The Mars Society’s
Mars Desert
Research Station
creatures of the Earth, we have
the ability to continue the work of
creation by bringing life to Mars,
and Mars to life. In doing so, we
shall make a profound statement as
to the precious worth of the human
race and every member of it.
We must go for the future. Mars
is not just a scientific curiosity; it is a
world with a surface area equal to
all the continents of Earth combined,
possessing all the elements that are
needed to support not only life, but
technological society. It is a New
World, filled with history waiting to
be made by a new and youthful
branch of human civilization that
is waiting to be born. We must go
to Mars to make that potential a
reality. We must go, not for us, but
for a people who are yet to be. We
must do it for the Martians.
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.”
project opened applications for
a trip to Mars, there were 78,000
applicants in just two weeks. Other
clues are the sheer number of
private organizations that are being
created dedicated to human Mars
exploration. Inspiration Mars is one
example. Its founder, Dennis Tito,
believes so wholeheartedly in a
humans-to-Mars mission that he
is funding the first two years of the
project himself.
The Mars Society’s Projects
So, how do we expect to
accomplish this? The Mars Society is
involved in many projects, including
but not limited to holding annual
conventions, the establishment of
an Education Task Force for public
Mars: A Bridge to the Stars
26
26
Becoming
a
space
faring
civilization is the goal of millions
of other Earthlings as well. If one
pays attention to the universe
around him, it is impossible to deny
its ability to cause breathtaking
humility. We long to explore, to
expand, to go out and touch a
piece of another planetary body.
This longing is what encouraged
NASA and their supporters to stand
behind the Apollo missions to the
Moon. President John F. Kennedy
said, “We choose to go to the
Moon not because it is easy but
because it is hard.” We need to find
that will again. The interest in going
out and exploring and settling
Mars is obvious. One indication is
the fact that when the Mars One
Mars Society Founder Robert Zubrin
outreach, the 2013 STEM Education
Event at the annual convention,
maintaining websites, Red Planet
Pen (a biweekly educational
blog), Red Planet Radio (a monthly
podcast), a speakers bureau, the
University Rover Challenge, the new
Youth Rover Challenge, and Mars
analog research.
The Mars Society has two analog
research stations: the Mars Desert
Research Station (MDRS) and the
Flashline Mars Arctic Research
Station (FMARS). Analog Research
Stations are laboratories for learning
how to live and work on another
planet. Each is a prototype of a
habitat that will land humans on
www.RocketSTEM.org