean
AltSpaceVR
Bonny Lee Michaelson
Bryant Barlow
Chris Humber
Denis Deschenes
Frank Crossman
Hlger Isenberg
Jack Hay
James Seconsky
John Oldson
Kay Radzik
Rene Aquilina
Susan Ip-Jewell
Tom Miller
Volunteer Mars Society
Wayne Taylor
Zac M

The attendee list for the Large ship talk (again, as well as I could transcribe it) included:

Large Ship Talk
Adrian Boyko
Ahmad Aniss
Amit Ishar
Bill D
Bruce MacKenzie
Catherine Psarakis
Cathrine Chalari
Charles Carpenter
Charles Letherwod
Cherilyn Young, OP
Dave Hamm
Dean Kakazu
Denis Des
Douglas Warshow
Dr. Walt Nilsson
Dusty Greene
Eric Bethke
Gareth Mouter
Greg H
Hugo Barbier
Jaj Ahlburg
Joel McLain
John Manity
Jorge Aponte-Gomexz
Kyle Wiesmore
Lady Cude
M.K. Borri
Marcus Hervey
Michael Verhulst
Murel McGrath
Nathan Shumer
Rene Schaad
Rick Kwan
Roberto Rodriguez Oero
Ron Friedman
Teal Talon
Tony Vaughn
Wayne Tayor
Wm Leung

Please note that some of the folks listed came in late or left early.

The high water mark was 35 attendees. The consistent count for most of the 30 minutes was 34.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-10-22 17:31:26

One of two talks given by Moderator RobertDyck at the recent Mars Society Conference featured a modern history of Newfoundland.

I say ** modern ** because RobertDyck concentrated upon the use of the site by fishermen who established a non-governmental community that has persisted for 500 years.

However, the site was apparently settled long before the fisherfolk showed up ...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellne … hp&pc=U531

New Study Suggests Vikings Settled in North America in A.D. 1021
Duration: 01:30 3 hrs ago
Comments
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New Study Suggests , Vikings Settled , in North America in A.D. 1021. A group of researchers believe they have pinpointed the exact date that a Viking settlement was in North America, preceding Christopher Columbus by centuries. A group of researchers believe they have pinpointed the exact date that a Viking settlement was in North America, preceding Christopher Columbus by centuries. The team claims that a new dating technique has provided evidence that Vikings were present at a site in Newfoundland, Canada, in A.D. 1021. The team claims that a new dating technique has provided evidence that Vikings were present at a site in Newfoundland, Canada, in A.D. 1021. The technique, which analyzes tree rings, has allowed researchers to suggest an exact date for the first time. The technique, which analyzes tree rings, has allowed researchers to suggest an exact date for the first time. The study was published in the journal 'Nature.'. Scientists looked at three pieces of wood from a Norse settlement found at L'Anse aux Meadows. Scientists looked at three pieces of wood from a Norse settlement found at L'Anse aux Meadows. To pinpoint an exact date, the team used an atmospheric radiocarbon signal produced by a known solar storm as a reference. The solar storm, which took place in the year A.D. 992, allowed the team to determine a more accurate date. Previously, the site had been dated at some time around A.D. 1000. Researchers suggest the L'Anse aux Meadows camp was a base from which the Vikings explored other North American locations. Researchers suggest the L'Anse aux Meadows camp was a base from which the Vikings explored other North American locations. L'Anse aux Meadows is a UNESCO World Heritage Site found on the northern tip of Newfoundland. It is the first and only acknowledged site the Vikings visited in North America. According to the BBC, it is the earliest evidence of European settlement in the New World

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RobertDyck · 2021-10-22 18:27:25

Well, yea. Of course it was settled before Europeans. A previous carbon dating of artifacts found at L'Anse aux Meadows showed occupation in year 999. There's detailed description of Vinland in the Sagas. That's why John Cabot brought two Icelandic guides.

