2012/02/12
Why Explore Space? A 1970 Letter to a Nun in Africa
Ernst Stuhlinger wrote this letter on May 6, 1970, to Sister Mary Jucunda, a nun who worked among the starving children of Kabwe, Zambia, in Africa, who questioned the value of space exploration. At the time Dr. Stuhlinger was Associate Director for Science at the Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama. Touched by Sister Mary’s concern and sincerity, his beliefs about the value of space exploration were expressed in his reply to Sister Mary. It remains, more than four decades later, an eloquent statement of the value of the space exploration endeavor. Born in Germany in 1913, Dr. Stuhlinger received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Tuebingen in 1936. He was a member of the German rocket development team at Peenemünde, and came to the United States in 1946 to work for the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. He moved to Huntsville in 1950 and continued working for the Army at Redstone Arsenal until the Marshall Space Flight Center was formed in 1960. Dr. Stuhlinger received numerous awards and widespread recognition for his research in propulsion. He received the Exceptional Civilian Service Award for his part in launching of Explorer 1, America’s first Earth satellite.
Dear Sister Mary Jucunda:
Your letter was one of many which are reaching me every day, but it has touched me more deeply than all the others because it came so much from the depths of a searching mind and a compassionate heart. I will try to answer your question as best as I possibly can.
First, however, I would like to express my great admiration for you, and for all your many brave sisters, because you are dedicating your lives to the noblest cause of man: help for his fellowmen who are in need.
You asked in your letter how I could suggest the expenditures of billions of dollars for a voyage to Mars, at a time when many children on this Earth are starving to death. I know that you do not expect an answer such as “Oh, I did not know that there are children dying from hunger, but from now on I will desist from any kind of space research until mankind has solved that problem!” In fact, I have known of famined children long before I knew that a voyage to the planet Mars is technically feasible. However, I believe, like many of my friends, that travelling to the Moon and eventually to Mars and to other planets is a venture which we should undertake now, and I even believe that this project, in the long run, will contribute more to the solution of these grave problems we are facing here on Earth than many other potential projects of help which are debated and discussed year after year, and which are so extremely slow in yielding tangible results.
Before trying to describe in more detail how our space program is contributing to the solution of our Earthly problems, I would like to relate briefly a supposedly true story, which may help support the argument. About 400 years ago, there lived a count in a small town in Germany. He was one of the benign counts, and he gave a large part of his income to the poor in his town. This was much appreciated, because poverty was abundant during medieval times, and there were epidemics of the plague which ravaged the country frequently. One day, the count met a strange man. He had a workbench and little laboratory in his house, and he labored hard during the daytime so that he could afford a few hours every evening to work in his laboratory. He ground small lenses from pieces of glass; he mounted the lenses in tubes, and he used these gadgets to look at very small objects. The count was particularly fascinated by the tiny creatures that could be observed with the strong magnification, and which he had never seen before. He invited the man to move with his laboratory to the castle, to become a member of the count's household, and to devote henceforth all his time to the development and perfection of his optical gadgets as a special employee of the count.
The townspeople, however, became angry when they realized that the count was wasting his money, as they thought, on a stunt without purpose. “We are suffering from this plague,” they said, “while he is paying that man for a useless hobby!” But the count remained firm. “I give you as much as I can afford,” he said, “but I will also support this man and his work, because I know that someday something will come out of it!”
Indeed, something very good came out of this work, and also out of similar work done by others at other places: the microscope. It is well known that the microscope has contributed more than any other invention to the progress of medicine, and that the elimination of the plague and many other contagious diseases from most parts of the world is largely a result of studies which the microscope made possible.
The count, by retaining some of his spending money for research and discovery, contributed far more to the relief of human suffering than he could have contributed by giving all he could possibly spare to his plague-ridden community.
The situation which we are facing today is similar in many respects. The President of the United States is spending about 200 billion dollars in his yearly budget [more than $2 trillion in 2012]. This money goes to health, education, welfare, urban renewal, highways, transportation, foreign aid, defense, conservation, science, agriculture and many installations inside and outside the country. About 1.6 percent of this national budget was allocated to space exploration this year [less than .5 of one percent in 2012]. The space program includes Project Apollo, and many other smaller projects in space physics, space astronomy, space biology, planetary projects, Earth resources projects, and space engineering. To make this expenditure for the space program possible, the average American taxpayer with 10,000 dollars income per year is paying about 30 tax dollars for space. The rest of his income, 9,970 dollars, remains for his subsistence, his recreation, his savings, his other taxes, and all his other expenditures.
You will probably ask now: “Why don’t you take 5 or 3 or 1 dollar out of the 30 space dollars which the average American taxpayer is paying, and send these dollars to the hungry children?” To answer this question, I have to explain briefly how the economy of this country works. The situation is very similar in other countries. The government consists of a number of departments (Interior, Justice, Health, Education and Welfare, Transportation, Defense, and others) and the bureaus (National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and others). All of them prepare their yearly budgets according to their assigned missions, and each of them must defend its budget against extremely severe screening by congressional committees, and against heavy pressure for economy from the Bureau of the Budget and the President. When the funds are finally appropriated by Congress, they can be spent only for the line items specified and approved in the budget.
