Volume #5, Issue #3

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 1 IN THIS ISSUE Volume 5, Issue 3 Publisher: The Mars Society Mars Arctic 365 Crew Selection Underway...... 3 Headquarters 11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A An Urgent Appeal for Help Robert Zubrin...... 4 Lakewood, CO 80215 USA www.MarsSociety.org MDRS: Becoming an Astronaut-Mind Elizabeth Howell...... 5 GreenHab: Planting the Seeds of Our Martian Future Nick Orenstein...... 7 President...... Robert Zubrin Media & PR Director...... Michael Stoltz Testing Google Glass “on Mars” Tereza Pultarova & Ondrej Doule...... 9 Education Director...... Nicole Willett MDRS Director...... Shannon Rupert MDRS Photo Gallery Crew Photos from 2013-14 Field Season...... 10 FMARS Director...... Joseph Palaia URC Director...... Kevin Sloan Past, Present, Future on Mars - Q&A with Dr. Jim Rice Jason Rhian...... 12 YRC Director...... Chuck McMurray Massive Response to Inspiration Mars Student Design Contest...... 14 Administrative Director....Jill Robertson Volunteer Coordinator.Florence Maisch Chapter Close-Up: Poland Joanna Jodłowska & Mateusz Józefowicz ...... 15 Political Affairs Coordinator ...... James Wolff Youth Rover Challenge to Encourage STEM Education...... 17 Webmaster...... James Burk Chief Archivist...... Frank Crossman

The Mars Quarterly On the Cover – Editor...... Michael Stoltz An aerial view of MDRS taken from a quad-copter (credit: Jim Urquhart), Deputy Editor...... Kerri Beauchesne and a MDRS crew member directing a rover across the Mars-like Utah desert. Art Director...... Keith Keplinger Contributing Writers...... Jason Rhian, Mike Killian Copy Team...... Jocelyn Thomson, Larissa Douglass, Kenneth Katz, FROM THE FLIGHT DECK Debbie Foch, Edie Tepper, Daniel Beliveau

It is becoming more and more Another version of the URC, but A Note to Readers apparent that Science, Technology, intended for younger students, is the The views expressed in articles are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Engineering and Mathematics (or YRC. Organized in 2013 by Chuck The Mars Quarterly or The Mars STEM) are playing a larger role in our McMurray, the YRC is an annual Society. Authors may have business global society and greatly impacting educational project designed to relationships with the companies or agencies they discuss. the direction it takes. The Mars Society challenge students in grades 5-12 to Reproduction understands that encouraging today’s build LEGO Mindstorm rovers and The Mars Quarterly is published youth to study and pursue STEM compete in a nationwide (eventually quarterly by The Mars Society, education is a key element in ensuring worldwide) contest. With 22 student Lakewood, Colorado, USA. Volume 5, Issue 2, © 2013, The Mars Society. humanity’s future in space and long- teams registered for the inaugural Nothing herein contained may be term survival. competition to be held in the coming reproduced or transmitted in any form Three programs organized by the months, the YRC provides students or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, Mars Society - the University Rover with an opportunity to delve into basic recording, or any information storage Challenge (URC), the Youth Rover elements of engineering and robotics. and retrieval system, without written Challenge (YRC) and the European Finally, the Mars Society’s Poland permission of The Mars Society. Rover Challenge (ERC) - are chapter launched a new annual Advertisers send email to tmq-editor@ marssociety.org. Address letters, galvanizing students to get further initiative in late 2013 called the ERC. general inquiries, or send member involved in STEM-related learning and Similar in many aspects to the URC, dues or charitable donations to The research. Established in 2006 and the ERC will involve student teams Mars Society, 11111 West 8th Avenue, Unit A, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA. managed by Kevin Sloan, the URC is from mainly European-based Please include your full name, an annual competition held in the Utah universities and research institutes address, and daytime phone number. desert that brings together college testing various aspects of rover The Mars Society is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. student teams from the U.S. and technology for possible use in future around the world to design and build Mars exploration. The three-day Sign Up for rovers that will test robotic, competition will take place in Poland Mars Society engineering and field science methods later this year. Twitter Feed for future planetary exploration. The Please visit the Mars Society web Get regular updates and information about the Mars Society and the latest URC draws from an international pool site (www.MarsSociety.org) to learn news about Mars exploration and of talented and promising students, more about these important programs. planning for humans-to-Mars by with 31 student teams scheduled to joining our organization’s Twitter feed: @TheMarsSociety. Thanks! participate this June. Michael Stoltz, Editor

The Mars Quarterly 2 Volume 5, Issue 3 Mars Arctic 365 Crew Selection Underway

Semi-finalists for crew selection for recruitment is down-selecting to 18 closest analog to the surface of Mars the Mars Society’s Mars Arctic 365 finalists. Once chosen, the finalists will that we will find until we actually land (MA365) mission were announced in be divided into three crews of six on Mars. The Mars Society has long February 2014. Chosen from a pool of people each and then sent to the Mars been the leader in exploiting these over 200 applicants, the 62 semi- Society’s Flashline Mars Arctic regions and is continuing that tradition finalists consist of 49 men and 13 Research Station (FMARS) on Devon with this new initiative. This effort will women drawn from 17 countries (the Island in northern Canada for two bring real understanding to the space United States, Canada, Brazil, the weeks of challenging field testing in exploration community about what it United Kingdom, France, Germany, the late summer of 2014. On the basis will take to settle human beings on the Italy, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, of demonstrated performance, the surface of Mars,” said former NASA Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Japan, best crew will be selected for further Administrator Dr. Mike Griffin. Australia and New Zealand). training, leading to the initiation of the By conducting this full-scale dress The individuals selected represent a Mars Arctic one-year mission at rehearsal of a human expedition to broad range of expertise and skills FMARS the following year. Mars in a realistic habitat and including geology, biology, medicine, Situated at 75 degrees north and environment for practically the same aerospace, mechanical and electrical less than 1,000 miles from the North duration as an actual mission to the engineering, Arctic and wilderness Pole, the FMARS facility is perched on Red Planet, the Mars Society will take survival training and journalism. the rim of a 14-mile wide impact crater a great step forward in learning how A complete list of the semi-finalists in the midst of a polar desert people can work together to can be found on the Mars Society web considered one of the most Mars-like effectively explore the new frontier of site (www.MarsSociety.org). environments on Earth. the Red Planet. The next step in the MA365 crew “The Earth's polar regions are the

