the mars quarterly astronaut and artist by chris carberry carberry: first, a general question. this...

The Mars Quarterly www.MarsSociety.org 1

The Mars Quarterly 2 Volume 1, Issue 3

We break new ground with this issueby offering both a print and digitaledition, and will expand our reach byproviding a complimentary print copyto each member of the U.S. Congressduring our Great 2009 Mars Blitz onJuly 30. History may well record thisdecade as pivotal in our reach for thestars. If you have not already signedup to participate in our march onCapitol Hill, please do so today.

In this issue we continue to offer ourreaders a blend of national andinternational opinion pieces, as well asarticles that provide the most up-to-date information available on the statusof humans to Mars. Our writers span avariety of professional affiliations, eachwith their own unique understanding ofthe urgent and compelling issuesaffecting the space industry.

We hope you enjoy the outstandingvisual content of this issue whichincludes the cover by Michael Carroll,centerfold by Greg Martin, and the artof Alan Bean, Ron Miller, and of course,the humor of Theresa McCracken. Weare indebted to these artists forallowing us to publish theirextraordinary work.

The Mars Society offers thispublication as part of its goal to providethoughtful leadership to the Marscommunity. We encourage our readersand contributors to continue thedialogues and debates framed by ourpages.

On to Mars!

Susan Holden Martin, [email protected]

The Summer of MarsBy Chris Carberry .........................3

An Interview with Alan BeanAstronaut and artistBy Chris Carberry .........................4

Readers' ForumCall for a Global Space Revolutionby Shaun Moss .............................8

Mars: A Personal Journeyby Hugh Downs ..........................12

Simplifying the Difficult by U.S. Rep. Pete Olson ............13

POSTER: "Chasma Borealis" by Greg Martin............................14

Of Time and MoneyBy Patricia Czarnik ......................16

York University Runs Away With the Title at URCBy Kevin F. Sloan ........................17

Passion: Don't Leave Home Without It!An Interview with Andrew ChaikinBy Chris Carberry .......................18

Settling the Solar SystemBy Gen. Simon "Pete" Worden ...22

The 2013 MAVEN Mission to Marsby Dr. Bruce Jakosky ..................26

From tthe FFlight DDeck

In TThis IIssueSummer 2009 - Volume 1, Issue 3

PublisherThe Mars SocietyHeadquarters11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit ALakewood, CO 80215 USAwww.MarsSociety.org

The Mars SocietyPresident..........................Robert ZubrinTreasurer..............................Gary FisherSecretary ...........................Sara SpectorExecutive Director..........Chris CarberryAccounts Receivable Director.............................................Patt CzarnikWebmaster...............................Alex KirkDirector, Public Relations ...Kevin SloanDirector of Membership .....Patt CzarnikDirector, International Relations ..............................Artemis Westenberg

The Mars QuarterlyEditor-in-Chief......Susan Holden [email protected] Director ...................Keith Keplinger,

Keplinger Designs, Inc.Contributing Editors ......Chris Carberry,

Artemis Westenberg, Josh Grimm,Blake Ortner, Byron Wiedeman,

Gus Scheerbaum, Jean Lagarde,Joseph Webster, Kevin Sloan,

Patt Czarnik, Alex Kirk

A Note to ReadersThe views expressed in articles are

the authors’ and not necessarily thoseof The Mars Quarterly, or The MarsSociety. Authors may have businessrelationships with the companies oragencies they discuss.

ReproductionThe Mars Quarterly is published

quarterly by The Mars Society,Lakewood, Colorado, USA. Volume 1,Issue 3; copyright 2009 The MarsSociety. Nothing herein containedmay be reproduced or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronicor mechanical, including photocopy,recording, or any information storageand retrieval system, without writtenpermission of The Mars Society.

Advertisers send email to [email protected]. Addressletters, general inquiries, or sendmember dues or charitable donationsto The Mars Society, PO Box 1312, BigPiney, WY 83113, USA. Please includeyour full name, address, and daytimephone number. The Mars Society is a501(c)(3) organization.