The budget of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, naturally, can contain only items directly related to aeronautics and space. If this budget were not approved by Congress, the funds proposed for it would not be available for something else; they would simply not be levied from the taxpayer, unless one of the other budgets had obtained approval for a specific increase which would then absorb the funds not spent for space. You realize from this brief discourse that support for hungry children, or rather a support in addition to what the United States is already contributing to this very worthy cause in the form of foreign aid, can be obtained only if the appropriate department submits a budget line item for this purpose, and if this line item is then approved by Congress.
You may ask now whether I personally would be in favor of such a move by our government. My answer is an emphatic yes. Indeed, I would not mind at all if my annual taxes were increased by a number of dollars for the purpose of feeding hungry children, wherever they may live.
I know that all of my friends feel the same way. However, we could not bring such a program to life merely by desisting from making plans for voyages to Mars. On the contrary, I even believe that by working for the space program I can make some contribution to the relief and eventual solution of such grave problems as poverty and hunger on Earth. Basic to the hunger problem are two functions: the production of food and the distribution of food. Food production by agriculture, cattle ranching, ocean fishing and other large-scale operations is efficient in some parts of the world, but drastically deficient in many others. For example, large areas of land could be utilized far better if efficient methods of watershed control, fertilizer use, weather forecasting, fertility assessment, plantation programming, field selection, planting habits, timing of cultivation, crop survey and harvest planning were applied.
The best tool for the improvement of all these functions, undoubtedly, is the artificial Earth satellite. Circling the globe at a high altitude, it can screen wide areas of land within a short time; it can observe and measure a large variety of factors indicating the status and condition of crops, soil, droughts, rainfall, snow cover, etc., and it can radio this information to ground stations for appropriate use. It has been estimated that even a modest system of Earth satellites equipped with Earth resources, sensors, working within a program for worldwide agricultural improvements, will increase the yearly crops by an equivalent of many billions of dollars.
The distribution of the food to the needy is a completely different problem. The question is not so much one of shipping volume, it is one of international cooperation. The ruler of a small nation may feel very uneasy about the prospect of having large quantities of food shipped into his country by a large nation, simply because he fears that along with the food there may also be an import of influence and foreign power. Efficient relief from hunger, I am afraid, will not come before the boundaries between nations have become less divisive than they are today. I do not believe that space flight will accomplish this miracle over night. However, the space program is certainly among the most promising and powerful agents working in this direction.
Let me only remind you of the recent near-tragedy of Apollo 13. When the time of the crucial reentry of the astronauts approached, the Soviet Union discontinued all Russian radio transmissions in the frequency bands used by the Apollo Project in order to avoid any possible interference, and Russian ships stationed themselves in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans in case an emergency rescue would become necessary. Had the astronaut capsule touched down near a Russian ship, the Russians would undoubtedly have expended as much care and effort in their rescue as if Russian cosmonauts had returned from a space trip. If Russian space travelers should ever be in a similar emergency situation, Americans would do the same without any doubt.
Higher food production through survey and assessment from orbit, and better food distribution through improved international relations, are only two examples of how profoundly the space program will impact life on Earth. I would like to quote two other examples: stimulation of technological development, and generation of scientific knowledge.
The requirements for high precision and for extreme reliability which must be imposed upon the components of a moon-travelling spacecraft are entirely unprecedented in the history of engineering. The development of systems which meet these severe requirements has provided us a unique opportunity to find new material and methods, to invent better technical systems, to manufacturing procedures, to lengthen the lifetimes of instruments, and even to discover new laws of nature.
All this newly acquired technical knowledge is also available for application to Earth-bound technologies. Every year, about a thousand technical innovations generated in the space program find their ways into our Earthly technology where they lead to better kitchen appliances and farm equipment, better sewing machines and radios, better ships and airplanes, better weather forecasting and storm warning, better communications, better medical instruments, better utensils and tools for everyday life. Presumably, you will ask now why we must develop first a life support system for our moon-travelling astronauts, before we can build a remote-reading sensor system for heart patients. The answer is simple: significant progress in the solutions of technical problems is frequently made not by a direct approach, but by first setting a goal of high challenge which offers a strong motivation for innovative work, which fires the imagination and spurs men to expend their best efforts, and which acts as a catalyst by including chains of other reactions.
Spaceflight without any doubt is playing exactly this role. The voyage to Mars will certainly not be a direct source of food for the hungry. However, it will lead to so many new technologies and capabilities that the spin-offs from this project alone will be worth many times the cost of its implementation.
Besides the need for new technologies, there is a continuing great need for new basic knowledge in the sciences if we wish to improve the conditions of human life on Earth. We need more knowledge in physics and chemistry, in biology and physiology, and very particularly in medicine to cope with all these problems which threaten man’s life: hunger, disease, contamination of food and water, pollution of the environment.
We need more young men and women who choose science as a career and we need better support for those scientists who have the talent and the determination to engage in fruitful research work. Challenging research objectives must be available, and sufficient support for research projects must be provided. Again, the space program with its wonderful opportunities to engage in truly magnificent research studies of moons and planets, of physics and astronomy, of biology and medicine is an almost ideal catalyst which induces the reaction between the motivation for scientific work, opportunities to observe exciting phenomena of nature, and material support needed to carry out the research effort.
Among all the activities which are directed, controlled, and funded by the American government, the space program is certainly the most visible and probably the most debated activity, although it consumes only 1.6 percent of the total national budget, and 3 per mille (less than one-third of 1 percent) of the gross national product. As a stimulant and catalyst for the development of new technologies, and for research in the basic sciences, it is unparalleled by any other activity. In this respect, we may even say that the space program is taking over a function which for three or four thousand years has been the sad prerogative of wars.
