For the last week, Bruce has been helping the Mars Research Desert Station (MDRS) team prepare for the next crew (crew 72) to occupy the station. In addition to this, he has been helping out a camera crew in the production of a forthcoming Discovery Channel documentary all about the colonization of the Red Planet.

A full account, plus photos, of the Mars Society's habitat in Utah will be forthcoming, but one photograph by Keith Keplinger of the MDRS epitomises the efforts being carried out in the Utah Desert: The MDRS at night (pictured above). Some time in the future, we could be seeing a similar view, but looking out over a Martian desert with a manned habitat standing proud against the backdrop of stars...

Bruce Mackenzie will be speaking on how we can live on Mars at a meeting of the Aldrich Astronomical Society, Saturday evening, 6pm, Oct. 25, 2008. Some of the members are interested in constructing a mockup of a Mars Habitat, which we will discuss. There is also a pot luck dinner, and telescope viewing. ]]> Aldrich Astronomical Society Inc. Annual Pot Luck Supper

Date: Saturday, October 25th 2008 6pm

Place: The Nimrod League of Holden, Holden, MA

Web site: http://www.AldrichAstro.org/

Directions to this meeting only: www.nimrodleague.org

Come bring your friendship, your appetite, and your favorite main dish, side dish, salad, bread, or your family's favorite desert. Bruce Mackenzie will be our guest speaker. He will be talking about the possibilities of living on the planet Mars. We'll be in dark sky country; bring your telescopes for night sky viewing after the presentation.

Aldrich is a 75 year old astronomical society based in the Worcester, Massachusetts area. If you are interested in astronomical viewing in central Massachusetts, see http://www.AldrichAstro.org/ or Steve Hammond 774-242-3571

R.S.V.P.: to attend the pot luck meal; Grace Peladeau (508) 865-4486, a $2 – 5 donation is requested to cover cost of renting the hall.

If interested in helping build a Mars Habitat mockup, in this area, contact Info@MarsHome.org or 781-249-5437

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.

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.

Finally, water ice has been found on the martian surface. The Phoenix Mars lander took a scoop of regolith on Sol 20 (June 19th), exposing a white powdery substance. Immediately, scientists announced that the substance was either some form of ice or salt deposits. The prime mission objective for Phoenix is to look for evidence for water, past and present, in the uppermost layers of the surface. Although tests on excavated material are ongoing inside the onboard oven instrument (the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer, or TEGA), baking the sample and analysing the vapour produced, Phoenix scientists have discovered water ice simply by taking two photographs four sols apart. This discovery will naturally boost hopes that water could be harvested from the top layers of martian regolith by future Mars colonists.

"It is with great pride and lot of joy that announce today we have found the proof that we have been seeking that show that this hard, white material is water ice." - Phoenix principle investigator Peter Smith.

But how are the team sure they are looking at water ice? by taking two images of the trench dug by Phoenix's robotic arm, they were able to measure the quantity of the white substance uncovered in the top of the suspected permafrost layer of Mars. By taking a second picture of the area four Mars-days (or Sols) later, they noticed a marked decrease in the amount of the white deposit. If the deposit was from a mineral or salt, there would be no difference in the quantity measured. If the deposit was something like frozen carbon dioxide, when uncovered by the digger, it would have evaporated instantly (as the boiling point of CO₂ is very low). In this case there would have been no chance to image the CO₂ deposit. It would appear there has been a slower sublimation process at work, where the prime candidate (water ice) has gradually vented into the atmosphere over the four days.

"We're confident now that this is water ice. We've hit what we're looking for. The job now is to find out what is mixed in with the ice, how much salt is there, how many organics are there, and these are the things we'll need TEGA and MECA to solve." - Mark Lemmon, Co-Investigator, Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager

These are very exciting times. Although there has been strong indicators that water does exist on Mars, this is the first in-situ photographic evidence of ice crystals mixed in with the top layer of fine Mars "soil" (a.k.a. regolith - pulverized grains of rock from repeated meteorite impacts and other geological processes). Now we eagerly anticipate the results from the TEGA and MECA (Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer) to see what compounds (organic or otherwise) are mixed in with the ice.

For more information on this historic find see:

• Nancy Atkinson's article over at the Universe Today


• Phoenix Mars Mission website

The Phoenix Mars Lander has touched down on Martian regolith after successfully carrying out the entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase of the mission. Two minutes after separation, Mars orbiter Odyssey reported receiving a signal from Phoenix as it approached the atmosphere. Then a couple of minutes after that, it entered the atmosphere and Odyssey continued reporting a signal. As the heatshield finished doing its job, signal was received when it was ejected. As the parachute had opened, a measure of the distance from the ground was counted down. Then separation when the lander dropped and then ignited its rockets. Phoenix sent the signal at 16:54 PST.

