Difference between revisions of "Mars Society"
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* Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration.</em>" | * Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration.</em>" | ||
| − | == The Founding Declaration == | + | ==The Founding Declaration== |
In August 1998 the Founding Declaration of the Mars Society was ratified by the 700 attendees of the founding convention at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. | In August 1998 the Founding Declaration of the Mars Society was ratified by the 700 attendees of the founding convention at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. | ||
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Seven powerful reasons for going to Mars are described. | Seven powerful reasons for going to Mars are described. | ||
| − | # We must go for the knowledge of Mars | + | #We must go for the knowledge of Mars |
| − | # We must go for the knowledge of Earth | + | #We must go for the knowledge of Earth |
| − | # We must go for the challenge | + | #We must go for the challenge |
| − | # We must go for the youth | + | #We must go for the youth |
| − | # We must go for the opportunity | + | #We must go for the opportunity |
| − | # We must go for our humanity | + | #We must go for our humanity |
| − | # We must go for the future | + | #We must go for the future |
The Founding Declaration concludes with: | The Founding Declaration concludes with: | ||
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"Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars is one of the greatest human endeavors possible in our time, we have gathered to found this Mars Society, understanding that even the best ideas for human action are never inevitable, but must be planned, advocated, and achieved by hard work. We call upon all other individuals and organizations of like-minded people to join with us in furthering this great enterprise. No nobler cause has ever been. We shall not rest until it succeeds." | "Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars is one of the greatest human endeavors possible in our time, we have gathered to found this Mars Society, understanding that even the best ideas for human action are never inevitable, but must be planned, advocated, and achieved by hard work. We call upon all other individuals and organizations of like-minded people to join with us in furthering this great enterprise. No nobler cause has ever been. We shall not rest until it succeeds." | ||
| − | == Mars Analog Research Stations == | + | ==Mars Analog Research Stations== |
In its first decade the Mars Society established two research stations - the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). | In its first decade the Mars Society established two research stations - the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). | ||
| + | |||
| + | FMARS is located on Devon Island, a Mars analogue environment and polar desert, approximately 100 miles northeast of the hamlet of Resolute in Nunavut, Canada. The station overlooks the Haughton impact crater, a 23 kilometer diameter crater formed nearly 40 million years ago. The station helps develop the capabilities needed on Mars to allow productive field research during the long months of a human sojourn. The facility has evolved through time to achieve increasing levels of realism and fidelity with the ultimate goal of supporting the actual training of Mars-bound astronauts. The [http://fmars.marssociety.org/ FMARS website] documents the use of the site by a number of international crews. | ||
| + | |||
| + | MDRS in the Utah desert near Hanksville, UT was established by the Mars Society in 2001 to better educate researchers, students and the general public about how humans can survive on the Red Planet. As of 2018 nearly 200 crews of six-person teams have lived in two week field visits at MDRS to simulate life on the Martian surface. Researchers and students alike have explored the Mars-like red sandstone terrain in the area surrounding the station in full “spacesuits”, maintained the station’s systems, grown plants in the GreenHab to support themselves, and even recycled their waste water. Detailed crew reports and videos are found on the [http://mdrs.marssociety.org/ MDRS web site]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == The Rover Challenge Series == | ||
| + | In the society's second decade it has sponsored a rover design/build/test competition among college student teams from around the world. The top 36 teams are invited to the finals conducted at MDRS. These rovers are designed to work with and support human explorers on the surface of Mars, and each year the testing requirements are enhanced to more realistically develop and demonstrate this coupling between rovers and humans. 84 teams of college students representing 13 countries are set to take on the 2019 University Rover Challenge. Teams will spend the academic year designing and fabricating prototype next-generation rovers that could one day support astronauts on the surface of Mars. The next major milestone for teams is the Preliminary Design Review, which requires teams to submit a report to judges by November 30. A System Acceptance Review milestone in March will down-select to the top 36 teams who will compete from May 30 - June 1, 2019 at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The [http://urc.marssociety.org/ URC website] has photos and reports from previous competitions. The evolving design criteria are also evident. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 15:19, 2 December 2018
Contents
Overview
"The Purpose of the Mars Society: To further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This will be done by:
- Broad public outreach to instill the vision of pioneering Mars.
- Support of ever more aggressive government funded Mars exploration programs around the world.
- Conducting Mars exploration on a private basis.
- Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration."
The Founding Declaration
In August 1998 the Founding Declaration of the Mars Society was ratified by the 700 attendees of the founding convention at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
The full wording of the declaration is found here
Seven powerful reasons for going to Mars are described.
- We must go for the knowledge of Mars
- We must go for the knowledge of Earth
- We must go for the challenge
- We must go for the youth
- We must go for the opportunity
- We must go for our humanity
- We must go for the future
The Founding Declaration concludes with:
"Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars is one of the greatest human endeavors possible in our time, we have gathered to found this Mars Society, understanding that even the best ideas for human action are never inevitable, but must be planned, advocated, and achieved by hard work. We call upon all other individuals and organizations of like-minded people to join with us in furthering this great enterprise. No nobler cause has ever been. We shall not rest until it succeeds."
Mars Analog Research Stations
In its first decade the Mars Society established two research stations - the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS).
FMARS is located on Devon Island, a Mars analogue environment and polar desert, approximately 100 miles northeast of the hamlet of Resolute in Nunavut, Canada. The station overlooks the Haughton impact crater, a 23 kilometer diameter crater formed nearly 40 million years ago. The station helps develop the capabilities needed on Mars to allow productive field research during the long months of a human sojourn. The facility has evolved through time to achieve increasing levels of realism and fidelity with the ultimate goal of supporting the actual training of Mars-bound astronauts. The FMARS website documents the use of the site by a number of international crews.
MDRS in the Utah desert near Hanksville, UT was established by the Mars Society in 2001 to better educate researchers, students and the general public about how humans can survive on the Red Planet. As of 2018 nearly 200 crews of six-person teams have lived in two week field visits at MDRS to simulate life on the Martian surface. Researchers and students alike have explored the Mars-like red sandstone terrain in the area surrounding the station in full “spacesuits”, maintained the station’s systems, grown plants in the GreenHab to support themselves, and even recycled their waste water. Detailed crew reports and videos are found on the MDRS web site.
The Rover Challenge Series
In the society's second decade it has sponsored a rover design/build/test competition among college student teams from around the world. The top 36 teams are invited to the finals conducted at MDRS. These rovers are designed to work with and support human explorers on the surface of Mars, and each year the testing requirements are enhanced to more realistically develop and demonstrate this coupling between rovers and humans. 84 teams of college students representing 13 countries are set to take on the 2019 University Rover Challenge. Teams will spend the academic year designing and fabricating prototype next-generation rovers that could one day support astronauts on the surface of Mars. The next major milestone for teams is the Preliminary Design Review, which requires teams to submit a report to judges by November 30. A System Acceptance Review milestone in March will down-select to the top 36 teams who will compete from May 30 - June 1, 2019 at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The URC website has photos and reports from previous competitions. The evolving design criteria are also evident.