The individuals selected represent a broad range of expertise and skills including geology, biology, medicine, aerospace, mechanical and electrical engineering, Arctic and wilderness survival training and journalism. Nadav Neuhaus Nadav

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 3 An Urgent Appeal from Dr. Robert Zubrin

Dear Friends,

Last month, the Mars Society selected 62 crew semi-finalists for the Mars Arctic 365 (MA365) mission, which will be the highest fidelity human Mars simulation in history. As part of this, our organization is currently planning a second refit mission to our FMARS facility in northern Canada this July to complete preparations for long-term continuous operations at the station. Following this, three crews of six candidates will be tested and trained on Devon Island, allowing us to choose a final crew for actual participation in our 12-month long Mars-on-Earth analog, a historic project that will show our global community the promise of human Mars exploration and settlement.

The MA365 mission is truly an unprecedented undertaking. While past simulations by the Mars Society and others have achieved much good scientific data and attracted worldwide attention, MA365 will go much further. The expedition will deal with isolation issues as other studies have done in the past, but instead of sitting safe and sound in a warm room in a major city or tropical space center, the crew at FMARS will be conducting a sustained program of geological, microbiological, engineering and climatological field exploration in a cold, dangerous and remote environment, while operating under many of the same constraints that a human crew would face on the Red Planet. Only under these conditions, where the crew is trying to accomplish real scientific work, while dealing with bulky equipment, cold weather, discomfort and isolation, will the real stresses of a human Mars mission be encountered, and the methods for dealing with them mastered. Only under these conditions will all sorts of problems that Mars explorers are likely to face be driven into the open so they can be dealt with. Only by doing these types of full-scale missions can we make ourselves ready to go to Mars.

Nothing like this has ever been done before!

The Mars Society has made the commitment, but we need your help to make it happen! History is clearly not a spectator sport. If we want human explorers on Mars, we need everyone to pitch in and donate! Our group recently launched a special Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign to help raise money for this important project. The campaign deadline is April 21st at 11:59 p.m. PDT. There’s) and still 2) time!spreading Please the help word us aboutby 1) donatingour www.MarsSociety.org generously to MA365 ( mission and online campaign! Thank you, and On to Mars!

Dr. Robert Zubrin President & Founder The Mars Society

The Mars Quarterly 4 Volume 5, Issue 3 MDRS: Becoming an Astronaut-Mind

Elizabeth Howell

What does it mean to explore? Does the face of them. You confront the us into a five-day water shortage it mean to set foot on unoccupied challenges – in a come-at-me sense – midway through our mission. Yes, we lands, such as tramping in a forest? and work with your crewmates to had some anxious moments thinking Setting boot prints on another world make these challenges fade into the about how we would get through it, for the first time, as Neil Armstrong background. When you can get to that but nobody brought up staying at a did? Or is it more a condition of the point, that's when the real work of motel as an option. We brainstormed, spirit where you MDRS begins. For we came up with procedures, and are embarking on serving on such a then every last person followed something new, mission is not about through on them. perhaps putting wrestling with your We got better at cleaning spacesuits two things together environment. It's without water. We found ways of in an unexpected about letting the washing up after meals using just a way or solving a environment change dab of liquid on each dish. Showers problem using a you into a better were obviously out, so I bound my different approach? person. That's the long hair into a bun and used baking I would argue that sort of exploration powder instead of shampoo. Sure, we the Mars Society’s that MDRS probably didn't smell that great, but Mars Desert provides. after a day or so of thinking through Research Station I spent two things, we had other priorities on our (MDRS) in Utah is an weeks at MDRS in mind. Science, engineering, general example of the latter. January 2014. I Hab activities. Even then, though, we It's a spot where was part of a still had a lot to learn about exploring. small crews come University of North My first few days in particular had together in an Dakota-led crew no spare time in them. Well, in truth isolated environment that had never met face-to-face there were brief minutes between and are tested. Pushed. Given strict before. Different ages, different bedtime and sleep, when I had to do regulations to work with, this forces countries, vastly different something different to wind down them to come up with creative ways backgrounds, all tied together at the after a busy day. I thumbed the pages to complete their duties properly. surface by only one thing: a love of of Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's While I've been writing and thinking space. Luckily, the selection process Guide to Life on Earth, which always, about space for nearly 20 years, seemed to bring out individuals who always brought up how the mission actually experiencing a mission on site were suited to extreme environments. and the crew have to come before – simulated as it was – taught me a lot Everyone on Crew 133 was adaptable, yourself. about the unknown unknowns. If I was many worked through sickness and An astronaut, by Hadfield's part of a real crew, I'd better learn injury, and although conflicts flared up, definition, isn't a spaceflight some dehydrated recipes quickly; I can't recall a hasty word ever being participant. It's somebody who is after a few days of my cooking, I got said. constantly optimizing things for the comments (framed as kind jokes) as This was the attitude I came in with: best mission outcome possible, and in such, so I'm sure it could be grating these five other people have to be my that process of optimization, after a few weeks. family. There is no choice in the matter becoming a better person. A parallel I'd need to be able to fix a plugged in thinking that way, because for safety would be the protagonist of Zen and toilet (that happened to me three reasons it's best to trust each other. As the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, times), hike up a steep hill safely and family members, we will work who draws comparisons between accurately (lost track of how many together to accomplish our goals, and motorcycles that are taken care of and times I asked for help) and be cheerful when problems come up (always think the studious, methodical mechanic and productive in a confined space when, never think if) we will solve who lets the challenge of that work with restrictions on water, Internet and them in a way that helps all. Within change him into an even more other comforts many take for granted. hours of meeting my crewmates, I studious, methodical mechanic after I'm framing my experience at MDRS knew they thought the same way. This every single job. in terms of negatives, but that's not helped us time and time again at You can't come at the work by being the right way at looking at being a MDRS. a pessimist, by being ruled with fear. pioneer. It's about knowing there will Our crew best demonstrated this At the same time, however, you can't be challenges and doing your best in when unforeseen circumstances threw come at the work by being naïve. The