NASA controllers admitted feeling jittery hours before Phoenix made its final approach into the Mars atmosphere but the $420 million-dollar spacecraft landed on-target within the northern arctic region so it can begin analysing surface soil for the presence of water. Evidence for ancient liquid water will also help scientists to understand the Red Planet's suitability to support life. This "Scout Class" mission will also be highly valuable when planning the future of manned settlements. For more detail, refer to the Mars Foundation interview with Sara Hammond.

For now, we await further news from our new outpost on the surface of Mars!

Congratulations Phoenix from all members of the Mars Foundation!

The Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) - "Seven Minutes of Terror" for Phoenix

At 16:53 PST on Sunday afternoon (19:53 EST Sunday evening, or 00:53 GMT Monday morning) the world will be quiet, waiting for a signal from the Phoenix lander.

Shortly before this time, the robotic explorer will have sped toward the Martian atmosphere at a velocity of 12,750 miles per hour (20,500 kilometres per hour). Using only the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet, Phoenix will begin to aerobrake, slowing rapidly as it re-enters. A parachute will deploy once the lander's heat shield has done its job, slowing the craft from 900 miles per hour (1,450 kilometres per hour) to 250 miles per hour (400 kilometres per hour) in a nerve-racking 15 seconds. Should the parachute be deployed too early, the high velocities may rip the tough canopy to shreds; open the parachute too late, Phoenix may not have time to slow sufficiently for landing. This is only the start of Phoenix's "Seven Minutes of Terror" (chronicled by this superb, and inspiring NASA video).

When sufficiently slowed, the descending craft will jettison its heat shield so it can continue to drop through the atmosphere. This will be the first time the Phoenix lander will be exposed to the Mars air. Shortly after the heat shield has been removed, Phoenix will lower its legs in preparation for landing with its radar systems, tracking how far it is from the ground.

When the time is right, when Phoenix is about 3,200 ft (that's about a kilometre) from the ground, the onboard systems will decide on the point at which the lander will separate from the "back shell" and parachute. It will detach from the parachute at a velocity of 125 miles per hour (200 kilometres per hour) and then freefall from a height equivalent to two Empire State Buildings stacked on top of one another... this will be the most frightening point of the Entry Descent and Landing (EDL) phase.

The onboard systems will have to make sure the craft is falling at the correct orientation, being careful to ensure a safe (and upright) landing. Then the most critical part; Phoenix will light up all its thrusters to slow it sufficiently to land gently on the Martian regolith. Once the EDL is complete, a signal will be sent back to Earth, which we will receive eight minutes later at 16:53 PST.

All the operations carried out during the entry, descent and landing are fully automated. This intense seven minutes will be controlled solely by Phoenix, there is no human intervention.

Exclusive interview with Public Affairs Manager, Sara Hammond

Last year, the Mars Foundation selected the Phoenix Mars Lander as our "Featured Mars Mission" as we realized the huge potential the lander had for aiding the future of manned settlement plans. The MarsHome.org story "The Phoenix Mars Mission", investigates how Phoenix will further our understanding about water held in the Martian polar regions and how the "Scout Class" lander will be the first step toward establishing a human presence on the Red Planet. But how was the Phoenix landing site chosen in the first place? Which Mars missions aided the search for the location? We were very lucky to get some answers to our questions from the Phoenix science team's Public Affairs Manager, Sara Hammond.

Sara was kind enough to provide some very interesting details to how and why the Mars polar region was chosen for the Phoenix landing, what the lander will be looking for when it carries out science operations and which previous Mars missions have helped pave the way for Phoenix.

1) Which Mars missions helped with the selection of a landing location on the Martian surface?

Sara: In a way, data/imagery from all previous successful missions has helped in determining an appropriate landing site. Current missions that have helped extensively with this and are currently involved are Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Express. Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images from the Mars Global Surveyor mission were widely used in locating potential landing sites before HiRISE images became available.

2) Was the location primarily selected due to the possibility of finding life? Or was it to aid the understanding of surface composition for future manned missions?