There were indigenous people before Vikings. The Sagas describe a vast population of indigenous people; too many for Viking setters to defeat. The website for Newfoundland and Labrador says "The island of Newfoundland, while isolated, has offered unique and plentiful food supply for thousands of years for those first inhabitants known as the Maritime Archaic and later the Beothuk and the Mi’kmaq. The rivers of the west coast, known for their supply of salmon, the waters surrounding the island, thick with cod and mackerel. Seafood plentiful in the summer, and land game in the fall, made the island a place for these nomadic families to grow hearty before battling the unforgiving winters that inevitably came."

The point of my presentation was to use a lesson for history for settlement of Mars. Fishermen established a fishing camp in 1496, built a house for a caretaker to overwinter in 1497. The city is still there, and the city counts it's founding to that first house in 1497. Meanwhile government colonies from 1526 through 1610 all failed. Between English, French, and Spanish colonies, 10 colonies failed. The 11th colony was Jamestown, which started with 500 settlers. When the 3rd supply ship showed up only 60 survived. That supply ship also carried 120 more settlers. So a total of 180 settlers when that ship left. When the next ship showed up with a new governor, only 90 were left alive. They had abandoned the colony, were found 10 miles downstream. The new governor forced them to return to the colony. So a total of 500 + 120 = 620 settlers, only 90 were still alive when the new governor arrived. Meanwhile, the fishermen of St. John's Newfoundland just continued to fish. The reason government colonies failed so miserably is they counted on supplies from the "old country", including food transported across the Atlantic by wooden ships with canvas sails. Of course politics go involved, those supply ships were delayed and in several cases just cancelled. People counting on those ships for food were left to starve to death. But in St. John's Newfoundland it was built by fishermen who didn't expect any support from government. When they were hungry, they just caught some fish. Rather than boiling dried fish fillets intended for transport back to Europe, they could just catch fresh fish. Fresh always tastes better.

The point is businessmen succeeded where government failed. Businessmen established settlements that were entirely independent for food and critical supplies. They lived off in-situ resources. And most importantly, didn't depend on government. The fickle nature of politics means supplies from any government agency are not at all reliable. I said use government for what government is good at: exploration, developing military technology, and documentation. But don't expect government to establish a viable colony. Settlement must be done by private enterprise.

There are no indigenous people on Mars.

Last edited by RobertDyck (2021-10-22 20:32:19)

SpaceNut · 2021-10-22 19:29:45

I did see the articles on the site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows

And saw the simple housing that was constructed no wasted effort to make it pretty just solid to keep heat inside.

Carbon dating tree rings aligned with cosmic storms that can be confirmed.