IN MEMORIAM

Mike FFlynn 1949 - 2009

Air Tanker Pilot/Wildland FirefighterHusband of Marilynn Flynn,

Tharsis Artworks

On the Cover: Michael Carroll’s exciting artwork, The 2009 Mars SocietyConvention Poster, is available for purchase at www.MarsSociety.org


The summer of 2009 has arrived andwe have reached the pivotal momentwe have been waiting for. PresidentObama is now in office and hisadministration will be making keydecisions concerning the future of thespace program as early as this year.The selection ofCharlie Boland asNASA Administratorand Lori Garver asDeputyAdministrator iscertainly a goodsign. In addition, theappointment ofNorm Augustine toreview NASA’shuman space flightprogram is reassuring as well.However, these decisions do notguarantee that the administration willdecide to choose an ambitious humanspace program. On the contrary, if thespace advocacy community does notstep up and demand something bold,we could very well remain imprisoned

in low earth orbit as we have been forover 35 years. As has been ourtradition since our founding, The MarsSociety plans to make every effortduring the remainder of 2009 andbeyond to rally support for humanmissions to Mars through meetings

with Congress, theAdministration andother decision-making and advisorybodies.

In addition to ourpolitical efforts, TheMars Society hopesto influence spacepolicy by ourexample. We are inthe midst of the

busiest year in our history. We areconducting a mission to our FlashlineMars Arctic Research Station (FMARS);we are running reinvigorated MDRSseasons; we will be conducting a highaltitude balloon drop later this year totest components of our tether gravitysatellite, TEMPO³; the University Rover

Challenge just completed its thirdannual competition; and The MarsSociety of Germany is making greatstrides forward with their Mars balloonproject, Archimedes. In addition, weare running our annual convention andintroducing the print version of TheMars Quarterly. All in all, not a badyear. If you ever wondered whetheryour donations and membership feeswere pout to good use, look at this list.I highly doubt you will find any otherspace advocacy group who has beenso productive in the same time period.

I hope all of you will join us at ourconference at the University ofMaryland and take part in our massiveMars Blitz. Although the currenteconomic climate may seem as thoughit might make our goals less likely, hardtimes can often create opportunity.Help us create this opportunity and joinus on Capitol Hill or call and write yourmembers of Congress and PresidentObama. One person can make adifference - imagine what thousands ofpeople can do!

The SSummer oof MMarsBy Chris Carberry

...The Mars Societyplans to make every

effort during theremainder of 2009 and beyond to rallysupport for human missions to Mars...


An IInterview wwith AAlan BBeanASTRONAUT AND ARTIST

By Chris Carberry

Carberry: First, a general question.This year is the 40th anniversary ofboth Apollo 11 and 12. What are yourgeneral thoughts on this anniversaryyear?

Bean: I just got back this last weekfrom Oklahoma City for the 40thanniversary of Apollo 10, and thenApollo 8 and 9 in San Diego, and thenApollo 7 up in Dallas. So, with the40th anniversary of each of these,we’ve gotten together and celebratedand remembered all the fun times wehad.

Carberry: Did you think we’d befurther along after 40 years?

Bean: What we were doing then - Ididn’t realize it then, but I do now - wewere going asfast as and far aswe couldtechnically. Wewere doing thebest that wecould. We werebuilding thelunar module.We were gettingto the moonwhich was ahuge giant step. So I imagined thatwe would keep doing that, and afterwe got to the moon, then we’d buildlittle bases. I remember thinking I’dsee people land on Mars in mylifetime. Now, maybe - maybe not - I’lljust see them in training preparing togo. I thought that America and theworld would keep moving along asfast as we could. Then when theycancelled Apollo 18-20, I began tothink, maybe we won’t do that.Perhaps cultures get tired of thinkingabout things after they’ve done themfor a while. They get tired aboutthinking about space. They may say,"Well, we’ve already been there. Let’sdo some other stuff." That’s whatseems to happen. There were 128years in the time between whenColumbus discovered America and

the Pilgrims came over. It just takestime to do these things. I’ve beenable to be more accepting of the factthat we’re not moving as fast as wecould, because I think this is whatcountries and cultures and peoplesdo.

Carberry: I agree that it is very easyto get into these kinds of ruts wheresociety is unwilling to push theboundaries, but sometimes changes ingovernments or moods can break usfree from these ruts. Do you think thechange of administration couldchange things - start accelerating theprogram?

