"We're ready. Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared today to send humans to Mars than we were to travel to the Moon at the commencement of the space age. Given the will, we could have our first teams on Mars within a decade," says Zubrin of the Mars Society. Image compiled by ExWeb (click to enlarge).
Mars Society: Looking for a few good Martians - that's YOU buddy!

Posted: Dec 13, 2004 05:31 pm EST
Previously published Dec 2, 2004 20: 14 EST

"Volunteers Needed For MDRS Crews: Hard Work, No Pay, Eternal Glory. The Mars Society is looking for a few good Martians. If you think you have what it takes, Click Here" - reads the call on the website - a bit like Shackleton's ad a long time ago.

The Mars Society does various Mars expeditions, complete with daily dispatches and week-in-reviews. Wanna join?

Mars Direct!

In 1990, an obscure engineer at Martin Marietta named Robert Zubrin caused a sensation by proposing Mars Direct, a way of getting to the Red Planet without stopping at either the ISS or the moon:

"The whole mission could be accomplished in a decade, rather than 20 years, as NASA is proposing. Yet NASA's not-invented-here policy makes such outside suggestions unlikely, says Zubrin, who has since founded the Mars Society and written The Case for Mars and Mars on Earth.

Devon Island

Well, Zubrin is a hands-on man. The Mars Society offers the latest News from Spirit and Opportunity, and several projects on Earth simulating and researching the Mars environment. These are the guys you might have heard of before taking off for the North Pole (from Canada) - they are the ones doing all kinds of stuff on Devon Island.

Private robotic missions

The Purpose of the Mars Society is "To further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet". This will be done by: Broad public outreach, conducting Mars exploration on a private basis - starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration.

Winter expedition in Utah

"We're ready. Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared today to send humans to Mars than we were to travel to the Moon at the commencement of the space age. Given the will, we could have our first teams on Mars within a decade," they say.

The current expedition runs in Utah, volunteers are working in full simulation mode in the barren canyonlands. They explore the surrounding terrain, cataloging more waypoints, and analyzing the geology and biology of this fascinating and remarkably Mars-like region. This two-week mission runs from November 27th to December 12th, 2004.

The upcoming Mars Desert Research Station field season will begin in December 2004 and run through April 2005. The Mars Society will be issuing an additional call for volunteers for the summer 2005 field season of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island later.

Applications will be considered from anyone in good physical condition between 18 and 65 years of age without regard to race, creed, color, gender, or nation. Scientific, engineering, practical mechanical, wilderness, and literary skills are all considered a plus. Dedication to the cause of human Mars exploration is an absolute must, as conditions are likely to be tough and the job will be very trying. Those selected will be required to participate in certain crew training exercises and to act under crew discipline and strict mission protocols during the simulations.

The Mars Society will pay travel and related expenses from Salt Lake City, Utah during training and simulation, but there will be no salary. Volunteers will need to pay their own travel expenses to Salt Lake City.

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