tahanson43206 · 2021-11-05 08:38:18

The Mars Society <info@marssociety.org>
Thu, Nov 4 at 8:36 AM
MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT
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Tourists a (Major) Problem at Mars Analog Site (Article)
By Dr. Shannon Rupert, Space.com, 11.03.21
The Mars Desert Research Station has become something of a tourist destination.
Dr. Shannon Rupert is an ecologist and educator who has spent more than 20 years doing Mars analog research. She is the longtime director of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), which is owned and operated by The Mars Society. MDRS hosts researchers who conduct their work while in a simulation, living as if they were on Mars. For more details about the MDRS program, please visit: mdrs.marssociety.org. Dr. Rupert contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
It's early spring in the southern Utah desert. After a year-long shutdown in operations due to COVID, I'm back at the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), where I serve as director, preparing to welcome two U.S.-based crews to the facility. After a particularly hard day of working on repairs to the water system, I'm awakened in the night by my dogs barking. I look out the small window of my bedroom, which is separated from the station by two hills, and I can see what appears to be bright light shining on one of the buildings. While I struggle to make sense of it, my dogs quiet down, so I drift back to sleep, thinking I hadn't noticed the moon was full.
Months later, our director of public relations receives an email. Attached is a photo of MDRS, all lit up, with the night sky emblazoned above it. In the email, the photographer gives details of his long-duration exposures and how he lit up the station during the night I just described, and spent hours photographing the night sky. He's proud of his work, and thinks nothing of sharing how he trespassed on private land, photographed an entire field station without permission and stayed onsite while I slept a few meters away, unaware of this violation. It still unsettles me thinking about it. Imagine if someone did that in your own backyard.
Fortunately, no crew was in residence at MDRS that night. Visiting teams expect that they may see a person or two when they are out in the field, or someone viewing the station from the road off in the distance. But isolation and a suspension of disbelief regarding our crew simulations are major components to space-related analog research. Future astronauts on the Red Planet will experience a level of isolation that no human has ever gone through, and a large part of MDRS research, led by its crews, focuses on that challenge.
Making this Mars simulation as realistic as possible is key to that research. Crews can accomplish this, but not with constant outside interference. What hinders that effort are drones filming crew members from outside their windows, or people wandering around the facility, poking their heads in buildings or sitting on the hill just outside the front airlock before daybreak. All of these are things that have happened in the last few months at our station in southern Utah. With a growing interest in space and the overload of information on the internet, visitors are far more frequent at MDRS than in the past.
I enjoy welcoming the occasional guest, giving them a close up look of the station when crews are away. One of the best parts about this job is seeing someone's eye light up at the possibility of humans actually going to the planet Mars. That all changed with COVID. Many people fled the reality of the pandemic in their daily lives by escaping to the American Southwest, where they could practice social distancing by exploring the outdoors. There was an increase in websites and social media sharing places to visit.
Unfortunately, MDRS became one of those sites for tourists, and on the internet and in the nearby town of Hanksville, people are saying we are open to the public and/or the station is accessible to everyone. This is not true. From the moment I returned to the station earlier this year, I have spent more time chasing people off the property than welcoming them. Some are confused, some are polite but disappointed, others have been threatening enough that the local police needed to be called, but all felt they had a right to be here.
Our staff has done what it can. We have posted signs defining our lease, letting people know that, according to State of Utah law, MDRS is located on private property and drones are prohibited. We have signs restricting access to the area. We have contacted every website we could find that had misinformation about us, and I've had meetings with local town and business leaders about this growing problem. Is it working? Not all the time, but it is better.
Social media is a huge challenge because misinformation travels like wildfire. People post a photo, and everyone wants to go out to get that same photo on their own. For a while, we had people every day walking in and around MDRS. It turned out that someone had posted a photo on social media with the coordinates to MDRS. Lately, every time I go north of the facility, I see people on a certain hill. I guess that area is the new darling of social media. That's a relief, because fewer people in the area means less interruption of the important work we do here, which will help achieve the Mars Society's goal of putting boots on the Red Planet.
---------------------------------
Let's all try to remember that the Mars Desert Research Station is a closed research facility on land leased from the U.S. government where crews simulate living on Mars and carry out field research, and not a tourist destination. Thanks!

Mars Desert Research Station
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

That problem will not occur on Mars.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-11-29 12:26:01

Countdown to Giving Tuesday (Nov. 30th)
New promo video released by the Mars Society
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, an international day of charitable gifting that occurs on the Tuesday after the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving.
As the world's largest and most influential space advocacy group dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet, the Mars Society leads the way in educating and informing the public, the media, and the government about the importance of exploring Mars and planning for a permanent human presence there.
Included in the Mars Society's mission are:
Mars analog simulations in Utah and Canada
STEM initiatives like MarsVR
Public outreach & educational programs
The annual University Rover Challenge
The annual International Mars Society Convention
Chapter meetings & activities in the U.S. & around the world
We call on our members, friends and supporters to make a one-time or recurring contribution to the Mars Society, a registered non-profit organization, on Giving Tuesday (November 30th) so we can not only continue but expand our important work, initiatives, and research.
To learn how you can support the Mars Society now and on Giving Tuesday, visit: https://www.marssociety.org, and to watch the latest video about our organization and its mission, please click here.
Thank you for your continuing interest and involvement in the Mars Society, and we appreciate any support that you can extend to our world-wide effort to promote humans to Mars.

