Mars Society Australia will be holding its annual conference AMEC - the Australian Mars Exploration Conference - in Sydney on July 12-14, 2002. Undergraduate students are encouraged to submit a paper on issues which have direct or potential application to a future human mission to Mars or Mars related research. The winner will be invited to attend AMEC 2002 and have their award presented by Dr. Harrison Schmitt - Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist.
For more information click here.
News
New MarsSkin, Communications Homepages Launched
Wednesday, 23 January 2002
You can now follow the progress of the MSA's analogue space suit project MarsSkin and its communications projects on newly launched homepages. Project MarsSkin aims to design, produce and test analogue mechanical counter pressure (MCP) space suits which, when worn on Earth, will behave in a near identical fashion to those which may one day be worn on Mars. Communications projects underway include the satellite based SAFMARS (Store and Forward Mars Analogue Messaging System) project, Tools and Applications for Martian Exploration and Research (TAMER) being undertaken by the Software Engineering Research Centre...
Australian Participation in Mars Gravity Biosatellite Project
Tuesday, 15 January 2002
The University of Queensland will be participating in a landmark private space mission announced by the Mars Society (US). Known as the Translife Mars Gravity Biosatellite, the privately funded, pioneering mission will study the effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity on mammals, a vital step on the road to human exploration of Mars. Also participating in the project are MIT (Cambridge, MA) and the University of Washington (Seattle, WA).
Analogue Rover Project Moves to WA
Tuesday, 18 December 2001
The Mars Society Australia's analogue Mars rover project Marsupial is moving ahead, following the project's relocation to Fremantle, Western Australia. The design phase of the vehicle is nearing completion, after which time construction will commence at Byfield Engineering, at Riverton, WA. Find out more about the project on its newly updated homepage
HOP is currently seeking sponsorship to complete its internal fitout and for its testing phase. The Mars Society Australia is keen for its sponsors benefit from the extensive national media coverage the project has received to date, which has included prime time national television coverage.
If you would like to contribute in money or in kind, please contact Project Manager Dr Graham Mann.
HOP is currently seeking sponsorship to complete its internal fitout and for its testing phase. The Mars Society Australia is keen for its sponsors benefit from the extensive national media coverage the project has received to date, which has included prime time national television coverage.
If you would like to contribute in money or in kind, please contact Project Manager Dr Graham Mann.
New Museum Exhibition Focuses Attention on Mars Exploration
Wednesday, 12 December 2001
The opening of a new exhibition in Canberra on the search for the origin of life across the solar system has focused attention on Australian involvement in future human exploration of Mars, said Mars Society Australia President Guy Murphy yesterday.
To Mars and Beyond: Search for the Origins of Life opens at the National Museum of Australia on 13 December 2001 and continues until 26 May 2002. This exhibition features everything from astronaut Andy Thomas’ spacesuit to a piece of Mars rock, and visitors can even travel to Mars and across its red surface in a 3D virtual reality theatre styled to mimic the interior of a spaceship.
Click here to download the full press release.
European Conference
Friday, 7 December 2001
The Second European Convention of the Mars Society will be held 26-29 September in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. During this event internationally renowned scientists will meet interested laymen in a three day long festival of lectures, expositions, panel discussions, demonstrations and more informal activities. Topics covered will range from mission design to Mars survivial skills and from outreach strategies to arts and literature.
If you are interested in prsenting a paper, send an abstract of 300 words maximum as an email or word attachment to info@marssociety.nl.
For more information click here.
Analogue Rover Arrives in WA
Wednesday, 28 November 2001
The Mars Society Australia's analogue Mars rover project HOP (Human Operations Prototype) is moving ahead, with the the base vehicle delivered to Freemantle, Western Australia. The design phase of the vehicle is nearing completion, after which time construction will commence at Byfield Engineering, at Riverton, WA.
HOP is currently seeking sponsorship to complete its internal fitout and for its testing phase. The Mars Society Australia is keen for its sponsors benefit from the extensive national media coverage the project has received to date, which has included prime time national television coverage.
If you would like to contribute in money or in kind, please contact Project Manager Dr Graham Mann.
HOP is currently seeking sponsorship to complete its internal fitout and for its testing phase. The Mars Society Australia is keen for its sponsors benefit from the extensive national media coverage the project has received to date, which has included prime time national television coverage.
If you would like to contribute in money or in kind, please contact Project Manager Dr Graham Mann.
Significant SAFMARS Milestone Achieved
Wednesday, 14 November 2001
The SAFMARS project has achieved a significant milestone with the development of a high-level design for the satellite ground stations that will be used in future Mars-analogue research as part of Operation Red Centre.
Click here for more information.
Click here for more information.
Project Jarntimarra - Mission Accomplished
Wednesday, 14 November 2001
Follow the course of the highly successful Starchaser sponsored Jarntimarra expedition to the red centre through the eyes of the participants! Read the travel logs from Jennifer Laing and Jason Hoogland on the JNT-1 expedition homepage. Also, see the newly updated photo gallery. Australia is now one step closer to having its own outback space research facility, to be used for testing equipment and technology which could help to send humans to Mars. Find out more by reading our latest press release (pdf) (0.06 Mb).
Email our Mars Experts in the Field!
Saturday, 3 November 2001
The Jarntimarra-1 field expedition currently in central Australia is composed of some leading experts in Mars related research, including:
- Dr Carol Stoker, NASA Ames Research Centre - Mars Pathfinder Scientist
- Dr Larry Lemke, NASA Ames Research Centre - Advanced projects engineer currently working on Mars airplane
- Prof Vic Gostin, University of Adelaide - Geology of central Australia, paleo-geology and meteorite impacts
- Dr Jonathan Clarke, Australian National University - Geology of central Australia, Mars geology
- Dr Graham Mann, Murdoch University - Robots for Mars and Mars missions
- Jason Hoogland - MSA technical programme including HOP, Marskin, SAFMARS,Mars-Oz, Jarntimarra, Operation Red Centre
- James Waldie, RMIT - Mechanical Counter Pressure suits
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