Sara: The landing site was not chosen with the intent of finding life. The landing site was chosen because of the nature of the surface and the lack of hazards to landing (i.e. large expanses with little variation on the surface, low abundance of large boulders, low surface slopes, relatively smooth surface texture) and evidence for ground ice near the surface. The payload of instruments is particularly appropriate for examining an environment of ice and soil and for gaining a better understanding of surface or near surface composition to determine if the Martian arctic soil could have in the past, or currently, support life. While the science payload of Phoenix is not designed for life detection, this mission is an important stepping stone in the search for whether Mars has life.

3) Do you expect to find surface ice near the landing site? How much information can be found out about possible permafrost water ice?

Sara: Yes. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter found evidence in early 2002 that this region shelters high concentrations of water ice mixed with the soil just beneath the surface. Isotopic ratios in the ice will be measured with the mass spectrometer. Differences between the isotopic ratios in the subsurface ice and in atmospheric water could indicate whether or not the ice is ancient. Simply finding ground ice will provide ground-truth for the measurements made by orbiting spacecraft and will refine models of ice depth and of atmospheric-ice interactions in widespread areas of Mars that contain subsurface ice.

The Mars Foundation really appreciates Sara taking the time to respond to our questions, especially during this very busy time!

So how can you keep up with Phoenix events? Firstly, check out the Phoenix mission site (http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/index.php) and the regularly updated blogs by the mission control scientists (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/blogs/index.html)

Secondly, check out your local TV news listings for coverage of the event...

We look forward with anticipation for the message from Mars on Sunday, we will update MarsHome.org with news as we get it...

Water will be one of the most critical factors influencing any long-term manned mission to Mars. Will there be ample surface ice that can be mined and melted? Are there sub-surface aquifers colonists can "tap" into? Is there enough water vapour in the atmosphere that can be condensed and stored?

We've heard the possibilities of sending an advanced team of robots to extract and store atmospheric water, there are also plenty of ideas of how we could mine solid ice and subsurface supplies. But wait a minute, where would we search for this water? In what form can we expect it to be in? Has there been water existing on the surface in the past? All these questions (and a lot more besides) are beginning to be answered by the three spacecraft currently in orbit around the Red Planet. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Odyssey and ESA's Mars Express are all operational, looking down on Mars. But the MRO has a special device on board: The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM).

Dr Adrian Brown, SETI Institute principle investigator at the NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, is one of the scientists analysing the data being collected by CRISM and has kindly taken some time to talk with the Mars Foundation about his work... [more]

Dr Brown's interest in Mars was sparked after reading "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society. At the time Adrian was in the Royal Australian Navy sailing in Hawai'ian waters keeping an eye open for the "bad guys", but from this point on he became fascinated with the Red Planet and began looking for an alternative way to "win a small victory for mankind". It would appear he too fell for the allure of exploring Mars.

An Australian citizen, Brown moved to California after completing his PhD in Earth and Planetary Science at Macquarie University, in Sydney. His thesis was titled "Hyperspectral Mapping of Ancient Hydrothermal Systems". The CRISM project gave him the opportunity to expand on his PhD and work on analysing the icy Martian polar regions. He is currently studying the seasonal processes at the south pole of Mars. It is hoped that a quantitative analysis of the amount of water and CO₂ ice held on the surface and in the atmosphere may be derived.

Plentiful Water Ice

It appears the north polar region of Mars already has plenty of water ice to spare. According to Brown's estimate, the north pole can be thought of as a disk of near-pure water ice (including dirt from dust and other impurities) with a diameter of about 1000 km (620 miles) with a depth of 3 km (1.9 miles); that's a staggering volume of 2.35 million cubic kilometres – enough water to cover the continental US to a depth of over 200 meters.

The southern ice cap is a different story. It too holds a small disk of water ice (300 kilometers in diameter), only below a thin layer of CO₂ ice. Although small, this ice cap reaches 2 km (1.24 miles) in height, and ignoring the CO₂ and other impurities, there's about 140 thousand cubic km of pure water, enough to cover the continental US to a depth of 14 meters.

So, there's quite a lot of water then? To put this in perspective, Brown points out that this is about as much water held in the Greenland ice sheet, and 500 times less than the total volume of water in our oceans. At least we know there is a large potential source of water ice easily accessible on the surface for Mars colonies to mine.

Heating Permafrost and Aquifers

Dr Brown then indicates that there may be substantial quantities of water held below the surface too and highlights the Phoenix mission as a possible lander that could uncover more secrets about what lies beneath:

"In fact, we also know there is a large amount of permafrost in both poles, poleward of 60 degrees latitude, and we'll find out more about that reservoir when Phoenix lands there on 25 May. What we know now from the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector instruments on Mars Odyssey is that a large amount of water ice is trapped in the subsurface of the polar regions. For settlers willing to settle the flat wastes of Utopia Planitia, north of 60 degrees latitude, they will simply have to drill, heat, and repeat to get all the water they like. Phoenix will be the first robotic probe to try this strategy." - Dr Adrian Brown

There is also the possibility of finding liquid water under the surface. Brown points out the sporadic discharges of water around the warmer equatorial regions that may have created the gullies as observed by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC). These gullies may provide some clues as to where colonists may drill to seek out these aquifers.

