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Mars, Beautiful and Majestic
by Nicole Willett
www.marssociety.org
Twitter: @TheMarsSociety
There is a glowing red beacon in the sky, guiding us, no, calling
us to her. Mars, beautiful and majestic Mars…..she lures us in.
For those of us who are more Martian than Earthling, we understand. Mars has been the focus of myths and stories for millennia. From Edgar Rice Burroughs’, A Princess of Mars, to H.G.
Wells’ War of the Worlds, Mars has been the setting for many
science fiction adventures as well. However, at The Mars Society,
our aim is geared toward science fact. Mars is a beautiful desert
landscape with rolling hills and plains. The Red Planet is also
home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons
and an enormous 3,000 mile long canyon system named Valles
The thought of one day standing on Mars and looking out
at the astonishing landscape, may be beyond the imagination of some, but not to the members of The Mars
Society and all other people with a deep interest in the
exploration and human settlement of Mars. Our goal is
to reach out, educate the public, raise awareness, and
send humans to Mars. One way we accomplish this is by
hosting a convention once a year. This year’s 17th annual
convention (http://www.marssociety.org/a/marssociety.
org/www/conventions/2014 )will be held near Johnson
Space Center in Houston, TX. The convention will host
many scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. The convention will be held at the South Shore Harbour Resort in
League City, TX (near Houston). Previous years highlights
have included speeches by SpaceX founder Elon Musk
Marineris. One could easily imagine looking out over the rocky
landscape at the coral sky as the two moons, Phobos and Deimos,
quickly cross the celestial sphere. As the sun sets, the temperature plummets, dust devils traverse the landscape, and the sky
turns from a pale coral color to light blue.
Astro Nerds June 2014
Astro Nerds June 2014