Difference between revisions of "Mars Initiative"

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(Initial edit by Jonathan McCormick.)
 
(Made significant improvements to the content of the page based on our discussion with the Mars Initiative team.)
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[[File:Mars Initiative logo.png|alt=The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.|thumb|The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/</ref>]]
 
[[File:Mars Initiative logo.png|alt=The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.|thumb|The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/</ref>]]
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The Mars Initiative (MI) is a nonprofit organization centered around accelerating humanity's journey to [[Mars]] through raising funds for a variety of space-related causes. The most prominent category of the MI's work is the Mars Prize Fund, which is a reward which will be paid to the first entity that successfully lands humans on Mars. Other categories include education grants for teachers who want to teach the next generation of humans the science of space exploration, along with innovation grants for inventors who develop new technologies that can help humanity get to Mars.<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/</ref>
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'''The [https://marsinitiative.org/ Mars Initiative]''' is a 501.c.3. non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas, founded in 2011 by Mina Mukhar and [https://www.satellitetoday.com/podcast/2020/09/14/to-mars-and-beyond-with-chris-bellant-of-the-mars-initiative/ Chris Bellant] to [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/Pearland-nonprofit-s-pitch-100-equals-one-15750321.php inspire and accelerate a human landing on Mars through individual donations from around the world]<ref>https://www.satellitetoday.com/podcast/2020/09/14/to-mars-and-beyond-with-chris-bellant-of-the-mars-initiative/</ref><ref>https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/Pearland-nonprofit-s-pitch-100-equals-one-15750321.php</ref>. The main goal of the organization is to get humans to Mars faster via the Mars Prize Fund, a crowdfunded Prize intended to offset some of the cost of sending the first human crew to the Martian surface<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/the-mars-prize-fund/</ref>. The Mars Initiative also crowdfunds two grant programs, the Micro-G Education Grant and the newly formed Space Innovation Grant<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/mars-microgrants/</ref><ref>https://marsinitiative.org/sig/</ref>.
  
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== Initiatives: ==
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The Goals of the Mars Initiative are:
  
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=== The Mars Prize Fund ===
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* To accelerate humanity becoming an interplanetary species.
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The Mars Prize Fund (MPF) is the long-term purpose of the Mars Initiative.  
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* To give everyone on Earth the chance to participate in humanity’s first steps onto a new planet.
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* To educate and inspire the generation that will first explore Mars in person.
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* To fund the innovators of today, creating the necessary technologies for the explorers of tomorrow.
  
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The organization aims to propel private spaceflight into development quickly by incentivizing aerospace companies, spacecraft manufacturers, and other private enterprises to collaborate and focus on the delivery of a comprehensive human mission to Mars by offering them a generous subsidy for reaching all stated objectives.<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/the-mars-prize-fund/</ref>
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==The Mars Prize Fund==
  
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=== Education Microgrants ===
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The Mars Prize Fund is the longest running Mars Initiative fund, started in 2011. It is an incentive intended to accelerate the “New Space Race”, to be awarded to the organization that first lands a human safely on Mars. The Mars Prize Fund is open to any and all contributors, and recently began accepting cryptocurrencies.
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Teachers who need funds to have a space-related project in their classroom can apply for up to $200 through MI's Education Microgrant (EM) program.
 
  
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While the MPF is a long-term project, EM is one way that MI can make a tangible difference with more immediate results. Not only do students and teachers benefit from the happy experience of having space education, but the EM's help to inspire the future innovators and explorers who will be playing a role in making humanity a multi-planetary species.<ref>https://marsinitiative.org/mars-microgrants/</ref>
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A “Mars Mile” is the estimated mission cost ($30 billion) divided by the approximate distance to Mars (300 million miles), or $100 per “Mars Mile”. Any individual or corporation who achieves a “Mars Mile” is acknowledged for their contribution. As of April 2, 2021, the Mars Prize fund is worth more than $23,000, with donations from individuals spanning 40 different countries, and an upward growth trajectory.
  