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 5 best People ask proceeded like this for 17 hours a day, approach is me what I did sometimes, and then the moment the informed during my clattering water heater woke me up in optimism. time at MDRS, the morning, I'd be on my feet again Plan for the and that's rather than trying to catch some more problems, easy enough sleep. Time was short, and the results come up with to rattle off. from these days had to last a long procedures to We wore time. fix the spacesuits, About a week after leaving MDRS, I problems, and we rode was taking a short walk from my then focus on ATVs, we did house in Canada to a shopping mall the mission. science experiments, and we and had to climb a steep, snowy hill to Put the worst out of your mind until took careful care of our Habitat. We make the journey. After those hills in the time comes to deal with it. ate, slept, worked a lot, joked about Utah, I wasn't scared any more of the To me, Hadfield's words will always missing bacon cheeseburgers and ice slope. I positioned my feet as a crew be entwined with that feeling of tired cream (and then were delighted when member showed me how to do and novelty, of new-kid-on-the-block, that crew members actually made bacon made it up the hill accurately. Maybe MDRS put me into every single day. I cheeseburgers and pudding out of not gracefully, but certainly with less wasn't an astronaut-mind when I came dehydrated food). risk of slipping than before I took the into the experience and likely not one There was something different, mission. when I left, but I tried to twist my however, about these tasks. Each day We did big things on site so that thoughts in that direction. Especially stood out like Sirius in the Hab coming back, a lot of little things when things got hard. The mission window, which I could see every night would make more sense. Whether in had to be first. before stepping sideways into my science or in daily tasks, there are So when the water shortage came, stateroom. There was something very parts of MDRS that will always remain and we made changes and then different about this place. with Crew 133. I can't wait to see how directed a planned 16 gallons to plants It was because each moment our crew incorporates the experience instead of people, that was a good counted. You couldn't let your mind of "Mars" into their respective lives. thing. The astronaut does not wander because there was so much to complain about the mission plan being finish, so much to experience and only fulfilled, even at the expense of his or two weeks to get it all done. I'd stir the Ms. Howell is a space journalist who her own desires. The astronaut smiles potatoes, flip to my computer to resize wrote about MDRS crew 133 in a series of articles for SPACE.com. and is happy that another thing on the the crew photos, turn to help a crew checklist can be crossed off, then member with an experiment and then moves seamlessly to the next goal. go back to cooking. Activity

News Brief URC Sets Registration Record This Year

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that 31 annually in the desert of southern Utah, URC challenges student teams from six countries and four continents student teams to design and build the next generation have officially registered for the 2014 University Rover of Mars rovers that will one day work side-by-side with Challenge (URC), setting a new participation record for astronauts exploring the Red Planet. Founded in 2006, the annual international rover competition. Countries the URC consistently draws an international field of the represented this year include the United States, India, most talented and promising science, engineering and Egypt, Poland, Canada and Bangladesh. computer science students. A sampling of some of the participating universities "In 2013, we shattered every previous URC milestone includes Cornell University, Warsaw University of and had our winning team from Bialystok University of Technology, Yale University, Cairo University, Technology score an almost unthinkable 493 points out Czestochowa University of Technology, University of of 500. For 2014 our registered field has more than Michigan, Military Institute of Science & Technology and doubled over last year, and we are eager to welcome York University. To view the full list of schools involved many new teams to the competition. Everybody in the URC, please visit urc.MarsSociety.org. involved in the competition is getting excited. We know Scheduled for May 29-31, 2014, the URC is the world's 2014 is going to be an incredible year!” said URC leading robotics competition for college students. Held Director Kevin Sloan.

The Mars Quarterly 6 Volume 5, Issue 3 GreenHab: Planting the Seeds of Our Martian Future