How much human suffering can be avoided if nations, instead of competing with their bomb-dropping fleets of airplanes and rockets, compete with their moon-travelling space ships! This competition is full of promise for brilliant victories, but it leaves no room for the bitter fate of the vanquished, which breeds nothing but revenge and new wars.
Although our space program seems to lead us away from our Earth and out toward the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars, I believe that none of these celestial objects will find as much attention and study by space scientists as our Earth. It will become a better Earth, not only because of all the new technological and scientific knowledge which we will apply to the betterment of life, but also because we are developing a far deeper appreciation of our Earth, of life, and of man.
The photograph which I enclose with this letter shows a view of our Earth as seen from Apollo 8 when it orbited the moon at Christmas, 1968. Of all the many wonderful results of the space program so far, this picture may be the most important one. It opened our eyes to the fact that our Earth is a beautiful and most precious island in an unlimited void, and that there is no other place for us to live but the thin surface layer of our planet, bordered by the bleak nothingness of space. Never before did so many people recognize how limited our Earth really is, and how perilous it would be to tamper with its ecological balance. Ever since this picture was first published, voices have become louder and louder warning of the grave problems that confront man in our times: pollution, hunger, poverty, urban living, food production, water control, overpopulation. It is certainly not by accident that we begin to see the tremendous tasks waiting for us at a time when the young space age has provided us the first good look at our own planet.
Very fortunately though, the space age not only holds out a mirror in which we can see ourselves, it also provides us with the technologies, the challenge, the motivation, and even with the optimism to attack these tasks with confidence. What we learn in our space program, I believe, is fully supporting what Albert Schweitzer had in mind when he said: “I am looking at the future with concern, but with good hope.”
My very best wishes will always be with you, and with your children.
Very sincerely yours,
Ernst Stuhlinger
Associate Director for Science
2012/01/24
SpaceX's Dragon Panorama Created by PictureBubbles Studio
2012/01/23
Apple's All New iTunes U App and iBook Author eBook Publishing
Apple announced the availability of "iBooks Author" which allows users to create interactive digital books using powerful but intuitive templates.
Now anyone can create stunning iBook textbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. Use Multi-Touch widgets to include interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations, 3D objects, and more. Then submit your finished work to the iBookstore with a few simple steps -- before you know it, you (or your space advocacy organization) are published.
iBooks Author is available for free in the Mac App Store.
Streaming video of Apple's education event:
2012/01/13
Come on, Get Happy!! (How to Portray Martian Settlement)
Please...if you advocate Mars settlement it would be helpful not to emphasize actually surmountable challenges. Phrases such as these pollute the public's imagination:
"I envision life on Mars to be...frightening, lonely, quite cramped"
"It's going to be a very long period of isolation and confinement"
"After the excitement of blast-off, and after the initial landing on Mars, it will be very difficult to avoid depression. After all, one is breaking one’s connections with family, friends, and all things familiar"
"Each day will be pretty much like the rest. The environment, once the novelty wears off, is likely to be deadly boring. Despite being well prepared and fully equipped there are certain to be unanticipated problems that cannot be remedied. One by one the crew will get old, sick, and die-off."
"I do very well with solitude."We must make this negative portrayal of Martian settlement incomprehensible. As strange as if someone were to suggest standing under Earth's blue skies would lead to feelings of paralysis, suicide, or aesthetic bias toward non-photo blue. (In other words, ridiculous.)
The story of Mars will not be one of danger. It will not be written by timid academics. The question frightened armchair astronauts should be asked is, "How often does your mom really want to Skype with you -- on Earth??"
Humans on Mars will paint, play guitar, raise children, plant flowers, and have vibrant loving families. There is nothing solitary or depressing about the place.
(And they will have great relationships with their moms.)
Ridiculous, embarrassing article from which the quotes above were taken:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/10/space-volunteer-way-mission-mars/#ixzz1jLhRlYvW
2012/01/09
Earth as Seen from the Surface of Mars (& Musk quote)
[Image: NASA, posted on Facebook by Milky Way Musings]
"Ultimately we don't really want 10,000 people on Mars," Musk says, after letting the pause linger a few seconds more. "We want millions." Fantastic interview with Space X's Elon Musk here: http://www.marssociety.org/home/press/news/illputmillionsofpeopleonmarssayselonmusk
2011/12/30
2012 Mars Society Poster Contest
The 2012 Mars Society Poster Contest is now underway! The winning design will be used as the primary graphic for promoting the 15th Annual International Mars Society Convention, to be held in Pasadena, California, August 3-5, 2012.
Winner of 2011 Mars Society Poster Contest
When designing posters, members and friends are asked to use the main themes of the 2012 convention: “Mars Science Laboratory rover”, “robotic exploration” and “finding life on Mars”. The poster should seek to emphasize the critical importance of robotic research and exploration of the Red Planet as a key stepping stone to a humans-to-Mars mission within the decade.
The winner will receive free admission to all sessions of the convention in Pasadena, which will include a ticket to the main convention banquet and (tentatively) the viewing of a live broadcast of the MSL landing on the Martian surface on the evening of August 5. [Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included.]
The deadline for submitting all poster designs is Friday, February 3, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
With regard to technical requirements for the contest, the poster size should be 11" x 17". There are no restrictions on color. If your poster is chosen, in addition to the full color poster we will need a gray-scale copy. Posters can be submitted as a .pdf file, although it is preferred in the original format (i.e., Photoshop).