The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-12-03 13:57:30

Big News with Direct Connection to NewMars Forum:

Mars Society Appoints New Full-Time Executive Director
The Mars Society is very pleased to announce that James L. Burk has been appointed as the organization’s new full-time Executive Director, supervising the group’s world-wide efforts to promote the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars.
In this role, James will oversee the organization’s fundraising efforts and high-level networking, lead and coordinate volunteers and chapters, both in the U.S. and around the world, and coordinate any organizational involvement in informing government representatives about humans-to-Mars.
Commenting on his new position, James said, “It’s a great honor to be chosen to serve as our new Executive Director. In my new role, I’ll seek out new opportunities, funding, and ideas; I’ll be approachable and responsive to our members and partners; and I’ll bring an engineer’s rigor to our strategic planning and execution. I’ll do everything I possibly can to accelerate the day that human beings are living and working on Mars in a sustainable and responsible way.”
As one of the founding members of the Mars Society, a member of the organization’s Steering Committee and the long-time Director of Information Technology, James has been involved in a wide variety of projects and initiatives on behalf of the organization, including developing and managing the group's internet presence and digital projects like MarsVR and Marspedia. Earlier this year, he led a crowdfunding campaign which raised over $100,000 for virtual reality development, creating a digital twin of our Mars Desert Research Station in Utah.
James was a key organizer and lead event technologist of the organization's wildly successful 2020 Virtual Mars Society Convention, which was viewed by over 100,000 people and featured panel discussions with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and a who’s who of Mars scientists and researchers. He repeated his role for the 2021 virtual convention and enabled the Mars Society to add several corporate sponsors for the first time. James has also led the videography at the conventions for over ten years and has worked with volunteers to edit and upload thousands of hours of conference talks to the organization's YouTube channel, thereby creating a massive archive of Mars-related video content.
In addition, James has served as Executive Officer for Crew 197 at the MDRS facility in 2018 and will be Crew Commander of Crew 261 in April 2023 with a multi-national team of researchers. He’s also served as an organizer of our Seattle chapter since the founding of the Society and has helped other chapters around the world organize themselves and their events.
With a background as a software engineer and technical project manager (formerly with Microsoft), James has worked for over 20 years on Agile software development projects, and has led commercial, volunteer, and student teams to conduct a wide range of software development activities including large websites and software solutions that have been used by millions of people. He served in senior roles at Microsoft and other companies, worked as a professional business and technology consultant for over ten years, and has taught computer science and nonprofit management topics and workshops. His diverse range of technical and professional skills will continue to be as asset to the Society as he begins his tenure as Executive Director.
Please join us in congratulating James Burk on his new role. He can be reached via email, or you can use this form to provide an idea or suggestion to him directly.
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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SpaceNut · 2021-12-03 18:13:24

Just wondering if the lander project put the final nail in the new position...
He does bring a tremendous amount of knowledge to the plate of tasks.

Nice to see the "Crew Commander of Crew 261 in April 2023"

tahanson43206 · 2021-12-08 18:19:39

MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT
View this email in your browser
MDRS to Host Its First Ever Middle School Crew for Field Studies
Most visiting crews to our Mars Desert Research Station come for a two-week analog mission and consist of researchers, members of academia, or university students.
In recent years however MDRS has opened its (airlock) doors on occasion to younger groups of would-be Mars explorers, including high school students.
Beginning tomorrow (December 9th), a team made up of middle school students from Ogden Preparatory Academy in northern Utah will be participating in a three-day mini-sim on campus.
Led by an educator who participated in one of our NASA Spaceward Bound Utah missions as well as several MDRS interns, the student crew will experience first-hand what it means to live and work on Mars for a few days.
During their time at the station, the young crew will carry out field science during the day, including a geology project, and learn what Martian food tastes like by eating freeze-dried meals.
“These types of students visits are part of the Mars Society’s growing effort to promote STEM education and help develop an enthusiasm among the general public for human exploration and eventual settlement of the Red Planet,” said Dr. Shannon Rupert, MDRS Director and supervisor of the MDRS STEM education initiative.
To learn more about our MDRS program or STEM education initiatives, please contact: info@marssociety.org. Also if you would like to help out as a volunteer or make a contribution to the Mars Society, visit our web site.
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-12-22 18:35:36