Atmospheric Ice Crystals

But what about the water vapour in the atmosphere? CRISM actually wasn't designed to detect vapour in the atmosphere, but it can detect water ice crystals, which is useful as in polar regions water vapour will condense and freeze very quickly. So the work being carried out focuses on analysing atmospheric water ice and mapping it throughout the Mars seasons to see how it varies. This study may help to explain why the north polar region is more rich in water ice than the south.

When asked whether the atmospheric ice crystals would be useful to Mars colonists, Brown draws some parallels with some methods of extraction as commonly seen in science fiction:

"Absolutely - colonists would be able to use Martian [atmospheric] water, though of course it would be a far more precious resource than here on Earth. Think 'Arrakis' from Dune - stillsuits could be a normal part of the life of future Martian colonists. Water vapour and water ice clouds are a normal part of Martian seasons and they'd require distilling (think of Uncle Owen's vapour farm on Tatooine [in "Star Wars: A New Hope"]) but they may be a way for colonists far from the Tharsis or Elysium regions to collect water." - Dr Adrian Brown

Although the hunt and characterization of water on Mars is highly important, the CRISM instrument has many other accolades. Since beginning its operations in 2006, CRISM has discovered new phyllosilicate minerals on the surface, but the mission scientists are trying to understand how they got there in the first place. "These include kaolinite (chinaware is made of this mineral), talc (the main constituent of many soaps) and hydrated silica (perhaps like chert, which Indian knives were carved out from)," Brown continued, "the small amounts of these minerals means it has been impossible to discover them before CRISM, and previously they were discounted in all our modeling of Mars." Now it seems CRISM is beginning to rewrite the Mars history books as these minerals have been previously discounted.

Wrapping up our interview, I asked Adrian if he personally wanted to experience Mars, if so, what he would like to see the most:

"Of course I would love to travel to Mars, most of all to go to the polar regions and observe them with my own eyes. If I could actually go to the surface of Mars to investigate the fascinating geology of Nili Fossae and Valles Marineris, that would be so awesome. And to visit a gully site and dig behind it to try and find its source... and to witness the cold volcanoes of mud that erupt in the polar cryptic region during springtime... to go and understand these things that have us puzzled at the moment would be so amazing... and of course more questions would be raised, more geological problems unearthed, and the cycle of understanding the Red Planet would continue." - Dr Adrian Brown

I share his enthusiasm and I'm sure many Mars settlement advocates feel the same way. For me, I'd join Adrian for that trip to Vallis Marineris, the largest valley in the Solar System, and I too would be intrigued to really see where the source of the Mars gullies lead.

An inspiring insight to an incredible instrument orbiting Mars, so thank you Dr Brown for your time in answering my questions. If you are interested in Dr Brown's work and would like to read more, visit his project website (http://abrown.seti.org/index.html). You can also read more about the CRISM instrument at NASA's CRISM web site (http://crism.jhuapl.edu/).

Richard was passionate about helping people, obviously as a doctor. But, I knew him for his work in helping people move beyond the Earth, to open up new opportunities for the next generations on the next world, Mars, and beyond.

Richard was instrumental in the Mars Homestead project. He helped design our first Mars Settlement design, now called the Hillside Settlement, especially the medical facilities. He was very interested and knowledgeable, such as on the effects of radiation and gravity. And, he helped support the Mars Foundation and its Mars Homestead effort is several other ways, when it was most needed.

I had first met Richard through the Mars Society; he was especially active in the Political task force. His health was already not good, when we met. It took significant effort for him to travel, yet he loved to attend Mars and Space conferences to learn and spread his knowledge to others. I remember him as passionate, and as energetic as he was able to be given his health.

Richard also had good stories to tell from his past, I wish I had known Richard when he was younger.

