From announce at marshome.org Wed Sep 1 14:56:45 2004 From: announce at marshome.org (announce@marshome.org) Date: Wed Sep 1 14:58:06 2004 Subject: [MarsHome] Welcome to the Mars Homestead Project! Message-ID: <41361B6D.5060403@jburk.com> You have been added to the Announcements mailing list for the Mars Homestead Project. Welcome! You may have signed up at a recent conference or on our website at MarsHome.org. The Mars Homestead Project seeks to develop a unified plan for building the first habitat on Mars using local materials. The ultimate goal of the project is to build the first permanent settlement on Mars, allowing civilization to spread beyond the limits of our small planet. In case you missed it, we received our first press coverage from Wired News back in June. Both of our co-founders were interviewed for the article, and we have a link to the story as well as an archived copy on our website. Our planning efforts are already well underway after a "kickoff" meeting last month at MIT. Phase 1 planning documents are expected to be complete in November, and a unified plan for the first permanent habitat on Mars is expected in the first half of 2005. Once that is complete, the Project will undertake more detailed planning and begin to plan & build a prototype research base here on Earth. We will work with other space advocacy groups to accomplish our goals, and will offer a set of prototyping projects suitable for local chapters and small groups to work on. One of our goals is to expand the membership of all space advocacy groups. We are seeking interested scientists and professionals in many fields, and right now we have a special need for those experienced with Instrumentation and Control (I&C) and Information Technology (for the habitat's communication, data collection, & IT resource organization) If you possess this experience and have some time to volunteer, please get in touch with us using the "Contact Us" page on the website or the email address info@marshome.org Non-professionals can also help out, those interested in "brainstorming" discussions can join a discussion group that is open to anybody. Check out the "Discussion Groups" link on the webpage. Those who would like to volunteer to help maintain the website and work on other public outrach materials can join the Communications team by getting in touch with us via the "Contact Us" page or email to info@marshome.org. We will continue to use this list for announcements on the project to update you on our progress. Thanks for your interest in the Mars Homestead Project! James Burk Mars Homestead Project webmaster@marshome.org / jb@jburk.com From jb at jburk.com Fri Sep 10 14:56:54 2004 From: jb at jburk.com (James Burk) Date: Fri Sep 10 14:58:03 2004 Subject: [MarsHome] Press Release: New Project To Design, Build A Home On Mars Message-ID: <4141F8F6.3060307@jburk.com> To all members & friends of the Mars Homestead Project: Today we are submitting this press release to several media outlets, announcing that the Project has formed, enumerating our goals & schedule, and reporting on current progress. ================================================================= Press Release Date: September 10, 2004 Source: Mars Homestead Project - MarsHome.org New Project To Design, Build A Home On Mars Cambridge, Massachusetts ? Over the past summer, a new non-profit organization was formed and began a systematic effort to design and build the first permanent habitat on the planet Mars. The Mars Homestead Project, located online at MarsHome.org, is composed of a group of scientists, engineers, and Mars enthusiasts who share a common vision of the eventual human settlement of the red planet. Leading the effort are two talented individuals: Mark Homnick is a retired project manager and facility developer with over twenty years of experience at Intel and AT&T. Bruce Mackenzie is a tireless space activist and was one of the original members of the Mars Underground in the 1980s. Mackenzie's concepts for brick masonry structures built from local materials were featured in Robert Zubrin's The Case for Mars and Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, and he brings a background as Executive Director for the Mars Society and a member of the leadership team for the National Space Society. Joining Homnick and Mackenzie are a growing corps of scientists and professionals in the fields of Structural, Mechanical, Electrical and Materials Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture and Nutrition, Systems Integration, Project Management, Public Outreach, Data & Telecommunications, Mars Geology, Space Transportation and other fields in science, engineering, and management. Non-professionals are welcomed to join a growing "brainstorming" email list and to volunteer to help with organizational tasks for the Project and its efforts. Already over a thousand Mars enthusiasts have expressed their interest in the goals of the Project by signing up at events and on the Project's website. The first "Project Kickoff" meeting was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in early August, and focused the team on a multi-phased approach. While the Project has no formal relationship with the university, two MIT faculty serve as advisors and several MIT students are contributing to the Project. Phase 1, now underway, will endeavor to create an initial design concept and draft manufacturing plan, which are expected in early November. The Project's initial concept study for the first permanent base on Mars is due to be completed by the first half of 2005. After this initial concept study is complete, the team will begin more detailed planning and begin work towards a full-scale prototype research base located on Earth. The Project will also undertake small-scale "Prototyping" projects, which could provide opportunities for space advocacy organizations and their local chapters to assist the Project in researching and building the components for a permanent Mars base. In the near future, the Project expects to undertake formal joint efforts with these groups, and one goal of the Project is to help expand the membership of all space advocacy groups. Ultimately, the Project's plan is to assist the human exploration and settlement of Mars with the goal of establishing a permanent, thriving colony on another world. The Project will strive to excite the public and will work with world space agencies to make our plans become a reality. The Mars Homestead Project: To Arrive, Survive, and Thrive! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- About the Mars Homestead Project Utilizing concepts and designs from the past several decades, the Mars Homestead Project seeks to develop a unified plan for building the first habitat on Mars utilizing local materials. The ultimate goal of the project is to build a growing, permanent settlement beyond the Earth, thus allowing civilization to spread beyond the limits of our small planet. The Project's website is located at www.MarsHome.org