To submit your poster, please e-mail the sample to: postercontest@marssociety.org Please also use this e-mail address for any questions regarding the contest and/or the submission process.
2011/12/13
io9 Article on Space Themed Storytelling
io9, a daily publication that covers science, science fiction, and the future has published a fun thought provoking article on space themed storytelling.
(Please click through to read the article in full.)
Why Adding "In Space" Makes It Better
Everybody always says that every story idea has been done before - which is totally not true, because nobody's done a "nuns raise an ostrich to be the perfect killer" story before. But even if a story idea has been done to death, you can always make it fresh and brilliant all over again, by adding just two little words: "in space."
Science fiction fans have known this forever, but it's time that everybody was told. There is no genre, no type of story, no set of story beats, that cannot be improved by adding "in space." It bears the same relation to storytelling that "in bed" does to fortune cookies. And we've got the proof, right here.
Please click through to the full article at io9:
http://io9.com/5867361/why-adding-in-space-to-any-concept-really-does-make-it-better/
http://io9.com/5867361/why-adding-in-space-to-any-concept-really-does-make-it-better/
2011/10/17
Participating in the Narrative: Tell Your Story
Third in a series from guest writer Joi Weaver in preparation for NaNoWriMo. This post exemplifies why Mars Artists exists. NaNoWriMo may seem like a hokey gimmick, but it teaches discipline and ruthless time awareness. Give it a chance.
Of course, these "magic bullets" never actually work. You may get millions to see a movie like Apollo 13, but only a small percentage will become fans of space exploration because of it. Books like Roving Mars will convince a few of the need for further exploration, but only a few.
Influencing culture turns out to be more like creating a stalagmite than hitting a target. Trillions of drops of water, over thousands of years, slowly form a beautiful, lasting pillar inside a cave. In the same way, thousands of stories, in every medium, over decades and centuries, will slowly build up an idea in a culture, the picture of space as our playground, our backyard, our home.
The stories that will inspire the human race to reach for the stars cannot come only from the experts and the big-budget movie makers. The stories that will change the world have to come from us, the stories we tell our friends and neighbors as we point out the ISS in the night sky, the stories we dream up as teenagers and scribble into notebooks in college.
In this case, even a poor story may be better than no story at all. The poorest space story is still another drop of water, another point of data, another element in the construction of the narrative.
So what are you waiting for? It may not matter if you're the next Ray Bradbury, or if only your mom reads your story: you can still influence someone.
Signups have begun for National Novel Writing Month, a free online challenge in which participants pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. If you finish the month with 50,000 words, you win. There are thousands of winners every year: your prize is the satisfaction of having written a novel. Thousands of people are already telling their stories, and now is the time to contribute ours. Sign up, write a book about Mars colonization, or space exploration, or anything that you think will move the culture forward even the tiniest amount. It may be only a drop in the ocean, but we need every drop we can get.
2011/09/14
NASA Space Launch System: Next-Gen Heavy-Lift To Mars
"The key financial part of this arrangement is that NASA hopes to save money by turning over the launching of astronauts to the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth, to private companies and just rent spaces for astronauts like a giant taxi service. NASA would then spend the money on leaving Earth's orbit and the Earth-moon system."
2011/09/07
Spacelog: Project to Publish Transcripts of Early Spaceflight
"To date there have been over two hundred human spaceflight missions. Only a small number of these are currently available on Spacelog, although we'd be delighted for assistance in getting more up and alive."
Spacelog is a volunteer project that anyone can contribute to!
2011/08/16
Creating A Better Narrative: Sacrificing the Science?
(We would very much like to post an article about the artist responsible for creating this image.
Please contact: MarsArtists@FactualFiction.com)
Second in a series of posts from guest writer Joi Weaver
in preparation for NaNoWriMo.
The common wisdom in creating stories about real science is: don't. You either lose your audience or deal with scientists who ridicule your story as unrealistic or dumbed-down. For example, see every movie about Mars for the past 50 years. Is there anything in there that is both dramatically compelling and acceptably scientifically accurate?
Is this divide necessary, or have we just not told the right stories in the right way yet? Imagine if realistic science fiction about space colonization started outselling vampire romances? It's completely possible, but only if we start creating narratives that can capture the imagination and flood the market. We don't have to sacrifice the science, but the narrative must be compelling. When the general public is more interesting in supernatural romances and pirate stories, we don't have the luxury of being science snobs.
I believe the problem is simply that we haven't yet told enough of the right stories in the right way. The movie Apollo 13 demonstrated that people do care about science-heavy stories, as long as the drama is compelling. (Lest you doubt that Apollo 13 is science-based, think of the time spent in the movie explaining to the audience about the equipment inside the command module and re-entry angles.) This isn't limited to historical accounts, either. Give an average sci-fi fan a copy of Red Mars and see what happens.
But for now, let me take as an example the book Roving Mars by Steve Squyres, the Principal Investigator for the MER mission. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. After you've read it, give it to someone who thinks the human presence in space ended with the shuttle program.
Squyres brilliantly dramatizes the science in Roving Mars. Enough detail is given about the construction and function of the major components of the Mars Exploration Rovers to enable the reader to feel anxiety when a part breaks or refuses to function as intended, or a deadline creeps closer during testing. The difficulties in getting funding and approval from NASA play out more like office dramas than anything on NASA TV: and who hasn't had trouble getting their boss to understand their pet project?
