The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

Scott G. Beach · 2002-10-15 17:41:02

The Mars Institute was incorporated under California law on September 18, 2002. This new organization will "further the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of Mars." The Mars Institute will not deal with the settlement of Mars because settlement plans and projects necessarily involve political complexities that scientists prefer to avoid.

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PRESS RELEASE

October 15 - 2002 The Mars Institute: A New Resource for a New Century of Mars Exploration

Houston, Texas - Members of the founding Board of Directors of the Mars Institute formally unveiled the new organization today at the World Space Congress.

The Mars Institute is a California-based nonprofit corporation whose stated purpose is to further the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of Mars. The Institute intends to:

develop, implement and support high quality peer-reviewed scientific research about the planet Mars, its present nature, and its climatic, geologic and possibly biologic evolution, including through investigations of similarities and differences between the Earth, Mars and other planets;

analyze, develop and implement concepts, technologies and strategies for the exploration of Mars, by robotic systems and humans;

inform the public on the results, progress, and benefits to humankind of Mars exploration through the development and implementation of educational and public outreach activities.

Continued at http://www.marsinstitute.info

Phobos · 2002-10-18 18:52:01

I visited the homepage for the Mars Institute and came across something called the "Mars Haughton Project" but the only info there about it was a page of sponsor links. What exactly is that project? Seems to have something to do with Antartica. Is it a concerted hunt for mars meteorites?

Scott G. Beach · 2002-10-19 02:36:18

Phobos:

The founding of the Mars Institute has ramifications that go beyond its stated mission of furthering "the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of Mars." The existence of the Mars Institute will allow the Board of Directors of the Mars Society to amend the bylaws of the Mars Society to provide that the Society's Directors shall be elected by the Society's members.

The "activists" of a democratically controlled Mars Society will then be able to focus on the settlement of Mars while the "scientists" of the Mars Institute focus on the exploration of Mars. This division of labor between activists and scientists will encourage more scientists to become involved in Mars research and exploration programs. The Mars Institute gives scientists the option of participating in worldwide Mars research and exploration programs without taking the risk of being directly associated with people who advocate the settlement of Mars.

Scott

Phobos · 2002-10-19 19:32:41

I wasn't aware that the Mars Society founded the Mars Institute. So if your a MS member, are you automatically an MI member or do they have different membership models? Will the two share funds or will they be treated as two completely different organizations? I like the move to a more science oriented organization that doesn't concern itself with politics. I agree that your far more likely to get people to work on projects if they know they won't automatically be associated with X political movement.

Scott G. Beach · 2002-10-19 23:41:49

I wasn't aware that the Mars Society founded the Mars Institute. So if your a MS member, are you automatically an MI member or do they have different membership models? Will the two share funds or will they be treated as two completely different organizations? I like the move to a more science oriented organization that doesn't concern itself with politics. I agree that your far more likely to get people to work on projects if they know they won't automatically be associated with X political movement.

Phobos: According to the Mars Institute's first press release, "The Mars Institute's founding Board of Directors includes Dr. Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute, Dr. Charles Cockell of the British Antarctic Survey, and Mr. Marc Boucher of SpaceRef Interactive, Inc." Dr. Lee and Mr. Boucher are key members of the Mars Society.

From a legal perspective, the Mars Society and the Mars Institute are "two completely different organizations". However, given their overlapping leadership, these two organizations will be able to closely coordinate their operations.

You wrote, "I like the move to a more science oriented organization that doesn't concern itself with politics". The Mars Institute will facilitate cooperation between physical scientists. The Mars Institute is for geologists, astronomers, and physicists and it is not likely to include political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, and other social scientists.

The Mars Institute is a logical response to the fact that physical scientists do not want to have their scientific explorations distorted by political wrangling. These scientists remember that, prior to the adoption of Antarctic treaties, they were ordered not to discover commercial-grade mineral deposits in Antarctica.

In general, physical scientists try to avoid the kind of political wrangling that would certainly accompany efforts to design Martian settlements. They will gladly limit their concerns to planning exploration missions. By ignoring the task of planning Martian settlements, they are able to avoid thorny issues like marriage, divorce, alimony, child custody, and whether high schools biology textbooks shall include alternative "theories" such as creationism. While anthropologists find these issues salient, geologists tend to puke at the thought.

Phobos · 2002-10-20 14:03:11

From a legal perspective, the Mars Society and the Mars Institute are "two completely different organizations". However, given their overlapping leadership, these two organizations will be able to closely coordinate their operations.

That cleared things up.

You wrote, "I like the move to a more science oriented organization that doesn't concern itself with politics". The Mars Institute will facilitate cooperation between physical scientists. The Mars Institute is for geologists, astronomers, and physicists and it is not likely to include political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, and other social scientists.

Makes sense since the study of Mars is their goal and not the relationship of people to it. Hopefully they turn out to be a productive bunch.

SpaceNut · 2015-11-25 21:34:08

Fixed shifting topic issue and artifacts

The link is dead, but the progress and information contained in the posts has been carried forward by the multiple society efforts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Institute

New Mars Forums

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#1 2002-10-15 17:41:02

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#2 2002-10-18 18:52:01

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#3 2002-10-19 02:36:18

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#4 2002-10-19 19:32:41

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#5 2002-10-19 23:41:49

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#6 2002-10-20 14:03:11

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

#7 2015-11-25 21:34:08

Re: The Mars Institute - For Mars Exploration, NOT Settlement

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