Bean: Well, what I think it should doand what I think it will do are two

entirely differentmatters. I wouldlike to see peoplestart movingahead as fast aswe could - toexplore - exploreMars. If you askme, I’d say skipthe moon. I don’tknow what wecould do there

differently. We could do a millionthings there, but I would be moreinterested in going directly to Mars.But I don’t see us getting the moneyto do it. In fact, I don’t see us gettingthe money to go back to the moon foranother 50-60 years. I want us to do alot of stuff, but I don’t see it, because itis money and you’re not going to - inmy opinion - convince the President orCongress or the American people tospend the kind of money to do thosekinds of jobs. I just think that’s theway it is. We Americans in the spacebusiness imagine this ideal world.You and I are imagining this idealworld right now: that we do what wewant to do and follow the ideas thatwe have. I’m out speaking to peopleseveral times a month and they’re notinterested, really. They’re interested

in stories about the moon, but they’renot at all interested about spendingany money. We’re interested, thepeople reading your magazine areinterested; the guys that I got togetherwith this past weekend and at pastevents are; but we’re just a smallminority of the country. I don’t see usgoing back to the moon for another50-60 years, but what do I know. Doyou see Obama coughing up anymoney to send us back to the moon?Do you really?

Carberry: Perhaps as a result of thestimulus plans or do you think foreigncompetition could motivate Obama?Do you think we should stay in thelead?

Bean: Yeah, we are in the lead.Nobody is even close to us. That’sone of the problems that we’ve got -nobody is even in the game comparedwith the United States. It’s just a lot oftalk - China, maybe they’re going todrop something, but they haven’tdone squat. India hasn’t doneanything - Russia doesn’t do anythinganymore. We’re it. We’re in first andthat’s one of the reasons whyAmericans don’t want us to doanything. We’re already ahead. Wewon the race in people’s minds. Whyshould we spend any more money onit? We’re already ahead. Don’t get mewrong -- I’m on your side. I’m on theside of the readers of your magazine,but I don’t see it out there and I amnot going to sit here and say Obama’sgoing to give us money, that peopleare going to see the errors of theirways and realize the benefits ofexploration and all that. I wish theywould, but I just don’t see ithappening.

Carberry: To shift gears away frompolitics, what was your firstimpression when you stepped ontothe moon? Your paintings are brightand vibrant. Did you see somethingthat doesn’t translate in the

...We were going as fast as and far as we

could technically. We were doing the best that we could.

photographs and film?Bean: I didn’t have anything

philosophical. I didn’t think "this iswonderful" or "this is a small step forman . . ." that was Neil’s job. I wasthinking of getting on my "cuffchecklist and getting down to businessto do the things that I was trained todo and trying to take a few minutes toget my balance.That was on mymind - "I hope I canget my balance soonso I can do mywork." "In tenminutes I’ve got todig a ditch", etc. So Iwas mostly thinkingof the prosaic part ofspaceflight, which isdoing the job thatyou’ve been sentthere to do - makethe observations -deploy theexperiments - collectthe appropriaterocks. That was onmy mind.

Carberry: Doesn’tsound like you werelooking around withan artist’sperspective at thetime. In retrospect,was it more colorfulthan peopleperceived it - as yourpaintings depict, ordo you take artisticlicense?

Bean: Well, it iswhat you have to dowhen you become an artist. I startedthis 28 years ago. I’ve been gonefrom NASA that long and I’ve beenworking hard every day. At first whenI left, I was an astronaut that wastrying to learn to paint and totransition to becoming an artist. So, ifyou look at my early paintings, you’llsee that moon is pretty grey. In fact, ifI tried the paintings that I do now, then- if I had had the skill then - I wouldnot have accepted the colors that I usenow. I would have thought "this isn’tthe moon" -- this isn’t right. I

approached it as an astronaut with ascientist’s mind. The moon is grey -there isn’t any color up there. The skyis black - kind of a patent leather shinyblack. If a black rock gets enoughlight on it, it can look white, but thereare no colors in it. It doesn’t changeto yellow or blue or violet. Theshadows were grey - very dark. As

the years have passed, and I’vebecome more of an artist and I thinkmore as an artist - as I do now - I don’tthink of myself as an astronautanymore. I think of myself as an artistwho was an astronaut 28 years ago.Now I am an artist. As I became moreof an artist, I began to want to makethings look more than what I thoughtwould look interesting; moreemotionally related to what we saw --that was more fun to look at; morebeautiful to look at. I didn’t know allthese things when I left NASA, even

though I had studied art at night foryears. So, I was involved in art, butI’d always been a pilot or somethinglike that, but when I started to changeover, I began to see things differently -not physically - but emotionally andmentally.