The majority of the book discusses the time prior to the launch of the rovers: the first third is simply getting approval for the mission! A sense of frustration as the mission meets delays, obstacles, and budget issues is palpable, but it never slows the narrative. There's plenty of science to be found in Roving Mars: basic descriptions of the equipment on board, explanations of the conditions the spacecraft have to endure, and information about technological problems that occurred during testing. It's far from "dumbed-down."
What Squyres does brilliantly in this story is use science to create a narrative to which readers can relate. His description of PANCAM isn't there to show how cool the tech is, it's there so the audience will understand why it's an important piece of equipment and what the stakes would be if it were lost. The same goes for the solar panels, the Mossbauer, and most of the payload.
As good as Roving Mars is, however, it's not enough. Space geeks often fall prey to the temptation of looking for a "silver bullet," a cultural artifact strong enough to improve the public's view of space exploration with a single blow. The silver bullet doesn't exist. Changing public perception is more like Chinese Water Torture: one little drop at a time. We don't need a better Roving Mars, we need hundreds more like it.
How do we get those hundreds of stories? When we start creating them. See part 3 of this series next month for more ideas on how to do that.
Joi Weaver's "MARS BLOG PROJECT: MISSION"
2011/08/13
Feng Zhu School of Design: Inspiration for Concept Artists
Concept designs depicting Lockheed Martin's Orion and SpaceX's 'Red Dragon'.
(If artists responsible for rendering these images would please contact us we would love to feature posts dedicated to your work: MarsArtists@FactualFiction.com )
Just please no depictions of guns, monsters, or shiny Battlestar Gallactica vehicles...
Check out our "Guide to Mars Positive Art"
2011/08/03
The Importance of the Narrative: Tell Them a Story
(First in a series of contributions from our guest author Joi Weaver)
I'm sure we've all had the same experience. Caught up in the excitement of a new Mars mission, or a new photo from the surface, or even a new bit of tech that could help in the colonization of the Red Planet, you look up to find the person you've been talking to staring at you with glazed eyes. Your heart sinks as you realize, they just don't get it.
The early space missions had a story that anyone could grasp: we were sending men to the moon! It was dangerous! It was exciting! It was putting our country in the forefront of science! This narrative kept public attention and support for the space program high through the Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo missions.
But it fell short, ultimately resulting in an early cancellation of Apollo and hamstringing all future NASA spaceflight. Why? No-one ever developed a new narrative. "We've beaten the Russians to the moon," most people thought, "isn't that the end of the story?"
Of course it's not the end. But you wouldn't know that to talk to the average person-on-the-streets. Many people believe the shuttle was capable of lunar landings and had no idea the whole shuttle program was coming to an end until a few months ago. NASA, for all its media presence, failed to provide a new narrative. In the post-Challenger era, NASA decided to stress the safety of spaceflight, despite the fact that it is the riskiest human endeavor possible. NASA TV became little more than clean-cut men and women floating in a sterile environment, smiling as they talked in acronyms that meant nothing to the public: it was very safe, but it was terrible story-telling.
What does this mean for Mars?
Mars is still a blank slate in the public mind. Some of the more well-informed people may know about the rovers, but that's about it. This is an opportunity. We can still set the narrative for Mars, and more importantly, learn from NASA's mistake: the story can't just be about getting there, or we may never go back after the first trip.
A narrative is almost never set by a single person; rather, it's a hundred little stories that slowly take root in the heart and mind of the people, gradually changing the way we see the world. No-one can say that the MER program happened because Ray Bradbury wrote The Martian Chronicles. But would it have happened, or happened in the same way, if he hadn't written it? Where would the space program be without Bradbury, Asimov, Clarke, and a hundred others who fanned our desire to explore?
It's time to start creating the narrative for Mars, to show the Red Planet as we know it: a place of danger, beauty, and adventure. A place that could, eventually, become home.
In May, I began a work of fiction, a blog purportedly written by the first private colonists on Mars. Though the characters I've developed may write about the weather conditions, the environment, and the technical difficulties of living on the planet, they also write about what it is like to make Mars home, how it feels to live on the new frontier, and what this colony means for humanity. These characters are creating a narrative for Mars that goes far beyond the race to land on the surface. They are finding a way for people to think of Mars as "home."
The frontier is open. Let's start telling the stories.
Joi Weaver's "MARS BLOG PROJECT: MISSION"
http://mars.sonrider.net/index.php
2011/07/28
Mars Society Convention
Please tell friends, students, relatives - anyone you may know in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana or within driving distance of Dallas to check out the Mars Society's Conference from Thursday through the weekend. "Get in the car and drive over." Single day tickets are available; events run from early morning thru parties late into the night.
Attending can be less expensive than everyday costs of staying home: student discounts are available; free brunch will be served; a lounge area will serve snacks and hold evening parties - crash in the lobby, your car, or a friend's room. Ask relatives and friends to donate air miles; take a bus or shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Put your brain at the conference and enjoy sharing ideas about Humans to Mars.