Here is a photo of Richard (on right), explaining something to Matt Bowes, at a conference in 2004:
http://www.marshome.org/images2/displayimage.php?pos=-1527

Richard is 2nd from the right, in both of these photos of some of the members of the Mars Homestead programming team:
http://www.marshome.org/images2/displayimage.php?pos=-1794
http://www.marshome.org/images2/displayimage.php?pos=-1894

We don’t have an image of Richard’s work, but he laid out a medical room for the Mars Hillside Settlement, which is just around the corner to the left in this interior view (by Phil Smith):
http://www.marshome.org/images2/displayimage.php?pos=-3420

A service was held Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at 1:30 edt, in Boynton Beach, Florida. Richard resided in Atlanta and Florida.

- A message from Bruce Mackenzie, Co-Founder, Mars Foundation

"For thousands of years, the human race has spread out across the Earth, scaling mountains and plying the oceans, planting crops and building highways, raising skyscrapers and atmospheric CO2 levels, and observing, with tremendous and unflagging enthusiasm, the Biblical injunction to be fruitful and multiply across our world's every last nook, cranny and subdivision." - Virgle mission statement

So it is for this reason we should think about a "Plan B", leave Earth and settle on Mars:

"An invitation. Earth has issues, and it's time humanity got started on a Plan B. So, starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars." - Virgle mission statement

Virgle's main priority is to assemble a team of volunteers (you could apply online after filling out a light-hearted questionnaire) to create the first manned mission to Mars. But this manned mission would have one fundamental difference: it would be funded by two multi-billion dollar corporations. I mean, it's not hard to believe that a company might have an interest in space; Virgin Galactic is currently building their Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo for fee-paying customers to fly tourists into space by 2009. For a cool $200,000 you can reserve your ticket into space - Virgin has already sold tens of millions of dollars-worth of tickets.

Virgil is different, you can volunteer to help out, the "average man" can climb on board and be sent to Mars to help establish a Mars base... but hold on, there's a problem. It's April 1st, Google are known for their jokes, but surely Richard Branson isn't in on it as well? Yes, actually he is.

April Fools was alight with subtle jokes, elaborate pranks and untrue news with a serious edge, but the Virgle stunt was probably the biggest. I even had a go on the Universe Today space news website with a Mars-based article: "NASA to Burn Sponsor Logos on Mars", but it wasn't quite as elaborate as the Virgle project...

But is it actually that far fetched? The Mars Foundation has advanced designs for temporary and permanent bases, we are already in the advanced planning a designing phases. Our Hillside Base is in its final stages and our forthcoming Plains Base will be announced soon. Perhaps Google and Virgin have done something rather clever... could this be the biggest anti-April Fools ever? Read on...

Interestingly, when reading the faked "error page", one word in particular stands out: "Yet."

I don't think we should get too carried away in the hope that some incarnation of Virgle is being planned, but one can't help but wonder whether this corporate spearheading of manned exploration has actually been discussed. The Virgle prank is almost too clever. Watching the videos below, Richard Branson gives a spine-tingling, polished rundown about what he expects from such an audacious project:

Google's co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are obviously enjoying the prank as they giggled through their not-so-polished presentation:

The fact remains that the Mars Foundation and other established organizations are planning advanced settlement designs. Perhaps all we need are the likes of Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Richard Branson to fund a permanent human presence on another planet after NASA has developed the technology to get us there...

As for Virgle:

Many a true word hath been spoke in jest.
[c 1665 in Roxburghe Ballads (1890) VII. 366]

April 1st, 2008

News Flash: Richard Branson and Google are asking for volunteers to settle Mars. Quoting Google and Branson: "Starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars."

Glad that Richard agrees with us, as soon as he has Virgin Galactic flying tourists to space, he will be thinking of Mars (hopefully not just on April 1st). We already have the 'Mars Homestead' plan ready for them at MarsHome.org

See www.google.com/virgle and videos in 'Read More' Please note this was released on April 1st. - Bruce Mackenzie

www.google.com/virgle

www.youtube.com/projectvirgle

www.google.com/press/pressrel/20080401_virgle.html

Please note this was released on April 1st, which is a special day for certain people. View the web sites now, as it might be removed after April 1st.

In a flurry of activity over the last six months, the Mars Foundation has stepped up a gear and hope 2008 will be a successful period for developing our "Mars Homestead" designs. The Hillside Settlement design, our flagship concept, is currently doing the rounds in national conferences and remains our primary focus. The Plains Settlement project began development in 2007 and the Foundation hopes to formalize some final designs over the coming months (we will keep you posted on developments). Also, we have developed some exciting new collaborations and begun new work with individuals from around the globe. We now have a broad spectrum of specialists ranging from computer aided designers (CAD), architects, graphic designers, physicists, geochemists, biologists, software engineers, project managers to structural engineers; complementing our broad base of enthusiasts, contributors and donors. Although we have an amazing team so far, we always need more contributors from all facets of society. After all, settling humankind on Mars will be a global effort, involving not only the companies and agencies with money to spend, but will come down to individual willingness to aid our development as a race on the Red Planet.