Nick Orenstein

Martian expeditions take on a multitude of roles, and Noah's Ark is certainly one of the more formidable ones. Missions to Mars – and to Mars analog stations such as the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) – take life from Earth, uproot just enough of it, and give it safe passage across the vastness of space. Just as Noah did, crew members escape societal and environmental dangers on Earth to start fresh. To breathe life anew. To seed visions of lush, green, sustaining life in an otherwise hostile world. I spent the duration of the MDRS Crew 132 mission collaborating with GreenHab Officer Charles Parrish to ready the GreenHab for the 2013-2014 season. “As humanity ventures farther from home, plants are being recognized as an integral component Officer Parrish and me in the external air breach of this sort on Mars of deep space habitation for a myriad greenhouse for a ceremonial planting. compromises human survivability as of reasons such as gas exchange, The renovated Zen Garden is now well. waste treatment and food production,” incubating our fledgling settlement's A remote habitat must cope with says Parrish. “Horticulture is the hope promises and hopes, along with a maintenance on its own. Things will for humanity to practice stewardship cactus planted in “Martian” soil break down on Mars. Sometimes, this for life throughout the solar system samples gathered during an EVA. is an inconvenience like missing an and beyond.” Maintaining a greenhouse is an ATV ride. Sometimes it is life- The MDRS GreenHab has long had ongoing operation that requires threatening like a structural hole to the potential to fulfill such a mission. patience. Horticulture does not start space. I surmise that most scientists Now, after a number of recent and stop in two week increments. We travel to MDRS expecting only a improvements, it is poised to have also formulated procedures and research station. What they find is successfully provide crews with fresh a schedule for the entire field season what NASA astronauts find at the ISS: vegetables, tasty herbs, a beautiful so that all MDRS crews meaningfully a habitat in constant need of repair relaxing room and experimental space contribute to the GreenHab mission. using limited supplies. This should for science. At MDRS, crew members are stewards motivate engineers to expedite Charles and I designed and of life on Mars. The growing season development of manufacturing constructed a top-drip hydroponics requires that each crew has unique innovations for space and planetary system which utilizes a 20-gallon duties of seed germination, surface applications. Technologies like nutrient reservoir to feed two tracks of transplanting and harvesting. We all 3-D printing, ISRU, robotic repairs and felt grow bags filled with a soil stand on the shoulders of giants; smarter designs are a must. medium enriched in mycorrhizae and those who harvest should thank those The GreenHab’s primary purpose is bat guano. We installed a new high- who germinated for their commitment food growth for crew consumption. flow exhaust fan for forced-air to the season-long effort. The hydroponics system already hosts ventilation in the greenhouse. Charles and I also spent several Ithaca and Crisp Mint lettuces as well Additional planters and planting areas days repairing the GreenHab structure. as Cayenne and California Wonder were arranged in designated areas for The building foundation has settled peppers. As last frost approaches, herbs, flowers, food crops and over time and one half of the structure crews will plant little finger carrots, temporary experiments. To mark the has fractured away from the central radish, snap peas and Old Homestead first day of the Earth year, we planted wall, forming a long gap. This was beans into potted planters. The Zen the first seeds of new life at MDRS. debilitating to a greenhouse as it Garden’s herbs – green onion, cilantro, The rest of Crew 132 joined GreenHab ruined all thermal insulation. An Emily basil and cress – are joined by a

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 7 cactus and hanging baskets of viola new hydroponics system is just a start and petunia flowers to add some lively along the important road towards an color. automated, digitally controlled This season will serve as a plant greenhouse. With experience and growth control study for future regular improvements, I hope the seasons. Hydroponics nutrients were GreenHab can implement crop-cycling purchased from a consumer supplier; that provides year round harvest for next year we hope to mix our own all crews. Furthermore, I see from raw chemicals. Temperature, hydroponics as a stepping-stone relative humidity and water towards aquaponics in which consumption monitoring will direct us vegetables are paired with a fish tank on how best to implement additional to approach a closed-loop ecosystem. environmental control improvements. MDRS is a site and experience for Growth tests comparing enriched soil crew members to “practice for Mars.” medium, standard organic compost As future astronauts venture off to and MDRS-area soil could possibly hostile environments, they must lead to future studies using certified create self-sustainable, net-zero Martian regolith simulant. habitats. As with frontier settlers from Upcoming crews are also welcome Earth’s history, future space explorers to use the experimental area for Several people deserve thanks for will not want to – nor should they – be horticultural tests, pending approval providing all sorts of help from dependent on the uncertain ability of by the MDRS Remote Science Team. horticultural advice to sourcing high their home world to continuously For example, Lucie Poulet of Crew 135 quality seeds to working in the supply them with life support such as has developed an experiment to study GreenHab. The 2013-2014 GreenHab food. The GreenHab is essential to this lighting conditions (quantity and Team members currently consist of vision. quality of light) in the GreenHab with Charles Parrish, Spencer Orenstein, The circle of life spins on, evolving and without supplemental LEDs. Her Stephanie Fong, Haritina Mogosanu, and expanding as we humble human results on greenhouse automation and Adam Sachs, Andrew Carter, Dan explorers push the boundary ever illumination efficiency will lead to Antonaccio, Mollie Parsons and outwards. reductions in crew time and labor for Sarabeth Brockley. greenhouse operations and I very much look forward to Mr. Orenstein was MDRS crew 132 maintenance as well as improve plant continuing my duties as GreenHab commander and also serves as MDRS GreenHab Coordinator. growth in the GreenHab. Coordinator. My push to install the

News Brief Dr. Zubrin in Russia (sitting, right side) Two Chapters Added to Mars Society Family

Considerable progress has been made in recent months in boosting the presence of the Mars Society globally. In October 2013, following a visit by Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin to Moscow, a core group of Mars Society supporters was formed in Russia to help establish an organized chapter in the world’s largest country. In December, the new chapter launched a new Facebook group page, now with well over 300 members/supporters. The organizers are building towards having a founding convention in Moscow in April 2014. planning for a humans-to-Mars mission. An organizing A new Mars Society chapter was also established in committee consisting of 20 people has been set up to Mexico, again following a visit by Dr. Zubrin to Xalapa, lead the effort, as has a chapter Facebook group page. A Veracruz in the southeastern part of the country. Dr. formal founding conference is planned for later this year. Zubrin addressed a gathering of several hundred Mars This marks the third Spanish-speaking chapter founded in advocates about current Red Planet exploration and recent years, with the other two being in Spain and Peru.

The Mars Quarterly 8 Volume 5, Issue 3 Testing Google Glass “on Mars”