THE MARS SOCIETY INVITES YOU to attend the 14th Annual International Mars Society Convention in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, as well as the State of Texas, are considered by many the heart of the aerospace industry in the United States. Lockheed-Martin, maker of the F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, is headquartered in Fort Worth, while Bell Helicopter is located in the DFW area. SpaceX’s McGregor propulsion test grounds is a short drive south of DFW, and NASA's famed Houston Space Center is also a few hours driving from the DFW metropolitan area.
http://www.marssociety.org/home/join_us/convention
http://www.marssociety.org/home/join_us/convention/marsconv2011speakers
Update (coverage from the Dallas Star-Telegram):
"The Mars Society, founded in 1998, isn't made up people dressed up like Star Trek officers or aliens. They're physics teachers, scientists and engineers. While they talk about the ethics and religious meanings of interplanetary travel, they're also practical. Society members examine means of propulsion and train crews to live and work in Mars-like environments in far-flung regions of the Arctic as well as Utah, with some cooperation from NASA."
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/04/3270751/international-mars-society-meets.html#ixzz1UA56P25q
Attending can be less expensive than everyday costs of staying home: student discounts are available; free brunch will be served; a lounge area will serve snacks and hold evening parties - crash in the lobby, your car, or a friend's room. Ask relatives and friends to donate air miles; take a bus or shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Put your brain at the conference and enjoy sharing ideas about Humans to Mars.
THE MARS SOCIETY INVITES YOU to attend the 14th Annual International Mars Society Convention in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, as well as the State of Texas, are considered by many the heart of the aerospace industry in the United States. Lockheed-Martin, maker of the F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, is headquartered in Fort Worth, while Bell Helicopter is located in the DFW area. SpaceX’s McGregor propulsion test grounds is a short drive south of DFW, and NASA's famed Houston Space Center is also a few hours driving from the DFW metropolitan area.
http://www.marssociety.org/home/join_us/convention
http://www.marssociety.org/home/join_us/convention/marsconv2011speakers
Update (coverage from the Dallas Star-Telegram):
"The Mars Society, founded in 1998, isn't made up people dressed up like Star Trek officers or aliens. They're physics teachers, scientists and engineers. While they talk about the ethics and religious meanings of interplanetary travel, they're also practical. Society members examine means of propulsion and train crews to live and work in Mars-like environments in far-flung regions of the Arctic as well as Utah, with some cooperation from NASA."
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/04/3270751/international-mars-society-meets.html#ixzz1UA56P25q
2011/07/25
A traveling art exhibition featuring 73 works by some of America's leading artists has been organized by the Smithsonian Institution to honor NASA's 50th birthday.
Video courtesy SpaceVidCast.com:
http://www.spacevidcast.com/2011/06/20/nasa-art-50-years-of-exploration-spacepod-2011-06-20/
2011/06/06
Extraordinary Cassini Composition by Chris Abbas
(click on "vimeo" in the lower right of the player above for best resolution)
Director Chris Abbas from GiantKillerPandas.com and Digital Kitchen created a remarkable video using individual single frame still images downloaded from the web for free. It has nothing to do with Mars but is still the most heroic work of art inspired by space in ages.
This video is created from free still images taken by the Cassini Saturn orbiter. Chris downloaded them directly from JPL's Cassini Solstice Mission website. He used off the shelf standard compositing software and did not ask JPL or anyone associated with Cassini for guidance or 'permission' (unrequired). The first time those involved with the mission learned of his video was a few days prior to this post. Amazing. Heroic. A testament to individual artistic vision. Congratulations Chris this is by far the most inspiring video seen in a long time.
2011/04/25
Paul Davies Plenary Address on 'Mars to Stay' One Way Mission at Annual International Mars Society Conference
A prominent spokesman for the concept of a one-way mission to Mars, Prof. Davies is a world renowned physicist, writer and broadcaster. In addition to giving a plenary talk at the Mars Society convention’s opening session on August 4th, Prof. Davies will also participate in a special panel discussion on the topic of a possible one-way mission to Mars.
2011/03/31
Robert Zubrin on "Mars Direct" at the University of Washington 2011/02/25
Attended by students and faculty members, the lecture was hosted by Prof. Adam Bruckner, former Chair of UW’s Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics and one of the founding members of the University’s Astrobiology program.
The Mars Society would like to extend a special word of thanks to Gabriella Rios-Georgio, one of Prof. Bruckner’s students, for her wonderful work filming and editing Dr. Zubrin’s address at UW.
To watch Zubrin's address, please click here
2011/03/29
Skype "Mars to Stay" Plugin
2011/03/21
Congratulations to The Mars Society's 2011 Convention Poster Winner: Markus Iske of Germany!
“Mr. Iske’s submission was well-designed, being both aesthetically pleasing while also incorporating a number of the major themes from our organization’s upcoming international convention [scheduled to be held in Dallas, Texas on August 4-7], said Susan Holden Martin, the Mars Society’s Director of Public Affairs.
2011/03/02
New Pop Art Blog - Inspiration for Realistic Visualization?
2011/01/22
IT'S UP!!!! The Beautiful New Mars Society Website is Live!!
Check out the Mars Society’s new website! They upgraded to a Google Sites solution. Thanks for your support and patience as we polish this new web presence to forward our Humans to Mars cause. If you have constructive feedback or if you are familiair with Google Sites (or willing to learn, think Blogspot on steroids) and would like to help the Mars Society, please write: feedback@marssociety.org
2011/01/21
THIS CLUELESS STEREOTYPE IS NOT BOB ZUBRIN...
Advocacy organizations attract and reward extroverted, dynamic, socially savvy personalities: even among space advocacy organizations the charisma and optimism of Mars Society leadership stands out. Humor is a constant feature of presentations at Mars Society conventions. The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station was designed and constructed by Franz Schubert, former lead guitarist for the band Devo. Under the guidance of Gerry Williams the San Diego Chapter presents an award winning Mars Movie Night. Conventions often close with impromptu bands composed of members who are gifted, professional musicians. There are always pannel presentations by novelists and artists.
