The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 1 In This Issue Spring 2009 - Volume 1, Issue 2 Succeeding in Troubled Times Interview with Dr. Steve Squyres - Publisher By Chris Carberry.............................3 February, 2009 The Mars Society by Chris Carberry...........................12 The Case for Mars 2009 Headquarters 11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A It is time to tie the Mars Program to URC Update Lakewood, CO 80215 USA human exploration by Kevin F. Sloan............................14 www.MarsSociety.org by Chris McKay, NASA Ames .........4 "The Search For Intelligent Life" The Mars Society Digital Outreach Art by Marilynn Flynn/ President..........................Robert Zubrin By Patricia Czarnik, Tharsis Artworks ............................15 Treasurer..............................Gary Fisher Director of Membership ..................6 Secretary...........................Sara Spector Biosphere M Executive Director..........Chris Carberry Getting to Mars will take A Measure of Humanity Accounts Receivable Director leadership, a lot of leadership By Bruno D.V. Marino PhD.............16 .............................................Patt Czarnik by Michael Simpson, President, Webmaster...............................Alex Kirk A Cold Dry Cradle, Part 1 Director, Public Relations ...Kevin Sloan International Space University ........7 by Gregory Benford and Elisabeth Director of Membership .....Patt Czarnik Finding New Communication Malartre ..........................................18 Director, International Relations ..............................Artemis Westenberg Canali by Miles O'Brien ...................8 Cover: "Martian Sand Ripples" Readers' Forum - Funding Mars © Jim Plaxco, The Mars Quarterly Editor-in-Chief......Susan Holden Martin By Jason Romanik .........................11 www.marsartgallery.com [email protected] Art Director ...................Keith Keplinger, Keplinger Designs, Inc. Contributing Editors ......Chris Carberry, Artemis Westenberg, Josh Grimm, From the Flight Deck Blake Ortner, Byron Wiedeman, Gus Scheerbaum, Jean Lagarde, Joseph Webster, Kevin Sloan, In these uncertain economic times, TMQ, from a variety of well-known and Patt Czarnik, Alex Kirk many of us in the Mars community are emerging artists. A Note to Readers focused on mitigating the effects of Our next issue, scheduled for release The views expressed in articles are downsizing, restrained budgets, and on July 1, will be presented in both the authors’ and not necessarily those program cuts. This issue has several digital and print formats. Print copies of The Mars Quarterly, or The Mars on point articles, stressing the will be available to all 2009 convention Society. Authors may have business importance of remaining focused on attendees, and will include a special relationships with the companies or agencies they discuss. delivering the humans to Mars insert of an entirely new image created message in every way we can. by artist Greg Martin. You can see Reproduction Also in this issue, is an article by more of Greg's work at: The Mars Quarterly is published Bruno D.V. Marino, PhD, a former http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/. If quarterly by The Mars Society, Researcher in the Earth and Planetary you have not already done so, please Lakewood, Colorado, USA. Volume 1, Issue 2; copyright 2009 The Mars Science Department at Harvard, and register for the 12th Annual Interna- Society. Nothing herein contained former Director of Science and tional Mars Society Convention today. may be reproduced or transmitted in Research at the Biosphere II project, If you would like to take part in the any form or by any means, electronic with Columbia University, in Arizona in debate on the latest controversies or mechanical, including photocopy, the 1990s. Dr. Marino proposes the affecting the progress of humans to recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written creation of Biosphere M - a project that Mars, or share your views on a specific permission of The Mars Society. would contribute important ecosystem Mars project, please send us your data toward the construction of a comments. All submissions will be Advertisers send email to tmq- sustained human settlement on Mars considered for inclusion in our new [email protected]. Address and beyond. We hope to hear from Dr. Readers' Forum. This issue we feature letters, general inquiries, or send member dues or charitable donations Marino in future issues of TMQ the thoughts of Jason Romanik, a to The Mars Society, PO Box 1312, Big regarding this exciting project. space entrepreneur. Piney, WY 83113, USA. Please include We thank artists Jim Plaxco and On to Mars! your full name, address, and daytime Marilynn Flynn for their inspirational phone number. The Mars Society is a and provocative images that appear in Susan Holden Martin, Editor 501(c)(3) organization. this issue of TMQ. Look for more [email protected] space art images