I went over to see Giverny, whereMonet painted his water lilies and

other things. As Ilooked at themscientifically, theywere just greenleaves in a dirtypond - just likeeverywhere else. Ialso went to Rouen,where he did thosebeautiful cathedrals.Before sunrise, Istood there in themorning - he did themorning ones there -and they’re beautifulviolets and greensand all thesedifferent colors. Ijust stood there andlooked at it. It’s graygranite as it is anyother time of day. Ikept coming back tothis place at all timesduring the day tolook. I kept saying,"why does he keepseeing all thesecolors?" Well, thatwas kind of an eyeopener. He didn’tsee any colorsdifferent than youand me. We knowthat people can be

color blind and not see as manycolors, but nobody around sees abunch of colors when they’re notreally there. It is just not a scientificfact. By the way, when I tell this storyto art people - art historians -- they getpissed off, because they still believethat he looked at that gray cathedraland saw all those beautiful colors. Iguarantee that my eyes at that timewere as good as they get, and thecathedral was gray. That’s not the jobof the artist. An artist could reproduceit and he did. Some of his early



Rouen cathedrals are gray. A few ofhis early Givernys look just like thegarden or just like the lily pond. Lateron he likely said to himself, I’m goingto make this more beautiful. I’m anartist, not a scientist. I’m going tomake this thing more interesting tolook at - more beautiful - more texture.So I’m going to make it like I think itought to be, like I want it to be - morebeautiful. That’s what I do. I’m anartist now. I’m not a scientistanymore. I’m working on a painting ofNeil and Buzzright now - sowhen I’mpainting, I’mthinking "I wantto make this looklike Neil andBuzz, but the shadows on their suits . .. I think I’m going to make theshadows lighter blue - maybe putsome greens in there - and make itmore beautiful." It will still be Neil andBuzz. They’ll still be two guys on themoon, but it will be more beautiful tolook at. That is what art is all about.Art is about visuals. It is not ascience. And I’m a different guy now.

To answer your question, if youwant to see what the moon lookedlike, look at the beautiful photographsthat we took. If you get one that’sneutral gray - that’s it. That’s how itlooked up there. Beautiful, but my jobas an artist is not to reproduce that,but reproduce what I liked about it.What I thought would be beautiful.Artists do not understand engineersand astronauts - I guarantee it and Ihave a lot of artist friends. Engineersand astronauts don’t understandartists - because they’re different.They think differently. They havedifferent goals in their lives. That’s theanswer. I make these things asbeautiful as I can think to make them.Sometimes I over do it. I’ve got somepaintings that I’m looking at now onmy wall and I over did it. I’m sorrythat I did them in those colors,because if I could do them now andchange the colors, they would bebetter. But, at that moment, in thatyear, that’s the way I wanted them tolook. Boy, they’re beautiful, no doubtabout it. I’m looking at one of Pete

Conrad. Pete was happy guy - awonderful guy - all the time. Neverhad a down day. Never complained.One of the things he did when he wasfeeling especially good - which wasabout once a week - was jump up andclick his heals together. He did that onthe moon in his space suit, and Ipainted him that way - but I’ve got thesky blue and the ground a kind of redviolet, because those are my favoritecolors. By the way, Monet painted theRouen Cathedral in those same colors.

That’s where Igot the idea.Those exactcolors and theRouen Cathedral- as I mentionedbefore - is gray.

So, I’m looking at Pete’s suit right nowand there is a cool green, blues, someviolet, red, every color of the rainbowin that guy’s suit. Of course they reallyweren’t, but I can do that . . . I’m anartist. It’s a different way of thinkingabout things.

Carberry: Sounds like you’reapplying your emotions to thepainting…

Bean: That’s exactly right. Thispainting of Pete is like what I thinkabout of him. It is a great picture ofPete, but it doesn’t really look like hedid there. Often, I’ll put a warm colorin the foreground - like a yellow or anorange. It’s hot up there. If you paintneutral gray, it doesn’t look hot - itlooks kind of cool. You’ve got allthese elements at work. Sometimes Isay that I’m going to make the moonmore yellow because I just want it tolook warmer and then I’ll be able towork in some greens and blues. It willstill look like the moon, but it will lookmore beautiful. I wish the moon hadlooked like that, but it didn’t, but I’man artist - I can make it look like that. Ienjoy being an artist and I enjoy doingthese things, but it is not science - andit has taken me a number of years tochange myself so that when I didthese they seemed beautiful. I nevercould have done those paintings earlyon because I wouldn’t have acceptedthem. My mind would have made memake the shadows gray and the moon

gray/brown, and the sky black - andthat is what my early paintings looklike.