If space is to be attainable it must be cool; science, engineering, and the social habits enabling their education must also be cool. Almost two million people have seen the indie film from which the above screenshot is taken: Pioneer One. "Hired Mars Expert Zachary Walzer" is a cheap, one-dimensional character who would make anyone run from the Mars Society: characters leave the room rolling their eyes when Walzer speaks, he whines to Congress, even the scribbles on his charts have no bearing to a single easily reproduced diagram from Zubrin's book Mars Direct. We cannot afford to let such easy-to-write stereotypes distract the next generation of engineers and scientists.
See this page for more on "how to write a film about Mars"
http://marsartists.blogspot.com/p/mars-positive-art.html
_______
Update:
From an email response by Pioneer One's writer and co-director, Josh Bernhard:
As for the Walzer character himself, well, you write that you wish we had turned
"Zubrin's personality quirks into a cool, hip, charismatic, proactive engineer"
and that, believe it or not, was my intention. Our success at conveying that is another point entirely. With a budget of $6000 and limited experience in bringing narrative stories to life, having created something that holds together as well as it does is an achievement unto itself. Now, moving forward, we can fine-tune the result and get even closer to the mark.
2010/12/28
Soliciting Web Designers: Mars Society Site Redesign
The Mars Society is switching their entire online presence to a Google Sites hosting and design solution. This very robust, powerful platform will offer extensive integration with Google Docs, easy maintenance, and long-term viability. Design tools are limited but evolving.
If you would like to help migrate the current site (MarsSociety.org) contact the Mars Society, here: http://www.marssociety.org/portal/author/MarsSocInfo
The above screenshot is from the Mars Desert Research Station's new (still beta) Google Site, here: https://sites.google.com/a/marssociety.org/mdrs/home
2010/12/01
Special Offer on Print Version of the Journal of Cosmology's "Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet"
We are pleased to announce that until December 31, 2010, the Journal of Cosmology is offering a discount to Mars Society members on the purchase of the print version of its highly acclaimed issue "Human Mission to Mars"
The print version of "Human Mission to Mars-Colonizing the Red Planet" can be purchased by Mars Society members for the reduced price of $50.00 through PayPal by using this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KSW2PEG9PJGNL
After December 31, the retail price will be $124.00. (You can become an International Mars Society member, and receive a discount on attending their annual convention, here: http://www.marssociety.org/portal/purchaseList#membership )
The Human Mission to Mars issue was released in October to an international audience. It was edited by Joel S. Levine, Ph.D., NASA, Co-Chair, Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG) of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), and Rudy Schild, Ph.D., Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian. It was presented in association and collaboration with The Mars Society.
For more information regarding the Journal of Cosmology, visit: http://journalofcosmology.com/
After December 31, the retail price will be $124.00. (You can become an International Mars Society member, and receive a discount on attending their annual convention, here: http://www.marssociety.org/portal/purchaseList#membership )
The Human Mission to Mars issue was released in October to an international audience. It was edited by Joel S. Levine, Ph.D., NASA, Co-Chair, Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG) of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), and Rudy Schild, Ph.D., Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian. It was presented in association and collaboration with The Mars Society.
For more information regarding the Journal of Cosmology, visit: http://journalofcosmology.com/
2010/10/18
Pat Rawlings Image Gallery on the Mars Society's Website
"Distant Shores"
"Hard Science"
"Another North Pole"
Pat's personal website is at this url: http://www.patrawlings.com
His entire gallery of images available for the promotion of the Mars Society's endeavors can be seen here:
http://www.marssociety.org/portal/c/society-tools/mars_art/pat_rawlings_art
MarsArtGallery.com: A Showcase for Artistic Renditions of Mars Based on Robotic Mission Data
"Sands of Mars" Source: Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
From a number of images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, this picture was constructed by Jim Plaxco, a digital artist, photographer and owner of Artsnova (http://Artsnova.com). Individual frames were all taken by Opportunity's Left Panoramic Camera, with each frame being exposed using a different filter.
"Alien Spectrum" Source: Viking Lander 1
This second image is also hosted by the Mars Art Gallery, which was formally launched in March 2005 to serve as "a showcase for artistic renditions of Mars based on data returned by robotic missions." The above image, titled "Alien Spectrum" has been processed to depict Mars as it might be seen by: "eyes not of this Earth. Evolution has given humans a set of eyes that are responsive to a particular range of electromagnetic radiations and we perceive those radiations as color." A wallpaper image and more information can be found here: http://www.marsartgallery.com/s_alienspectrum.html
Say Hello to 'Cynthia,' a Feminine Robonaut with Attitude (Concept Sketch by Digital Artist Ikan Loring)
Why do current robonauts look like adolescent dreams of a personal Boba Fett? Meet Cynthia, another variation of an adolescent's dream. With a synthetic boa and pimped-out hat for character not only would a robonaut with breasts provide more room for tools, sensors, and batteries, but the whole shebang could be more fun (for most of us, to an extent) -- and, who knows, maybe encourage more real breasts to go to space.
2010/10/04
"Mars Has Arrived", Mission Coordination by Jonathon Keats
"The minerals, including pyroxene and ulvospinel and pigeonite, will be used by your body to make bone and tissue. Exploring Mars in this way, you'll start to go native."