in future issues of The Mars Quarterly 2 Volume 1, Issue 2 Succeeding in Troubled Times By Chris Carberry The last few months have been quite in which they could invest. months prior to the event, we already remarkable. In the United States, we The Mars Society is trying new ways have one of the best lists of plenary inaugurated a new President; a U.S. to get this message out and to expand speakers that we have ever had and our Airways pilot successfully landed his our organization. We have started an programming is extremely diverse. plane in the Hudson River; and world- ambitious advertising campaign which We hope to bring in new audiences wide governments have continued to will place advertising in such magazines with programs such as "Exploration: An pour sums of money that would have as Astronomy, Science News, and the Historical Perspective:" which will seemed unfathomable a year ago. AOPA magazine, Pilot. We are making compare and contrast the history of In the midst of these events, a team full use of such online mediums as terrestrial exploration with the of scientists from NASA and other Facebook; and we are going to challenges of space exploration. We institutions announced that they had examine new ways to use video games will look at the impact of art and space detected methane in the Martian and digital animation to promote our exploration as well as the impact that atmosphere. While evidence had been cause. In addition, we will soon be media can have to promote (or released in the past that suggested asking our members to send in short obstruct) exploration. And, unlike most methane, this evidence was the most videos to explain why they joined The conferences, we will not be confined to comprehensive yet presented. As most Mars Society and why they support our conference venue hoping that of the people reading TMQ already government officials find their way to know, the source of this methane is our event. On the contrary - we plan to either geological in origin or is a visit some of these officials in the "Great byproduct of life. Either way, this is a 2009 Mars Blitz." remarkable discovery. This comes just Have you ever wanted to make a on the heals of the Mars Phoenix direct statement in front of Congress in Lander uncovering water ice just inches support of humans to Mars? Here is from the surface of the Martian polar your chance. At the Mars Society regions. Every closer look at Mars Convention, we will be sending at least seems to create a thousand compelling 150 convention goers up to Capitol Hill questions. The need for a continuation to meet with their members of of our successful robotic mission to Congress and their staff on the Mars and a vastly accelerated timetable afternoon of July 30, 2009. To make for sending humans to Mars have never this activity the colossal success that been greater. we hope it will be, we need your help. However, as Dr. Chris McKay alludes If you are coming to the Convention, to in his article “The Case for Mars please sign up for the Blitz as well. 2009”, we cannot assume that Mars will Even if you are not coming to the remain on the on the top of NASA's Convention and can spare some time agenda. Despite the remarkable on Thursday afternoon, July 30, 2009, success, other agendas and other please join us on Capitol Hill. For those destinations may be gaining Have you ever wanted to make a of you who can't come to the momentum. This isn't inherently a bad direct statement in front of Congress Convention, we hope that you will set circumstance - Earth science and in support of humans to Mars? up meetings with the members of observation of planets and Moons Here is your chance... Congress in your congressional beyond Mars is certainly important - districts. And while we are up on the but we must make sure that Mars humans to Mars. Over the next few Hill on July 30th, we hope that you will remains the primary objective of human months, The Mars Society intends to make phone calls and send email and and robotic missions in this century. increase its advocacy efforts through faxes to your members of Congress in It is time to make a bold statement. the use of a variety of multimedia support of a destination driven human We hear our elected officials grasping channels. space program. for ways to stimulate the economy - to This summer, we have another Despite the gloomy economic inspire society. I realize that I am opportunity to make a powerful situation, The Mars Society is on the preaching to the converted here, but statement at The Mars Society move. If we want humans to Mars to we must let the decision makers know Convention which will be just a few happen, we can't sit back and hope why we must invest in Mars exploration miles from Washington, D.C. I must circumstances will move in our favor by and why it could very well be one of say, I am getting pumped about the themselves - we must be the force of the greatest stimulators to our society 2009 Mars Society Convention.