The Mars Society is a space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the exploration and settlement of Mars. Founded by Robert Zubrin and others in mid-1998 and attracting the support of notable science fiction writers and filmmakers (including Kim Stanley Robinson and James Cameron), the organisation is dedicated to convincing the public and governments of the benefits of Mars exploration, as well as exploring the possibilities of private Mars missions. The Society has thousands of members across many countries.

The Society formally came into existence at its founding conference in August 1998, when over 700 delegates – astronomers, scientists, engineers, astronauts, entrepreneurs, educators, students and space enthusiasts – attended a weekend of talks and presentations from leading Mars exploration advocates.

Since that time, the Society, guided by its International Steering Committee, has grown at a phenomenal rate with over 4,000 members and some 6,000 associate supporters across more than 50 countries around the world. Members of the Society are from all walks of life, and all actively work to promote the ideals of space exploration and the opportunities for exploring Mars.

But the Society isn’t purely theoretical. Its aim is to show Mars is an achievable goal through a practical series of technical and other projects. These already include:

• Development of the Mars Direct mission plan to send humans to Mars
• The Mars Analogue Research Station (MARS) programme - developing the world’s first analogues of possible future Mars habitation units, located in a Mars-like environments (see separate section in this document)
• The Mars Society Analogue Pressurised Rover – a competition to design a pressurised rover vehicle that could be used on Mars
• The development of the Biosatellite mission project.

In addition to this, the Society:

• Gives talks and presentations on Mars Direct to schools, colleges, universities, professional bodies and the general public
• Actively promotes the teaching of science, astronomy and spaceflight-related subjects in schools
• Actively campaigns for greater investment on the part of individual countries in space research and development
• Hosts the largest annual conferences on Mars exploration in the United States, Europe and Australia
• Actively supports NASA, ESA and other space agencies in their on-going exploration of Mars.

See also

• Colonization of Mars

External links

• Mars Society web site
• Mars Society UK website
• Mars Society Forum (New Mars)