Carberry: Do you see a role forpeople with artistic training in futuremissions to the Moon and Mars, andelsewhere?

Bean: I think one of the things thatwe need to do is prioritize when westart doing things that are very riskyand expensive. The exploration ofMars - one day - will be very risky andvery expensive. So you’ve got toprioritize the type of person that youare sending there. I don’t think anartist is necessary at all. I think ageologist, engineers, and scientisttypes are necessary, because we aretrying to explore and see what wemay be able to do with it. Then, whenthe next wave comes we will be ableto decide whether or not to sendartists. Don’t forget, we have greatphotography now, great TV, muchbetter than when we went to themoon. So all those elements can besolved without an artist, but I thinkeventually that artists will go there.You could look at Antarctica and saylet’s take a look at the people whowere sent down to Antarctica in earlyyears -- see what their backgroundwas. I’d bet their background was thesame kind of background as in earlyApollo and late Apollo. Then, maybeafter a while, someone like an artistcan go, like with the shuttle, sending acouple of teachers up. They taughtthem to go EVA and they did a goodjob. Well, I think that’s the way Marsis going to be, and I think what mypaintings do is celebrate this greathuman achievement which is Apollo.One of the greatest things thathumans did -- advancing the state ofthe art of technology of the Earth andthen its "We Come in Peace for AllMankind" and all those things -celebrate that. Then as time passed Irealized that these are the firstpaintings of a world other than theEarth - period. Every other piece ofart that you’ve seen - except mine - isof this Earth. Mine are of anotherworld - and mine is of one human’sview as we go to a new world.

When we go to Mars one day thesite will look a little different, the

Art is about visuals. It is not a science.


landing module will look a littledifferent, the rover will look a littledifferent, but the people will be doingthe exact same thing that we’re doing-- they’ll be taking pictures, they’ll bedigging trenches to get informationfrom beneath the top soil, they’ll bepicking up rocks. All those things thatwe do are things that we’ll do whenwe go to the moons of Jupiter - orwhen we go out to another star. Thisis what humans need to do tounderstand where they are. Then theywill come home and maybe some ofthem will do art. Maybe some willwrite a little poetry - who knows!These are paintings of what peopledid. You know the early West? Peoplewent out and painted the GrandCanyon and painted Yellowstone andpainted the Indians, and paintedcowboys later - and you look at themand it is not exactly like it really was.In Moran’s Grand Canyon ofYellowstone, Yellowstone doesn’t lookexactly like that. The paintings arebetter. They’re more interesting tolook at. Nature is not harmonized incolor. People talk about nature all the

time. If you were to compose apainting to look exactly like nature,you wouldn’t be considered a goodartist. They’d look at it and say,"That’s not very pretty. Green treesdon’t necessarily go with red rocks oranything like that." I know that’salmost blasphemy because people goaround and say how wonderful natureis. Well, nature is wonderful. Wewouldn’t be here without it. But,nature’s job is not to create beautifulpaintings, where an artist’s job is.These things you don’t think aboutwhen you are an engineer. You don’tthink about these when you’re a writer.As an artist, you begin to think aboutthese things. You paint a beautifulvista verbatim - and it sure isn’t a verypretty picture - I like Monet’s better. Ifyou look at Monet and go where hewas and say, "He’s passed me by. Hedidn’t paint it like it was either. Hetook the raw material and he made itbeautiful." That’s what I try to do withthese paintings. I try to make themoon beautiful. I try to make theastronauts that way - make them moreinteresting - make it more fun to look

at. Make them more memorable. It’slike writing a novel. A lot of things innovels are more interesting than inreal life. That’s okay, that’s what anovel is. A painting is more like anovel. A photogram is more like ascience book or a scientific report.

Carberry: With all these wonderfulMars images coming from NASA andESA, do you get artistically inspired bythem? How do you think you woulddepict Mars?