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=== (COMING SOON!) Innovation Microgrants ===
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== The Micro-G Fund ==
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In addition to helping teachers inspire students with the EM, MI is starting to also offer the Innovation Microgrant (IM) to startups and inventors who are creating new technologies to enable that first manned trip to the Red Planet.
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Established in 2017, the Education Micro Grant (Micro-G) Fund awards up to $200 to educators to further the teaching of space related lessons in their classrooms. Some of the first Micro-G grants awarded were used to purchase Ardusat Space Kits, a SunSpotter telescope, and materials for NASA’s ANGLeS Challenge.  As of March 2021 the Education Micro-G program has awarded 10 grants, reaching over 450 students throughout the United States. The Mars Initiative is working to expand this grant to international educators in 2021.
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== The Space Innovation Grant ==
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The Space Innovation Grant is a grant for Mars and space-related start-ups, small companies, and other small space related groups. The Mars Initiative is currently supporting 3 space sector start up companies: [https://www.neutronstar.systems/ Neutron Star Systems], [https://www.stellaramenities.space/ Stellar Amenities], and [https://project-helios.space// Project Helios]<ref>https://www.neutronstar.systems/</ref><ref>https://www.stellaramenities.space/</ref><ref>https://project-helios.space/</ref>. The intent of the grant is to ensure these companies can keep innovating without having to worry about a lack of funding. <references />

Revision as of 10:33, 3 June 2021

The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.
The Mars Initiative logo as it appears on the official website.[1]

The Mars Initiative is a 501.c.3. non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas, founded in 2011 by Mina Mukhar and Chris Bellant to inspire and accelerate a human landing on Mars through individual donations from around the world[2][3]. The main goal of the organization is to get humans to Mars faster via the Mars Prize Fund, a crowdfunded Prize intended to offset some of the cost of sending the first human crew to the Martian surface[4]. The Mars Initiative also crowdfunds two grant programs, the Micro-G Education Grant and the newly formed Space Innovation Grant[5][6].

The Goals of the Mars Initiative are:

  • To accelerate humanity becoming an interplanetary species.
  • To give everyone on Earth the chance to participate in humanity’s first steps onto a new planet.
  • To educate and inspire the generation that will first explore Mars in person.
  • To fund the innovators of today, creating the necessary technologies for the explorers of tomorrow.

The Mars Prize Fund

The Mars Prize Fund is the longest running Mars Initiative fund, started in 2011. It is an incentive intended to accelerate the “New Space Race”, to be awarded to the organization that first lands a human safely on Mars. The Mars Prize Fund is open to any and all contributors, and recently began accepting cryptocurrencies.

A “Mars Mile” is the estimated mission cost ($30 billion) divided by the approximate distance to Mars (300 million miles), or $100 per “Mars Mile”. Any individual or corporation who achieves a “Mars Mile” is acknowledged for their contribution. As of April 2, 2021, the Mars Prize fund is worth more than $23,000, with donations from individuals spanning 40 different countries, and an upward growth trajectory.

The Micro-G Fund

Established in 2017, the Education Micro Grant (Micro-G) Fund awards up to $200 to educators to further the teaching of space related lessons in their classrooms. Some of the first Micro-G grants awarded were used to purchase Ardusat Space Kits, a SunSpotter telescope, and materials for NASA’s ANGLeS Challenge.  As of March 2021 the Education Micro-G program has awarded 10 grants, reaching over 450 students throughout the United States. The Mars Initiative is working to expand this grant to international educators in 2021.

The Space Innovation Grant

The Space Innovation Grant is a grant for Mars and space-related start-ups, small companies, and other small space related groups. The Mars Initiative is currently supporting 3 space sector start up companies: Neutron Star Systems, Stellar Amenities, and Project Helios[7][8][9]. The intent of the grant is to ensure these companies can keep innovating without having to worry about a lack of funding.

  1. ↑ https://marsinitiative.org/
  2. ↑ https://www.satellitetoday.com/podcast/2020/09/14/to-mars-and-beyond-with-chris-bellant-of-the-mars-initiative/
  3. ↑ https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/Pearland-nonprofit-s-pitch-100-equals-one-15750321.php
  4. ↑ https://marsinitiative.org/the-mars-prize-fund/
  5. ↑ https://marsinitiative.org/mars-microgrants/
  6. ↑ https://marsinitiative.org/sig/
  7. ↑ https://www.neutronstar.systems/
  8. ↑ https://www.stellaramenities.space/
  9. ↑ https://project-helios.space/
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