If you want to get involved with the Mars Homestead Project, please contact us, detailing your interests and skills. We will be delighted to have you on board!

If you are in the position to become a donor and support to our Mars settlement design concepts, we would be overjoyed to hear from you. Please visit our Donations Page for more information.

Announcements

May 25-28: Join us at The International Space Development Conference (ISDC)!
This annual meeting of the National Space Society (NSS) will take place in Dallas, Texas on May 25-28. Speakers will include John Carmack (Armadillo Aerospace); astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Rusty Schweickart, and Shannon Lucid; Steve Squyres (principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission); author Ben Bova; Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin and many more.

See several technical tracks, exhibits, space hardware and interact with the largest groups of space industry leaders, trendsetters, activists and supporters in recent memory. For additional information and to register visit: isdc.NSS.org/2008.

The Mars Foundation is an affiliate of ISDC. Drop by our Mars Foundation/Mars Homestead table during breaks, and say hi. If you would like to help at the table, describing Mars Settlement plans please send us a message.

See you there!

March 8th: Teenagers Learn about Living on Mars
A group of Middle School and High School students learned what it might be like to live in the first settlement on Mars. This was a presentation and lively discussion, lead by Bruce Mackenzie, at MIT, last Saturday (March 8th). It was part of the High School Studies Program (HSSP), run by the Educational Studies Program of MIT ESP.

Although we didn't take any photographs of the event, the image above shows one of the many topics discussed: how to grow food, whether to use soil based agriculture, or use a gravel-bed hydroponic system shown in the image. (The image is by Bryan Versteeg, for the Mars Foundation, and the Plains Settlement proposal.)

Bruce's next scheduled presentation and discussion group is planned for Saturday, March 22nd at MIT.

If you would like to lead similar discussions in your local schools, most schools welcome such offers. We can help you with materials to get discussion started, so contact us and we will reply as quickly as possible.

The Mars Encyclopaedia, Marspedia: Nearly 200 articles and counting!
If you would like to be involved in building the Marspedia™ wiki, the online Mars encyclopaedia resource, you can! Anybody who has an interest in Mars-related articles or Mars settlement can contribute, adding information on plans for future exploration, geology, science, fiction, legend, and history of the Red Planet.

This month's Marspedia featured article is "Greenhouses". Greenhouses will be of special significance to the future of any self-sustaining Mars colony. Without plants, manned settlements will not be able to farm and therefore thrive. Greenhouse technology will be critical to the wellbeing of a Mars colony, no matter what its size.

This Marspedia article was started in November 2007 and it continues to grow as Marspedia contributors continue to add new information and edit old text. Come and join us and help us enrich the web with this unique Mars-based collaborative resource!

Mars on the web...

Here are some stories with special significance to future Mars settlement causing a buzz on the Internet...

The question of sending mankind to Mars (or any other planet for that matter) has been hanging over us for generations. Only now, in the past few decades have we had the technology to send humans into space, almost routinely. Now, the time is getting close to not only send mankind to other planets, but for us to actually build an outpost on Mars. Naturally, the biggest issue facing mission planners is risk. The higher the risk, the lower the likelihood of mission success. In a thought provoking interview with ex-NASA engineer Jim McLane by Nancy Atkinson on the Universe Today space news website, many of these issues are addressed. McLane discusses how a one-man, one-way mission may address some of these issues, citing the "spirit of the lone eagle" as being the ultimate, but necessary sacrifice. As you can guess, this superb article caused quite a stir in the science blogs...

Next up, the ultimate observation of a "real time" geological event was observed last week by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Looking down, hundreds of miles above the surface, the MRO High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) captured a series of Mars avalanches happening along an escarpment in the north polar region. This event has never been captured before, giving HiRISE scientists a superb opportunity to analyse what triggered this event and understand how active Mars geology actually is. In a Mars settlement perspective, this will have massive implications for site planning of Mars settlements – keeping clear of escarpment cliff faces will surely be a priority!

And the next mission to arrive at Mars will be the Phoenix Mars Mission, descending to the surface in May this year. In a show of international collaboration, ESA's Mars Express will help out NASA's two orbiters (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey) on welcoming the speeding Phoenix into the Martian atmosphere. Acting as a backup to the NASA orbiters, the Mars Express will provide some essential communications to the lander. The Phoenix lander is intended to look for life on Mars and to "scout" for possible landing sites for future manned missions. Phoenix continues to be the Mars Foundation's "Featured Mars Mission".