Bean: Well, first of all, let’s say thatI was an astronaut that went to Mars.First of all, if I was just an artist, theywouldn’t send me. I can’t do anyuseful work, really. Let’s say thatwhen I got to the right age, peoplewere going to Mars and they thoughtI’d be a good astronaut and sent on aMars mission. I’d come home and I’dfly on other missions - because Iwould be fundamentally an astronaut -I wouldn’t even realize that art was ofinterest to me that much. Eventhough I liked it, it was just a hobby.So, maybe after a number of years Iwould say to myself, "You know, I’m


the first artist ever to go to anotherworld." Maybe I’ll do that, becausethere are a lot of good young men andwoman who can fly to Mars as goodas I can or better. I’ll leave that tothem to do, since they are just asgood as I am, but I’m the only onewho wants to be an artist and showthese adventures inart. Then I would domy first paintingsand they would lookjust like when welook at the TV.They’d be red - therocks would be red -kind of a reddish sky.Maybe I’d do a fewthat way and say,"Man, this is boring"from an artist’sviewpoint - not froma scientist. Maybe ifI introduce a little bitof green in heresomewhere. Maybepeople would stillknow that it’s Mars,but would think thatit was morebeautiful. Then asthe years passed andI became more anartist, I’d paint Marsjust as I paint themoon today. I’d thinkabout what theastronauts are doingand I’d think aboutthe color and I’dignore the red. I’dsay, " Well, let’s leaveit a little red, but I’dreally like to do apainting with a lot ofviolet in it - blue and violet - I like that."I think that is the way art evolves.

Carberry: I understand that youand Andy Chaikin are coming out witha children’s book?

Bean: Yes, we did. We called it achildren book, but I think it isn’t achildren’s book. It is a young adultbook for ten years or older. It’s calledMission Control, This is Apollo. I willtell you that it is a good book, andevery one of your readers should look

at that book and think about buying it.It is one of the best books I’ve seenthat talks about the space program.Half the people on Earth right nowweren’t alive when Apollo was takingplace. It has so much information init. The editor, is a lady by the name ofSarah November, and she put out a

great book. Andy’s words are great -my paintings are nice - thephotographs are great - but mostlySarah November created a great book.It’s a wonderful book.

Carberry: How do you want to beremembered? As an astronaut, anartist, or something else?

Bean: Astronaut/artist would be it; Iwant to be a guy who did his duty.I’m doing my duty right now. I lovedbeing an astronaut and I’d still be

there if I didn’t say to myself youknow, there are a lot of young menand women who can fly that spaceshuttle, but I left that program 28years ago to do a job that I felt neededto be done - record the greatadventure of Apollo - record the firsthumans off this Earth - what they did -

how they felt - thingswe laughed at -things we fussedabout - and keep it,because we’re gone.Think about it. Iwish someone hadsent artists like mealong with Magellanor Lewis and Clark orwith Captain Cookbecause we wouldknow a lot more andwould have a muchbetter feeling aboutwhat those greatadventurers were allabout. I don’treplace the movies,television orphotographs, but Iknow a lot of goodstories, and I canvisually display themfor people toremember.

Many of us are notgoing to be here allthat much longer.I’m 77 as iseverybody else, or abit older, so we’renot going to be hereforever. I just hopeto tell some of thesegreat things that NeilArmstrong or Buzz,

or Mike Collins, or any of these otherguys did. I can’t tell them all - toomany stories to do in my lifetime, but Iwish I could stick around and tell allthat I know, because when we’regone, we’re gone. I’m doing my duty.This is what I can do with my life. Iget up at 5:00 a.m. I’ve beenpainting/working all day today. I do itseven days a week. I work just ashard as I did when I was an astronaut,except in a different role. I’m justdoing my duty.


The world stands on the brink ofimminent global change. Thechallenges currently being presentedto human society by instabilities in theglobal climate and economy aresignificant, and finding solutions willassuredly occupy much of ourattention over the coming decades.

However, in perfect balance, we alsofind ourselves at the doorstep of thegreatest evolutionary leap thatEarthian life has encountered since itcrawled out of the oceans. We arepoised to enter space - not simply as ahandful of select persons or machines,but as a species.

The development and implemen-tation of new systems for globalenvironmental and economicmanagement is widely understood tobe of the utmost urgency, and,fortunately, steps are already beingtaken in this direction by great leadersand thinkers around the globe.However, what seems less apparentare the astronomical rewards forhumanity that will result from ourexpansion into the solar system.

The potential benefits of spaceexploration and colonization include:

The Overview EffectBy all reports from astronauts,

nothing compares with viewing theentire Earth from space. From thisperspective the planet appears as asingle, whole entity: a shining jewel, aliving, breathing organism with noborders or other visible signs ofseparation between its inhabitants. Itbecomes more difficult to imagine thatone is from any specific city or nation;rather, one sees the entire Earth as"home". From space, all people andnations are equal, bound together bythe one thing we all have in common -the planet that we are all part of.