Tereza Pultarova and Ondrej Doule

“OK, glass, open the fridge.” Crew rather small compared with, for 135 cameraman Filip Koubek is example, some of the men in the standing in the kitchen area of the 25 crew, she struggled to put the square meter living/working space of space suit helmet on without the Mars Desert Research Station shifting the Google Glass on her (MDRS) with a pair of plastic shades nose. on his nose, messing around. Crew The space suit helmet is like a 135 was testing Google’s hottest big glass bubble covering the person’s innovation – the wearable Google whole head: once you are inside you the test subject and capture every Glass gadget – and the “OK, glass” can’t touch your face to adjust movement of his or her head to see phrase used for command anything, whether it’s your hair falling how difficult it was to use the Google confirmation really stuck with them. over your eyes or glasses slipping Glass. Another camera was attached The crew’s commander, Florida down your nose. Once you are geared to the person’s chest to determine the Institute of Technology-based extreme up and in the air lock, you simply have position of the body. environments architect Ondrej Doule, to push through any discomfort and “I think the experiment went really brought a Google Glass set for an continue with the mission to well,” said Ondrej. “Google Glass ergonomics study that would try to accomplish your goal. worked well, and we collected a lot of assess its usability when integrated The first EVA focused on activating data. We learned that the hands-free into a space suit helmet. Although the glass while suited up, which method of activating and otherwise augmented reality devices, developed requires tilting your head 30 degrees controlling a head-up display such as for military purposes, are already upwards. Tereza thought she couldn’t the Google Glass is really important entering the mainstream commercial activate the glass because the helmet inside the helmet where you cannot market, no one has tested them in restricted her movement. Eventually, touch your head or activate anything space yet. she tried closing one eye – and there it with your hand.” It is clear that the “I believe that in the not so distant was. Since the glass had shifted head motion commands may be one future some sort of head-up or head- slightly when she was putting her of the possibilities to control down displays, or even a projection of helmet on, the focus had changed, information gathering and some non- information on some suitable surface and she wasn’t able to see the display critical functions of the EVA spacesuit inside the helmet will become with both eyes open. When she closed in the helmet visor. “We intend to indispensable for astronauts,” Ondrej the left eye, however, she suddenly perform six EVAs with the Glass and says. “However, due to extremely high saw the information clearly in the right keep improving the navigation safety, technical and material upper corner of her field of view. experiment.” requirements, space flight is usually For the second EVA, Ondrej The HUD for navigation is one of the about five years behind in adopting adjusted the glass by adding a rubber most common functions that can be commercial innovations.” strap to fix the glass more securely to very effectively used in extreme According to available information, the head. The next tested subject, the environments where protective no one has tested the Google Glass in crew’s Executive Officer Lucie Poulet, glasses or helmet may constrain work a space-analog environment either, saw the display well with both eyes. with exterior displays, tools and making the Crew 135 possibly the first The compass, a thin white vertical line devices. The Google Glass, with its team to do so. pointing to one spot on a carousel augmented reality features, is certainly “The purpose of this experiment denoting north, south, east and west, a step toward a next generation of was to test a head-mounted display or showed the direction where the augmented reality full face displays a head-up display (HUD) for the person was heading. The semi- that are prevalent in modern sci-fi, purpose of gaining more information transparent display was comfortably such as Star Trek: Into Darkness. Such inside a space suit, basically to positioned out of the main field of devices will help to make navigation improve the efficiency of an astronaut, view. The hardware of the glass, more intuitive and to streamline EVAs to improve safety, to improve however, still sometimes interfered in which the astronaut may already be communication and so on,” said with the front of the visor since the laden with numerous pieces of Ondrej. projection crystal is placed equipment. The team encountered several centimeters in front of the glass itself. problems early on. The first test During the experiment, a wide angle Dr. Doule was MDRS crew 135 subject chosen was the crew’s camera was mounted on the outside commander and Ms. Pultarova served as the same crew's journalist. journalist Tereza. Although her head is of the helmet to monitor the face of

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 9 MDRS Photo Gallery

Crew Photos from the 2013-14 Mars Desert Research Station Field Season

Looking out over Mars landscape

Celebrating the holidays "on Mars" Testing camera prior to EVA

Leaving Mars hab on EVA Preparing for tele-surgery test

The Mars Quarterly 10 Volume 5, Issue 3 Doing yoga led by NAO robot

Crew members on mobile EVA

Collecting soil samples Plants inside aeroponics device

Mars hab and GreenHab at night

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 11 Past, Present, Future on Mars - Q&A with MER Scientist Dr. Jim Rice

Jason Rhian

As NASA’s program, looked back on ten years of in 2010) and Opportunity as long as Mars Exploration achievements and a future filled with he has, he also has no regrets about Rover (MER) possibilities. Rice detailed how the how the past ten years on Mars have Opportunity robot has survived adversity and turned out. passes the one- astonished all observers. Sitting down for a chat with Dr. Rice decade mark on What Rice thought would be an revealed the heart and soul behind the the Red Planet, assignment lasting some ninety days MER project and provided an insight Dr. James Rice, has become an effort which has lasted as to perhaps why a program given a NASA an astro- half as long as some careers. While he lifespan of just three months has geologist and science/geology team might not have expected to have been lasted more than a decade. member working on NASA’s MER working with Spirit (which went offline

