July 15, 2008

Mars Education Center Proposal a Finalist in The Mars Society's 'Mars Project Challenge'

We are pleased to announce that our "Mars Education Center" proposal has been selected as one of ten finalists for the "Mars Project Challenge" (MPC), a Mars Society competition. A project will be selected from among the ten at the Eleventh International Mars Society Convention to be held at the University of Colorado at Boulder, August 14-17, 2008.

Our proposed project calls for an "Education Center" to be built on Earth. It will resemble a Mars settlement well after it is established, including multiple types of habitats and greenhouses. The Center would be used for school groups, university level research, semester abroad university courses, demonstrations, contests, training, special programs, camp programs, and public visits.

Major contributors included Bart, Susan, Georgi, Shaun, and Bruce. Click on ‘Continue Article’ for full credits, how to help, other entries, etc.

Many people contributed to the idea and written proposal: Bart Leahy, Georgi Petrov, Shaun Moss, Susan Martin, and Bruce Mackenzie (me); numerous other people on the Design Team contributed to this and earlier proposals. Gary Fisher, one of our active participants, also contributed to a finalist proposal for "Martian Meteorite Simulation."

Let us know if you would like to help with the next phases of design, e.g., business plan, graphics, editing, funding, or presentations. (Send a short message to: Info (at) MarsHome.org )

All MPC entries are viewable, if you are a paid Mars Society member and have a membership id/password, at: http://marssociety.org/portal/MPC

P.S. What does the previous image of growing bamboo, water hyacinths, and tilapia fish have to do with Mars? All three produce products valuable on Mars. The photo was taken by Bruce Mackenzie at the former New Alchemy Institute on Cape Cod. New Alchemy showed the public ecologically responsible ways of living on Earth, long before the popular culture adopted them, just as the proposed Mars Education Center would show how to live on Mars with minimal equipment brought from Earth.