This perspective of Earth will lead toa greater unity among its peoples, aneffect that will only increase as wecolonize other worlds such as Lunaand Mars. From space, any place on

the surface of Earth is equallyaccessible; the differences betweenso-called "developed" and "developing"nations are not apparent, and indeed,from this perspective it becomesdifficult to understand why suchextreme variations in economicstandards exist on the surface.

This profound shift in humanconsciousness from viewing Earth asa collection of distinct tribes to asingle living world, experienced byincreasing numbers of people, willautomatically lead to the formation ofnew strategies for globalenvironmental and economicmanagement.

Access to Abundant ResourcesSpace is infinite, and contains

infinite energy and material resources.By developing the necessarytechnologies and systems, humanscan access these resources.

Once you see beyond religious,ideological or other purportedreasons, conflict on Earth is almostalways about natural resources suchas energy, metals or land. Althoughlimited on Earth, all of these are avail-able in extreme abundance in space:

• Solar power, collected in anenvironment where the sun neverstops shining and is never occludedby clouds or dust, can be efficientlyand safely beamed to Earth (oranywhere else in the solar system) toprovide continual, limitless andreliable energy.

• Over 400,000 asteroids have beenidentified in our solar system, withmore being discovered all the time;the estimated total is over 1 million.Many of these orbit near Earth, andmany are composed of almost puremetal, while others are plentifulsources of carbon or water. Access tothese resources will mean animproved Earthian economy, reducedneed to damage Earth's environmentthrough mining, reduced internationalconflict, and an abundance of the

necessary materials for constructingspace cities and vehicles in Earth orbitand other locations throughout thesolar system.

• Mars has a surface areaapproximately equal to the land areaof Earth. The colonization andsubsequent terraforming of Mars willtherefore provide the human race withalmost double the territory in which tolive. This will only be the beginning;the experience of inhabiting anddeveloping just one such planet willteach us how to colonize manythousands.

SurvivalWhile infrequent, it is known that

mass global extinctions caused byasteroid impacts have occured severaltimes in Earth's history, and will almostcertainly occur again. Hence, in orderto ensure the long-term survival ofhumans as well as many otherEarthian species, there are only tworeasonable options:

1. Establish human colonies at otherlocations in space, so that in the eventof a major impact the human specieswill survive and may potentially re-inhabit Earth afterwards.

2. Learn how to modify the orbits ofasteroids, or how to break them intosmaller pieces, so that a potentialextinction-causing impact can beprevented.

Both of these solutions requireincreased technical capability in space.

If an impactor is above a certain sizeor velocity, it will impossible to divertor destroy it; furthermore, extra-terrestrial colonies will probably bedependent on resources from Earth forcenturies. Hence, the optimal strategyfor the long-range survival of humanityrequires both of these solutions.

Increased Global CollaborationAt our current level of technology,

exploration and development of spaceis still fairly expensive andcomplicated. Furthermore,

Readers’ FForumCall ffor aa GGlobal SSpace RRevolution

by Shaun Moss


considering that the effects of spaceresearch are often global inapplication rather than restricted tospecific nations, there isoverwhelming incentive forinternational collaboration in spaceactivities. This has been one of theprimary benefits of the InternationalSpace Station, which has broughttogether many of the greatestcountries of Earth into a noble andproductive exercise.

During the past century severalarenas of activity have replacedmilitary conflict, including sport,tourism, international trade, andcollaboration on technologicaldevelopment. The nations of Earthhave started to realise that co-operation, instead of competition,leads to an improved outcome foreveryone. By building on the successof the ISS and continuing withinternational collaboration on spacedevelopment, the nations of Earth willbe drawn into an even closerpartnership. This can only lead topeace and an improved quality of lifefor everyone on Earth.

Technological InnovationCountless examples already exist of

technologies that were developed forspace and have since been applied onEarth (computer technology, structuralanalysis, the hand-held video camera,communications, IT, sports training,energy storage, robotics, materials,etc., etc.). The question is, wouldthese technologies have still beendeveloped if people were not strivingto solve difficult problems in space?