Mars, Meaning and COVID Fatigue (Blog)
By Evan Plant-Weir
As we quickly approach the grim milestone of two consecutive years in a global pandemic, many of us are experiencing a feeling of growing despair. Once again, our holiday season is marred by uncertainty in the shadow of a new and potent COVID-19 variant.
The rapid and shocking spread of Omicron is pushing us apart, precisely when we are meant to come together. The closing of a year should be a time for celebration of the little victories, and yet we find ourselves battening down the hatches in preparation for yet more sacrifice and loss.
What we initially hoped would be a brief skirmish with this tiny, unseen adversary has become a prolonged and convoluted siege. Consequently – once more – we find ourselves behind a blockade that is restricting our access to a sense of human closeness, stability, and relative normalcy.
At times like this, the dream of Mars settlement can feel remote. In the torrent of media and shifting pandemic information, the red planet might feel a little more distant than usual. Even for the strongest space exploration advocates, the goal of humans-to-Mars can seem somewhat inaccessible in the face of such a pressing global issue.
In truth, however, the dream of Mars has never been so important as it is right now.
We are experiencing a moment of exhaustion as a society. After more than 600 days under siege, with questionable prospects for an end to the ordeal, how could it be otherwise?
In addition to the urgent need for us to take direct action against this shared enemy, it is also increasingly critical that we tend to our mental health as individuals and as a society.
There are various important resources and tools for building our cognitive immunity to this crisis. Perhaps among the most impactful is the preservation of a sense of meaning.
The dream of Mars offers this to every human in plenitude. Whoever you are, wherever you live, you can play an important role in the future of our species by participating in that vision.
You don’t need to be an astronaut or physicist. There’s no dubious, expensive 10-step program. You can get involved as little or as much as you like, and the ways in which you can contribute are virtually endless.
Reaching beyond our atmosphere isn’t just about doing hard science and building rockets. Successful settlement of the red planet will depend just as much on a shift in our culture, that unfolds as the result of a million small efforts by everyday people.
Whether you’re a physicist or plumber, coal miner or Nobel laureate, one of the most important projects in the history of our species has a place for you. You can make a real difference today, and you can do it during a pandemic lock-down.
Normalize the Conversation
The easiest way to play a small part in the settlement of Mars is to simply bring it up in conversation. Many (and perhaps most) individuals in your network may never have actually considered it. Sure, they might have browsed some science articles in passing, or briefly pondered the idea while watching a Hollywood film, but they haven’t yet considered the possibility in earnest.
For me, some of the most meaningful discussions on this subject have been with those for whom it was a completely new and challenging proposition.
“Wait, you’re saying that this might actually happen?”
“Why would we do that?”
Whether they love the idea or find it bizarre, having these fascinating (sometimes enjoyable, sometimes difficult) conversations with our peers will ultimately constitute the foundation of our cultural shift into a multi-planet species.
By normalizing the subject, we gradually close the conceptual divide between Mars as a far away, alien place, and Mars as an inevitable and essential part of our shared future.
As a bonus, it gives us an opportunity to focus on exciting and hopeful things to come, rather than dwelling on the latest dreadful covid statistics.
Get Involved
If you want to take on more than just casual conversation, there are numerous ways to get involved. If you’ve got some time to spare – be it a few hours a week, or just one day a year – there are various volunteering opportunities for anybody who shares the dream of Mars.
As a volunteer myself, I can attest to the quality and character of the humans-to-Mars community. We are a quickly growing collection of scientists, laborers, engineers, tradespeople, artists, writers, and everything in between.
In a time punctuated by social distance and lock-down isolation, joining that community can offer a unique and meaningful way to make new connections.
There may even be a chapter in your area and, if not, you could consider starting one yourself.
Support the Cause
When Robert Zubrin, founder of The Mars Society spoke with Elon Musk during the 2020 Mars Society convention, Musk pointed out:
“Where the will and the way intersect, we will have a multi-planet species”.
He was referring to both the desirability (the will) and the affordability (the way) of Mars Settlement.
Whereas the blooming private space industry – including of course Musk’s own SpaceX – is developing the technical means to get to Mars, it is largely up to us as citizens of Earth to develop and spread a willingness to take on that project.
“You provide the way, and we’ll provide the will” proposed Zubrin, to which Musk enthusiastically replied “yes, exactly!”.
The Mars Society is working hard to educate and inspire the public on Mars settlement, and to share a positive vision for our future as a species.
One of the most impactful ways for you to contribute to that mission is to donate or become a paying member. By doing so, you can play a direct and meaningful role in one of the most significant transitions of human history.
However you choose to participate, the dream of Mars settlement has never been so relevant as it is at this moment. We need a hopeful and exciting version of our future to aim towards, especially during dark times.
Happy Holidays to all. Be safe, be well, and keep dreaming big.
To learn more about the Mars Society and how you can get involved, please visit: www.marssociety.org.
Evan Plant-Weir HBSc, is co-founder of The Mars Society of Canada and senior writer for the Mars Society's Red Planet Bound blog. He is also a passionate space exploration advocate, creative writer, science communicator, and content creator. Access Evan's LinkedIn Page.
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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clark · 2021-12-23 02:59:24