The Mars Quarterly: First, Dr. Rice, these vehicles. right now. we’d like to thank you for sitting down I think what is important for folks to When we first saw it, someone said and taking the time to chat with us know is that not only were these it looked like a jelly donut, but I don’t about Opportunity. spacecraft designed to last only 90 think that’s accurate. It’s more like a Rice: No problem, it’s my pleasure. days, 90 sols, but that they were also danish. At its center, it’s kind of red- only supposed to drive about a colored. We’ve examined it with the The Past kilometer. We’re closing in on some 39 APXS and discovered that it’s super- TMQ: Let’s get right to it, the Mars kilometers with Opportunity right now. high in sulfur, magnesium and Exploration Rover Opportunity just Words really can’t describe what we’re manganese. I mean measurements had a birthday! feeling right now. We’re overjoyed. We that are higher than anything we’ve Rice: Yeah, you’re right, we just take each day as a blessing, as a gift, ever seen before. What we think celebrated our tenth year on the because we don’t know if we’re going happened is when Opportunity turned surface of Mars just a couple months to have tomorrow. So each day we try around, one of the rover’s wheels ago with Opportunity. Unfortunately to do the best that we can in terms of popped the rock to where it currently Spirit didn’t survive that long, but it operation planning and collecting the is at. We’re not entirely certain, but we had a lot longer life than we originally data. think it got to its present location planned. Not too bad for a 90 day when Opportunity conducted a turn in mission! The Present place. TMQ: Tell us a bit about the rock Our preliminary interpretation is still TMQ: Can you provide us with that Opportunity discovered recently a work in progress, but we think this is some of the highlights? which has created so much interest. a rock which has been highly altered Rice: A lot of folks want us to tell Rice: Yes, this was a mysterious in interactions with water. We’re still them what the high points of this little rock. We called it Pinnacle Island, trying to figure out the exact location mission have been. That’s really a dinky little rock only some four from where it got popped loose. We difficult to do because you have to centimeters wide. But it’s very think we’ve seen the area it came think back over the course of ten years unusual: it’s like nothing that we’ve from, and we’re probably going to and that gets really hard to do. A seen in the last ten years on the have to go investigate up there with couple things bubble up very quickly, Martian surface. It’s got us all on the the rover. It was really strange but I think the most amazing highlight science team scratching our heads because we took pictures and then has been the journey as a whole. and wondering what this thing is four sols later we look back and Nobody knew when the rovers landed telling us, and that’s the fun thing there’s a rock there that wasn’t there in January of 2004 that they’d still be about this mission of discovery is that four sols earlier. going after all that time. We thought we come across things that are totally we might be going around 120 days unexpected. We’re currently trying to TMQ: Isn’t Opportunity currently and if we got lucky maybe 180 days – put together what this rock is trying to traversing the surface of Mars but no one thought that this far down tell us. We’ll get that, but we’re still in backward? the road that we’d still be operating, the phase of collecting all the data that Rice: Actually, we were driving making discoveries and doing great we can in terms of imaging and APXS both of them backwards. A weird science up there. I think it’s a (Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer) thing happened – both rovers ended testament to the engineers who built data, and it’s like a brand new mission up having problems with their right

The Mars Quarterly 12 Volume 5, Issue 3 front wheel and the actuators. discovered lake beds on Mars, That’s one of the beautiful things that was very fulfilling. about the engineering of this If I had to pick the biggest vehicle: you can drive it forwards scientific discovery we made and backwards. We’ve done during the past decade on Mars, I things with these rovers which think I’d have to say it was the were never planned. We have silicates in the clay minerals. The driven them up hills, sent them reason that this is important is down into craters, even before we because it tells us that water was lost Spirit back in 2010, which still interacting with rock for long lasted six-and-a-half years. periods of time, geologically With Opportunity right now we significant periods of time. Water have that right front wheel was covering these rocks up, problem and the heater has been any close calls other than that dust flowing through them, and this stuck on since the day we landed, but storm back in 2007. was “drinkable” water: it had a neutral we have work-arounds for that. The pH or else clay minerals wouldn’t have other thing is the instrument TMQ: What do you think the future formed like the rocks that formed at deployment device, the arm: we’ve holds for Opportunity? What is it Eagle Crater. had some problems, kind of like telling us and what should we take What this makes you start to think arthritis. It doesn’t work like it did we away from the fact that it has been about is, “Did life get started on when landed 10 years ago, but the such a long-lived mission? Mars?” Our mission was to land at two team developed work-arounds. We’ve Rice: This rover has done great places on Mars and search out got a really clever team, and the fact things: it’s lasted over a decade and habitable environments where life that we were only supposed to be it’s still going strong, still doing work. could have gained a foothold. On the rolling three months and here we are It doesn’t get a lot of the attention like geology mission, we couldn’t say at ten years is proof of that. Curiosity is getting, which is the new whether life had ever arisen there, but kid on the block. But we’re still holding we did identify several environments The Future our own. I work every day on Mars. where life could have gained a TMQ: Are the dust-clearing events However, one thing this mission drives foothold. That has really changed the doing enough to keep Opportunity home to me is that we need game. going, or are you starting to see the astronauts up there. If we had just two rover’s power levels drop slowly astronauts up there trained in geology, TMQ: It certainly has been an toward a point of no return? they could’ve done everything in three amazing time, and we’d like to thank Rice: Not really. The night we weeks that Opportunity has done in you for speaking with us about this landed we started with sparkling clean ten years; they probably could have incredibly successful mission. solar panels that were generating 900 done it in less than that. I feel Rice: It really has been. Thanks so watt-hours. I need to do some comfortable in saying that because much! homework to figure out the exact we’ve driven almost 39 kilometers in numbers, but I think now we’re down 10 years. Apollo 17 was in Taurus- Dr. James Rice currently serves as Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Littrow for three days and they drove I around 400 to 500 watt-hours and Institute and co-investigator for the Mars sometimes we go up to 550, but that’s think it was 37 kilometers. Exploration Rover project. He has worked enough to still drive around and get These rovers are great emissaries for more than 25 years on uncovering the some good science done. I think the for us, but they’re no replacement for history of Mars’ geology and the influence “red line,” the closest we ever got to people. At times it’s frustrating and that water has played on the surface of the Red Planet. He has worked with NASA’s slow to work with these things. I think it, well Spirit hit it because it died, but Astrogeology Headquarters of the United the closest that Opportunity ever got that we need to get astronauts up States Geological Survey, the Mars was in 2007 during the Martian there to examine the whole question Spaceflight Facility with Arizona State summer when a regional dust storm about life on Mars; I think it’s going to University and the Lunar and Planetary came through there. Dust storms take boots-on-the-ground to obtain Laboratory located at the University of Arizona. Dr. Rice has also served on both the definitive answer to that question. aren’t very good for solar-powered NASA’s Mars Odyssey and Lunar vehicles, and we were getting down I live in Arizona, so when I see Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) missions. He around those numbers, but we pictures of Mars, it doesn’t look so has been involved with selecting the survived it. So, we’re okay, and we’re bizarre or alien; instead, it drives landing site for every NASA mission to the never really near a margin like that. home the fact that Mars is the most Red Planet since Mars Pathfinder, which landed in 1995. Any day now, the vehicle could go. Earth-like planet near our world. We’ve A critical link in that system could found dry lakebeds on Mars. I did my Jason Rhian is Senior Editor of break and we’d be dead. But given dissertation on that, and at the time it SpaceFlight Insider (spaceflightinsider. that Opportunity is close to the was controversial. Ten years later com) and is a regular contributor to The Martian equator, it never really had when I worked on the mission that Mars Quarterly.