Finally, bad news for the hope of finding liquid water just under the surface of Mars. As previously reported on MarsHome.org, the discovery of what looked like gullies recently carved out by a sudden rush of water gave hope that Mars may still have underground supplies of liquid water. Unfortunately, analyses of suspected liquid water channels appear to show the gullies were actually carved out by dry debris flow (i.e. small landslides). Finding a source of water to supply Mars colonies just got harder...

If you have any news you think we might be interested in, please send us a message and we'll feature your news item, or space blog.

The Mars Foundation™ is proud to announce the launch of Marspedia, a collaborative Mars-based wiki. Marspedia will be an encyclopedia-like reference website for facts on the Red Planet, plans for Mars exploration, settlement, geology, science, technology, history, art, literature and people. Developed and maintained by members of The Mars Foundation, The Moon Society, The Mars Society and the National Space Society, Marspedia is ready for an injection of articles, news, facts and stories from internet contributors. Marspedia utilizes the MediaWiki™ software (originally developed for the revolutionary Wikipedia website*) and is proving to be an invaluable tool for like-minded Mars enthusiasts to share information and collaborate on projects.

Marspedia is one of a succession of sites intended for the promotion, development and sharing of ideas based around manned exploration and settlement of Mars and the Moon. Lunarpedia is the established Moon-based wiki and sister site to Marspedia. Also, Exodictionary (a space dictionary), Exoplatz (general space articles) and Scientification (a science-fiction wiki) are undergoing development by the same team.

You can help!
Want to contribute to the future of manned exploration of the Red Planet? Go to Marspedia.org and browse the categories. You can add and edit categories and create new articles about... well, anything! As long as you have an interest in Mars, have something to say and want to contribute, start now!

Discussion groups
The Mars Foundation is proposing regular discussion sessions via telephone conferences and email. Contact us for more information or keep an eye on this news feed for announcements. In time, it is also hoped that a forum will be created for Marspedia enthusiasts to debate issues and discuss Marspedia-related topics. We look forward to seeing you soon.

*Marspedia.org is in no way affiliated with Wikipedia.org.

The Hillside Settlement is to be built with semi-automated mining & manufacturing equipment, with 12 people on the surface to supervise and repair equipment. It would then house the 12 people and be enlarged for an additional dozen people (mostly scientists) every 2 years. Our 'cost' estimate is 250 tons delivered to the surface, which happens to be the same launch cost as for the Design Reference Mission for 3 round trip missions for 6 people each; but the "Hillside Settlement" gives you a permanent base for the same cost.

To see the Hillside Settlement images in our Image Gallery, the site plans and renderings are at http://www.marshome.org/images2/thumbnails.php?album=90 and Phil Smith has beautiful sketches at http://www.marshome.org/images2/thumbnails.php?album=79. Note that the illustration in the magazine does not reflect the Hillside Settlement's site plan, greenhouse design, vault arrangement, etc.

If you would like to participate in more detailed design of a Mars Settlement or a specific technology, let us know. We also could especially use help for certain administrative items. Send an e-mail to "Info (at) MarsHome.org" with "wish to help with …" in the subject line.

If you found us because you read the article, let us know by sending an e-mail to "Info (at) MarsHome.org" with "Ad Astra" in the subject line.

The article is on pages 32 to 35 of the Fall 2007 "Ad Astra" issue, the issue with "Space 2057…" on the magazine cover. Thanks to Bart Leahy, the volunteer author of the article, and author of other papers for the Mars Foundation. The article was partly based on interviews with myself, Bruce Mackenzie, address: Bruce (at) MarsHome.org .

The Mars Foundation has informal ties to NSS, and is in the process of an official affiliation. For more info about the National Space Society, or to join the NSS and receive the "Ad Astra" magazine, see NSS.org .

But, inside the hab, the smell of iron and sulfur on your hands, surrounded by plastic and aluminum, a deep feeling of homesickness and disorientation is distracting you from this historic achievement…

The human need for familiarity and aesthetic pleasures will be amplified for the first explorers of Mars, lack of which may cause depression, mental anxiety and physical stress. Primarily, this will cause problems for mission operations, but on a deeper level, rooted insecurities may cause irreversible damage to the embryonic Mars community.