"hey, i want to live in a tin can, worry about sucking vacuum, all while i appreciate 14 different shades of red rock."

You ever visit a LARP event? Passionate folks with larger than life nerf arrows.

Mars Society and the kool-aid drinking set don't get it. Colonizing Mars is dumb. It is not an end, but that is how it is billed. Mars is a stepping stone. Mars is a possibility, not a finality.

tahanson43206 · 2022-01-02 13:54:54

Final Mission Summary - Crew 236
Mars Desert Research Station, Utah
Cradle of Martians (Dec. 19, 2021 - Jan. 1, 2022)
Crew Members
Commander: Kasey Hilton
Executive Officer and Health & Safety Officer: Dr. Cesare Guariniello
Crew Scientist: Tyler Nord
GreenHab Officer: Vladimir Zeltsman
Crew Astronomer: Dylan Dilger
Crew Engineer: Pavithra “Pavi” Ravi
Crew Journalist: Benjamin “Ben” Durkee
Acknowledgements
The entire Crew of MDRS 236 would like to express their gratitude to the many people who made this mission possible: our deepest thanks to Dr. Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society; Dr. Shannon Rupert, MDRS Director and Program Manager, who managed and supported our mission, and helped us troubleshoot any issues; Atila Meszaros, Assistant Director, who also managed and supported our crew and served as CAPCOM many times during the rotation; Dr. Peter Detterline, Director of Observatories, who trained and assisted our Crew Astronomer before and during the mission; David Murray, GreenHab Manager; Michael Stoltz, The Mars Society Liaison, Media and Public Relations; Scott Davis and NorCal Chapter, responsible for Spacesuits; the amazing and friendly Mission Support CAPCOM who served during our rotation: Bernard Dubb, Andrew Foster, Graeme Frear, Asma Akhter, and MJ Marggraff; Purdue MARS; all the departments and people at Purdue University who supported this mission; Kathy Celestine and Estelle Scott, for writing Christmas cards to the crew; and all the unnamed people, friends, and family, who supported and worked behind the scenes to make this effort possible, and who gave us a chance to be an active part of the effort towards human exploration of Mars.
Mission Description & Outcome
MDRS 236 “Cradle of Martians” is the fourth all-Purdue crew at MDRS. This mission encountered different challenges, one of the biggest being COVID-19, which delayed the original mission from the 2020-21 field season to the 2021-22 field season. Other challenges included wind and technical malfunctions making EVAs more difficult and non-nominal systems affecting heating and plumbing in the Hab. Even the logistics of the mission preparation was a challenge, with crew members being spread across the United States and even into Europe.
However, the crew continuously rolled with the punches and pushed forward with optimistic attitudes. This is what we at crew 236 like to call “making do”. Making do isn’t about merely surviving life on Mars, but using the ups and downs of this Red Planet to revive our spirit of adventure and spontaneity, and to learn and adapt in order to make giant leaps for humankind. As commander, this is what I’m the most proud of my crew for. Their ability and effort to continue living the Martian life with full hearts, smiles on their faces, and a joke or two always up their sleeves. The research and outreach of the crew reflects that attitude. All crew members performed to very high standards and made substantial progress on their research projects and outreach.
As described in the rest of this summary, the crew collected useful and interesting data during their time at MDRS and have plans to use the data after the completion of the mission, as well as ideas for laying foundations for further collaboration of Purdue crews with the MDRS program.
Summary of Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA)
After being trained in the use of rovers and in the safety protocols for EVA, the crew had eleven excursions during rotation 236. Two were training EVA to Marble Ritual, 6 more being successful, and another three being shortened or cancelled due to weather or system malfunctions. The EVA served three research projects: scouting additional habitat locations, collection of geological samples, and heat mapping of geological features. The crew optimized the time on the field, limiting the driving time to less than 22% of the entire EVA duration.
To read the full mission summary, please click here.
https://mdrs.marssociety.org/2022/01/01 … 1d542e4e31
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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tahanson43206 · 2022-01-10 18:27:41