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 13 Massive Worldwide Response to Inspiration Mars Student Design Contest

The Mars Society’s talent to this breakthrough Inspiration Mars project to open the space International Student Design frontier. From what we are Competition has drawn a seeing right now, there are massive international many prepared to take up response. As of the January that challenge. Inspiration 31, 2014 deadline, letters of Mars said they wanted to intent to compete in the show that space contest have been received exploration can inspire from 38 teams representing 56 youth to develop their universities in 15 countries. talent. Well, they have Nations represented include delivered. The call has the United States, Russia, the been sounded, and from Netherlands, Germany, Austria, all over the world young Italy, the United Kingdom, Inspiration Mars people have answered. Just imagine Portugal, Poland, Mauritius, what the effect would be on STEM India, Bangladesh, Japan, Colombia Inspiration Mars said education if a full-scale program to and Canada. explore and settle the Red Planet were A sampling of some of the they wanted to show set in motion. Consider what the vast institutions signed up to participate that space exploration number of new young scientists, include John Hopkins University, St. engineers, inventors, medical Petersburg State Polytechnical can inspire youth to researchers and technology University, Ohio State University, develop their talent. entrepreneurs resulting from such an Warsaw University of Technology, inspiring challenge could do to University of Notre Dame, Indira Well, they have advance humanity.” Gandhi National Open University, York delivered. The call Alumni, faculty and other university University, Karl-Franzens-Universität staff may participate in the contest as Graz, International Space University, has been sounded, well, but the teams must be Purdue University, Islamic University and from all over the predominantly composed of and led of Technology, University of Stuttgart, by university students. Teams were Keio University, Ioffe Physical world young people required to submit their design reports Technical Institute of the Russian have answered. of no more than 50 pages in writing Academy of Sciences, and University by March 15th. From there, a down- of Glasgow. To view a complete list of select will occur with the top ten participating schools, please visit the looking for the most creative ideas finalist teams invited to present and Mars Society web site (www. from engineers all over the world,” defend their designs before a panel of marssociety.org). said Dr. Tito at the convention. six judges chosen by the Mars The Inspiration Mars International “Furthermore, we want to engage the Society, Inspiration Mars and NASA. Student Design Competition was explorers of tomorrow with a real and The presentations will take place officially launched during the 16th exciting mission and demonstrate during a public event at NASA Ames Annual International Mars Society what a powerful force space Research Center in April 2014. Convention in August 2013. The exploration can be in inspiring young contest is open to university people to develop their talent. This engineering student teams from contest will accomplish both of those around the world and intended to objectives.” design a two-person Mars flyby Commenting on the global response mission for 2018 as cheaply, safely to the competition, Mars Society and simply as possible. President Dr. Robert Zubrin said, “This Inspiration Mars Executive Director contest is providing a tremendous Dennis Tito was present for the opportunity for legions of young announcement. “Inspiration Mars is engineers to directly contribute their

The Mars Quarterly 14 Volume 5, Issue 3 Chapter Close-Up: Poland

Joanna Jodłowska and Mateusz Józefowicz

Polish rover team with Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mars Society Polska (MSP) is exploration continued with Polish participated in international space considered one of the most active cosmonaut Mirosław Hermaszewski projects, and some smaller businesses non-governmental organizations being sent into space on aboard a have manufactured individual dealing with the space sector in Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. components used during prominent Poland and plays an active role in More recently, the Polish Academy space missions, including NASA’s shaping the country’s space policy. of Sciences has taken part in Mars rovers. Despite these activities, This is due in part because until 2012 developing instruments for various Poland lacked a unified space policy Poland was not a member of the space missions, including Mars and was not taking any serious action European Space Agency (ESA) and Express, Phobos-Grunt (which to prepare such a policy or to educate had no space program or agency of its unfortunately failed) and Rosetta. It is its public. own. also worth mentioning that the The first really significant step in MSP did not spring from a complete designer of the Lunar Roving Vehicle that direction was the conclusion of void. First of all, there is the long, if used by NASA’s Apollo missions, ESA membership negotiations in not always well-known, history of Mieczysław Grzegorz Bekker, also 2012. Since then Warsaw has shown Polish involvement in space known as as Gregory Bekker, was born more interest in space exploration, exploration. During the post-WWII and educated in Poland, so his work and Mars Society Polska has Communist era, the country had an can be considered the first Polish participated in community ambitious program of meteorological contribution to planetary exploration consultations and in compiling a new rockets. Known as Meteor, the rockets vehicles. There must be something in Polish space strategy document, with were supposed to measure winds at the soil here, since even Wernher Von MSP’s contribution to it being a focus altitudes of 18 to 50 kilometers and, Braun (far from being Polish) was born on education, Mars exploration during the program’s most productive in Wyrzysk, territory of the Prussian technologies, robotics and a call for years, actually flew much higher and partition of the Polish state. Let’s also sending another Polish astronaut into reached the edge of space. While the not forget to mention Nicolaus space. All this, together with the Polish Meteor program was eventually Copernicus, who was born in Torun. Academy of Sciences’ recent cancelled due to Soviet objections, In recent years, several Polish achievements, has led to placing Mars Polish involvement in space institutes and companies have and planetary robotic exploration on