At a time when basic human needs are being researched by the Mars Homestead Project™, a design of a Martian garden won gold at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London last week. The annual event, organized by the UK's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), is attended by the best designers, gardeners and specialists worldwide, so this award is especially significant for future manned exploration of the Red Planet. The designer, Sarah Eberle, created her garden ("600 Days with Bradstone" – named after the hypothetical 600 days of an astronaut’s first mission to Mars and the sponsor, Bradstone) with the "psychological importance of man’s relationship with his environment" in mind.

"We had to make many assumptions, but everything in the garden is based on real science."
– Sarah Eberle

The designer and her team researched the science behind future manned settlements on Mars and drew up a list of important characteristics a Martian garden must have. The team liaised with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the British Science Museum for eight years to arrive at a garden that could be worked into the design of Mars habitats considering the psychological effects of spending long periods in space. Assuming a domed structure, the garden features plants that will be familiar to the settlers to give them a “sense of home” and uses rocks similar to those that could be excavated on Mars.

"You have to consider colour, water and plant longevity. Also, how would someone feel for 600 days in space? I thought the feeling of seeing something growing would be most important."
- Sarah Eberle

Besides creating a refuge for the men and women in the Mars settlement, the garden may be used to cultivate food and provide water, all adding to the sense of well-being the settlers will need. In the long-term, life support systems will need to be supplemented or superseded by natural sources, therefore gardens such as this will be a vital addition to any hab to produce oxygen and other essential substances for use in medicines and construction (see Bamboo and plastic bench concept). The RHS award site states: "Planting has been chosen based on research that suggests the varieties could be grown on Mars; plants include, coffee, wheat and olive oil for diet and opium, poppy and aloha for medicinal needs." Luxuries such as chocolate may be synthesised by growing carob. Calendula - for color, nutrition and medicine - may also be produced.

An interesting addition is the water geyser in the center of the garden. Based on an Alaskan model, permafrost below the Mars garden will be gently heated, producing an up flow of liquid water. A fine mist will add to the scene and the up flowing water can be fed through a system of pipes, irrigating the garden. An aesthetically pleasing and practical feature.

"It brings it all home why I go through this torture and pain, for such a sweet moment as this, I tell my daughters never to stop dreaming, because sometimes your dreams really do come true." – Sarah Eberle

Imagine. After a grueling day hiking over the alien landscape, maintaining mankind’s presence on Mars, you return to your hab exhausted. You enjoy a hot meal prepared from fresh vegetables and herbs. You make your way into the garden to relax and chat about the day’s events with your team, listening to splashing water and smelling the terrestrial flowers coming into bloom…

For more information on this achievement:

• Sarah's Space Log
• "600 Days with Bradstone" garden information
• "600 Days with Bradstone" project site
• ESA project site

A top priority of future manned missions to Mars will be to find a source of water. In the case of Mars, ice is obvious on the surface in the southern polar cap, but does water exist elsewhere below the seemingly barren red soil where future settlements will be located?

The use of water extends far beyond the obvious human need to drink. Water is also essential for fuel, air, food, plant growth (hydroponics), a source of H₂ for polymer/plastic fabrication, industrial process, domestic living (i.e. washing, cleaning) and esthetics in permanent hab in any future settlement that will rely on local acquisition of materials and supplies.

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have launched an armada of highly successful missions to hunt for Martian water and ice. From the detailed mapping of polar ice in the south pole by ESA's Mars Express mission (pictured above) to the discovery of the possibility of liquid water sporadically flowing on the surface by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor mission (pictured below), there appears to be remote observations of the existence of present-day sub-surface water.

As NASA's first "Mars Scout Class" lander, the Phoenix mission is designed to gather data specifically for future manned missions of the Red Planet. It is due for launch August 2007 and has two bold mission objectives:

"1) Study the history of water in the Martian arctic and 2) search for evidence of a habitable zone and assess the biological potential of the ice-soil boundary." - Mission site

A primary goal of the mission will be to understand the soil chemistry. These data will be a critical resource to future human explorers and will give information on how water may be acquired from the planet. Also, an understanding of soil and the permafrost layers will be critical to the design of permanent structures and habitation foundations.

The Mars Foundation™ will be watching this mission closely, in the hope of enhancing our established Hillside Settlement and new Mars Plains Settlement blueprints. With improved knowledge of the Martian landscape comes improved designs of advanced habitats, the Phoenix will hopefully start to pave the way to human exploration of Mars.

Further reading:

• The University of Arizona mission site.
• Phoenix Robotic Arm (RA) instrumentation and experiment objectives (table)
• The JPL mission site.
• Lockheed Martin news item on Phoenix.
• Article - Some implications on the colonization of Mars
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