Mars Society Announces Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition
The Mars Society is pleased to announce the launching of a new global contest to design a telerobotic Mars expedition. There will be a prize of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second, $2,500 for third, $1,000 for fourth, and $500 for fifth. In addition, the best 20 papers will be published in a new Mars Society book “Telerobotic Mars Expeditions: Exploring the Red Planet with Platoons of Robots.”
An essential requirement for any human Mars exploration mission is a system capable of landing payloads of 10 metric tons or more on the Martian surface. Such systems could first be demonstrated by being used to deliver expeditions consisting of platoons of robots, including wheeled or treaded ground rovers, helicopters, airplanes, balloons, or other types of flight vehicles, and legged robots, including those in humanoid, cat-like, or insectoid forms. Expeditions of this type could return scientific bonanzas while preparing Mars landing sites for human arrival.
The challenge of the Telerobotic Mars Expedition Design Competition (TMEDC) is to design the best such mission using a 10-ton payload Mars lander.
TMEDC teams should assume the existence of a lander capable of delivering a 10 metric ton payload to the surface of the Red Planet. Participating teams need to select the robotic platoon carried by the lander, provide conceptual designs for the robots employed, determine how they will be instrumented and powered, and outline what they will do after landing to achieve the maximum possible benefit for Mars science and future exploration. The robotic crew and its equipment need have a total mass of ten metric tons or less. It should also be able to fit, before deployment on the Martian surface, inside of a lander payload compartment no more than 5 m in diameter and 5 m in height.
The mission does not need to be totally robotic. It can be commanded from Earth, as current rover missions are. In addition to any number of robots desired, the mission can include other equipment, including power systems, construction equipment, ISRU systems, laboratories, communications gear, sample return ascent vehicles, machine tools, 3D printers, or anything else other than living beings, so long as the total mass of the entire expedition (not counting the lander or its payload compartment) is ten metric tons or less.
The planned mission needs to be based on technologies that would allow it to be launched no later than 2033, with sooner being better.
The goal of the design is to produce the maximum possible science return while doing the most to prepare human Mars missions to follow.
In scoring telerobotic expedition designs, points will be allocated on the following basis:
+25 points – Engineering design: How credible are the engineering designs of the proposed systems?
+20 points – Science return: What will be the scientific return of the expedition?
+20 points – Exploration preparation: What will the expedition do to prepare for future human exploration, both at the landing site itself and across Mars in general.
+20 points – Cost: Not counting the systems used to deliver the expedition, how much will the mission cost?
+15 points – Schedule: How soon could the mission be made ready for flight? How credible is the claim that it could be launched by 2033? How plausible is the claim that it could be ready in time for an earlier launch date?
The TMEDC is open to all people from every country. You can work alone or as part of a team. Each contestant will need to submit a report of no more than 20 pages presenting their plan by June 30, 2022. A down select will then be made to the top 10 proposals, whose authors will be invited to present them in person in front of an audience of judges chosen by the Mars Society at the next International Mars Society Convention in October 2022.
A website for registering for the TMEDC has been set up. To use this online registration form, participants must sign in with a Google account.
Please note that all competition entries should be PDF files with a maximum of 20 pages in length, using 12-point Times / Times New Roman font and one-inch margins. There is a maximum file size of 100 MB for your submission as well. Thank you.
We look forward to seeing what all of you designers and innovators can do! Good luck!
The Mars Society
11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A
Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A.
www.marssociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety
@TheMarsSociety
Copyright (c) 2021 The Mars Society
All rights reserved.

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#76 2021-10-06 17:43:49

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