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 15 the short list of Polish space ABM SE designs rovers, tests them in proximity to a major Polish city to specializations. MSP is also working various conditions, including in the benefit public awareness and for a Polish crew member on the Sahara desert, and provides Internet education. There are also differences future manned mission to the Red and satellite access service to a Mars between the tasks conducted at both Planet. This is done in the form of rover analog for testing and education competitions. lobbying, but also in support of more purposes. The ERC was initially thought of as a recent efforts, such as Polish student The wide public interest, including contest mainly for European student teams entering the Inspiration Mars significant coverage in the Polish teams that couldn’t afford a trip to the design competition. media, was not just a boon for MSP U.S. and had to withdraw from the Equally important to MSP’s work itself, but also helped a larger cause, URC competition for financial reasons. with the government and industry is that being the successful URC rover Surprisingly, the ERC has generated its effort to reach out to the general teams which became ambassadors for considerable interest beyond the public with space-related projects and the idea of a new Polish space policy. European continent, with applications events. Established in 1999, MSP The Magma 2 team met with the being received from teams in entered the Mars Society’s Mars Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Colombia, India and Egypt. Pressurized Vehicle competition. The Minister of Economics Waldemar Initial feedback about the ERC and Polish design gained Pawlak right before its planning have been good. Signed international the signing of ESA agreements with the Marshall of the recognition, with MSP is also working accession Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship and the some of the documents. Both Regional Science and Technology hardware being for a Polish crew Magma 2 and the Center in Poland, which will host the built. In addition, member on the future ABM SE-developed event, have already secured basic MSP initiated a Magma White were funding, with more expected to come public outreach manned mission to the present at the Polish from government institutions and campaign, Red Planet. This is Parliament during private sponsors. In addition, we have organizing a the vote on ESA also received support from other number of done in the form of membership, which European Mars Society chapters and successful lobbying, but also in concluded with no the Austrian Space Forum. conferences and opposing votes (an MSP is working to ensure a truly events, with the support of more amazing thing for international experience, with inaugural one being recent efforts, such the Polish prominent judges from NASA, ESA the 2007 Mars Parliament). The and the Russian Space Agency. There Festival. as Polish student rovers and their are also hopes that a Russian team In 2009, the first teams entering the designers were so will also enter the competition. Polish team popular that for a To top all that off, there will be other participated in the Inspiration Mars while it seemed that relevant events happening alongside Mars Society’s design competition. they were given the ERC to help ensure wider public University Rover access to all kinds attendance. The 14th European Mars Challenge (URC). of visiting VIPs, Society Conference will take place in This generated significant public and including U.S. Secretary of State John Poland this year. As part of that, plans media interest and laid the Kerry and German Chancellor Angela are in the works to organize a science groundwork for an endeavor currently Merkel. They also gave presentations popularization event in a form of a known as the Polish Analog about their successful rovers in “Science Picnic” with various Exploration Rover Development Geneva, Berlin, Paris and across experiments and presentations. Program. A number of other Polish Poland. The MSP leadership feels that the teams have participated in the URC All of this led us to take the obvious ERC will be of great interest to the since then, with some of them next step: organizing the European general public in Poland, with an securing high scores, including Rover Challenge (ERC), which will take appeal (we hope) similar in some Magma 2 (2011) and Hyperion (2013), place this September. It will be hosted respects to fans visiting a sports event both of which won first place. in Pozdzamcze Checinskie near Kielce or exhibition, without sacrificing any The technical knowledge gained in southern Poland. The ERC differs of the complexity of the contest. The through participating in those from the URC in some significant goal of MSP, now and in the future, is competitions resulted in the founding aspects. The terrain will be artificially to use the ERC and other Mars and of a spin-off company, ABM Space shaped to resemble the Martian space related events to expand public Education. The company’s office was surface, since, unlike the URC site at interest in exploring the Red Planet. opened in Torun in 2011, with the the Mars Desert Research Station, the official ribbon-cutting being carried ERC site is not located in the desert. out by Simon P. Worden of NASA’s Furthermore, the ERC will involve a Ms. Jodłowska and Mr. Józefowicz are Ames Research Center. Currently, sizeable live audience, using its Mars Society Poland members.

The Mars Quarterly 16 Volume 5, Issue 3 Youth Rover Challenge to Encourage STEM Education

The 2014 Youth Rover Challenge carried out by the rover, which include during the official announcement of (YRC), a STEM-focused educational drilling holes in sandy surfaces to the new contest at the 16th Annual program for students in grades 5-12, retrieving a specific colored ball. International Mars Society Convention began its inaugural year with 22 teams Teams are required to carry out their last year. registering as part of the Mars Society- operations on a Mars-like surface To learn more about the YRC operated competition. 16 teams have typically found in sandboxes at local competition and keep track of ongoing signed up for the junior varsity level schools or parks. Many contestants results from this year’s contest, please (ages 9-11), while the remaining six have chosen to build their own ‘Mars’ visit the program web site at: teams are participating at the varsity sandboxes at home, with the YouthRover.com. level (ages 12-17). minimum size for a home-made arena YRC is intended to provide young being 8’ x 8’. students with an inexpensive “Our primary Sandbox for YRC testing opportunity to build and compete at a goal is to have national level using specially-designed younger students LEGO educational kits, consisting of excited, engaged LEGO Mindstorm NXT 2.0 based and focused on a robotic rovers with LEGO digital robotic program designer software. with a strong To eliminate the need for travel Mars flavor prior costs, participants are allowed to to beginning conduct testing and qualification in university level their home communities. All student learning,” said teams, including one adult supervisor, YRC Director videotape the necessary field tasks Chuck McMurray

LEGO rover under construction

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 17 Join Us in Houston at the 2014 International Mars Society Convention!

August 7-10, 2014 at the South Shore Harbour Resort in League City, Texas

Learn New Things The Mars Society will be holding its 17th Annual International Mars Society Convention on August 7-10, 2014 at the South Shore Harbour Resort in League City, Texas, just outside Houston and minutes from NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

The 2014 Mars Society Convention will bring together key experts, scientists, policymakers, journalists and aerospace executives to discuss the latest news about Mars exploration and planning for a human mission to the Red Planet in the coming decade.

Online registration for the Mars Society Convention is now open. Rooms at the South Shore Harbour Resort are available to convention attendees at a special discounted Meet New People rate. Please visit our web site (www.MarsSociety.org) for more details.

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