Conceptual Artist Jonathon Keats, referring to LASA's "Martian Mineral Water," says, "What's important for me is that we set a precedent, and I believe that we've done that by demonstrating that exploring Mars is as easy as people are willing to let it be. In fact, we may have set two precedents: As Martian hybrids, those potatoes are the first alien life forms ever detected. And they're not on some Goldilocks planet orbiting Gliese 581. They're right here in California."
"I think the mineral water may be an antidote for the madness we exhibit living on this planet. What is most revolutionary about Martian mineral water as a vehicle of exotourism is that it not only gives you a genuine Martian experience but also makes Mars a part of you. You'll become a hybrid Martian/Earthling, a universal alien. If we became a bit alien, we might be able to discover more in common."
A reception for LASA's exotourism bureau lands Oct. 21 at San Francisco's Modernism Gallery. Interested human exotourists can buy even a bottled Martian mineral water, if they want to go transhuman.
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/10/jonathon-keats-exotourism/?pid=1177&pageid=48482&viewall=true
2010/09/10
Mars in Science Fiction (Author's Panel, International Mars Society Annual Conference 2010)
2010/09/07
CupCake! MakerBot Industries Cute Open Source 3D Printer
The Mars Foundation and Thingiverse team up with MakerBot's off-the-shelf open source 3D printer to design and prototype models for use in Martian settlement. A library of open source designs is archived at Thingiverse online for anyone to "print" using a MakerBot. Everything from screwdrivers to saxophones will come out of a little Martian machine like CupCake. Practice now, submit your work, and help build a design archive which will be called upon for ages. : )
MakerBot Industries - Robots That Make Things
MakerBot overview featured on Google Tech Talks YouTube Channel
MakerBot YouTube Channel
Mars Foundation "To Arrive, Survive, & Thrive!"
The mission of the Mars Homestead Project is to design, fund, build and operate the first permanent settlement on Mars. The initial goal for the Mars Homestead Project is to identify the core technologies needed for an economical, growing Mars Base built primarily with local materials. Efforts will then be focused on prototype projects of increasing sophistication. The Mars Foundation has also established a small board of technical advisors who provide expertise in specific areas, and created a general "brainstorming" discussion group which is open to the interested public, regardless of their technical experience.
Mars Foundation "To Arrive, Survive, & Thrive!"
http://www.marshome.org/
Mars Foundation Artist's Concepts Gallery
http://www.marshome.org/images2/
Started 'Mars to Stay' Facebook Page
2010/08/14
Everybody! on Mars...and a Global Golden Age
As for resource distribution: NASA's budget is 18 billion a year, which is less than one half of one percent of the Federal budget. 18 billion is still a vast sum -- even in comparison to 1.2 trillion squandered in Iraq. Everyone involved in the space program is acutely aware of competing worthy social programs; questioning proper allocation of funds will always be appropriate. (Including the lowering of taxes and encouragement of private enterprise….)
Every single cent passing through the government could be immediately allocated to pressing life-saving needs. Stoplights, street signs, ambulances, body armor, medications, etc., are immediately useful -- equally important long-term investments include education, weather satellites, medical research, national parks, air traffic control, and so on. In this triage 'balancing' of immediate and long-term humane compassionate interests, we decide to allocate funds for commercialization of near-Earth resources, increased scientific understanding of our universe, and the establishment of a self-sustaining, permanent Martian civilization.
50 billion to send the first settlers to Mars will do more to propagate Freedom and Tolerance in the Middle East than trillions squandered in Iraq. In the future when humans on Earth reflect upon the reality of persons living on Mars -- who are enjoying their lives, progressing and thriving…while not giving a damn about returning Messiahs or Mahdis a planet away in Jerusalem or Medina -- there could then be a cultural renaissance here on Earth. This could result in redirection of resources on Earth -- from culture wars to real problems such as: poverty, illiteracy, conservation, etc.
The interesting thing is: this Global Golden Age could be the result of cultural change, not direct scientific advancement. Once humans are living on Mars, they will scientifically explore it to our benefit here on Earth and their immediate interest on Mars. In our current culture wars we have tried everything else…if it only takes a few boots on Mars, why not use them to jumpstart enlightenment here on Earth?
Lyrics to "Whitey on the Moon" by Gil Scott-Heron:
A rat done bit my sister Nell
with whitey on the moon
her face and arms began to swell
and whitey is on the moon
I can't pay no doctor bills
but whitey is on the moon
ten years from now I'll be payin' still
with whitey on the moon ya know?
the man just upped my rent last night
cause whitey is on the moon
no hot water, no toilets, no lights
but whitey is on the moon
I wonder why he's uppin' me? cause whitey is on the moon
well I was givin' him 50 dollars a week
and now whitey is on the moon
Taxes takin' my check
the junkies make me a nervous wreck
the price of food is goin' up
and as if all that crap wasn't enough a rat done bit my sister Nell
with whitey on the moon
her face and arms began to swell
with whitey on the moon
with all that money I made last year
put whitey on the moon
how come I aint got no money here?
Hmmm whitey on the moon
ya know I just about had my fill
of whitey on the moon
I think I'll send these bills air mail special to
whitey on the moon
Help can't even help now
and whitey is on the moon
aid for my brothers and sisters
how whitey is on the moon
guess we'll just sit by dyin'
with whitey on the moon
dogs have better luck at their tails tryin'
whitey is on the moon
fed up us people are
and whitey is on the moon
the slogan poverty or bust
later to whitey on the moon
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