When given an inspiring andchallenging problem, the human mindbegins experimenting with solutionsand gathering information, bothconsciously and subconsciously, withthe result being eventual inspirationand breakthroughs. The challengingenvironment of space presentsunusually hard problems, which thustends to attract the most brilliantminds, resulting in especiallyinnovative solutions that can haveenormous application and value onEarth.

For example:• Technologies developed for space

settlements, such as atmosphere

processing, in-situ resource utilization,recycling, etc., can similarly be appliedto open up huge uninhabited regions ofEarth, while also improving the effi-ciency and function of existing cities.

• Advanced robotics technologydeveloped for exploration, mining andconstruction in space can be appliedon Earth to an extremely wide varietyof tasks, decreasing the cost ofmaterials, products and services, andimproving health and safety.

• Energy production methodsdeveloped for space applications,such as space solar power or nuclearfusion, can be applied on Earth toprovide abundant electricity and thusimproved quality of life to all people.

• Biotechnology developed forspace agriculture or terraforming canbe applied on Earth to drasticallyimprove global food production andhealth.

• Carbon nanotube technologydeveloped for space elevatorapplications can be applied to createall manner of ambitious structures andequipment on Earth, as well as spacestructures and vehicles.

• Planetary engineering strategiesdeveloped for terraforming Mars canbe applied to Earth in order toimprove the global environment,including cleaning the atmosphere andoceans, bringing life to the deserts,and stabilizing global climate.

• Vehicle technology developed forspace applications will increase thespeed and lower the cost of travel onEarth, vastly improving the efficiencyof human transport, resourcedistribution, package delivery andemergency response.

The colonization of space offershope for humanity. It is simply theonly path to an abundant and peacefulfuture for an expanding humancivilization. It will bring us everythingwe need to develop and grow;without it, our future will be one ofincreasing restriction, compromise,difficulty and conflict. If the number ofpeople continues to increase while theamount of available resources remainsthe same, then, logically, this means areduced share for all. The only otheroption is population control, which isnot freedom; in fact, it would require

increasing control by globalauthorities, and we would ultimatelylose many of our technologicalcapablities along with our peace andfreedom.

As an analogy, consider a tribeliving on a small island. Theirpopulation steadily increases, but theamount of land they have available togrow food remains the same. Theyknow that across the sea is a large,uninhabited continent with abundantresources, but they decide not to riskinvesting in trying to reach this place,and to focus all their energy on theimmediate problems of survival.Eventually they begin to fight over thedwindling resources and furtherdamage is inflicted on the island, andthe tribe, until only a few remain topick up the pieces.

Compare this with another tribe in asimilar situation. They, too, aregrowing in number and approachingthe population limit that the island cansustainably support; they also knowabout the abundant resources acrossthe sea. Even though they areexperiencing challenges, they realisethat these problems will only getworse unless they find a way acrossthe sea, so they begin researchingboat technology while also tending totheir immediate problems. This tribeis more optimistic - they know thattheir problems are temporary, and thatsoon a new era in their civilization willbegin: one of peace, expansion andsecurity.

At this juncture in human history,with the challenges that now lie beforeus, opening up space should be madean absolute global priority. It shouldnot be something of marginal interest,or a heavy load to be pulled along bya dedicated few, or something we willdo "when we get around to it" or"when things are better". The soonerwe become a space-based civilization,the sooner tensions on Earth will berelieved and we can enter an goldenera of peace, harmony, expansion,abundance, adventure, freedom,health and happiness. It should becommenced immediately, and shouldbe undertaken with wholeheartedpassion and commitment.


The following strategy is suggested:1. The establishment of an Earth

Space Consortium (ESC) comprised ofgovernments and governmentagencies, private corporations,academic institutions, space advocacygroups and philanthropists. Thisorganization would be funded by bothpublic and private money, with eachmember contributing an appropriatepercentage of GDP or profits. Thefunction of the ESC will be to organizea substantial fraction of Earth'sresources (in particular, at least 10-30% of Earth's finest minds) into aunified and cohesive strategy forproviding the people of Earth withaccess to the abundant resources andlimitless expanse of space.

2. Government-sponsored financialbenefits, including tax exemption ordiscounts, and/or investment, shouldbe available for all companies involvedin space exploration and development,environmental engineering, and thedevelopment of critical enablingtechnologies such as aerospacevehicles, solar power and robotics.This will hasten the development ofsolutions to immed-iate globalproblems, and more quickly secure abetter future for all people.

3. A dedicated, coordinated andwell-funded global program forreducing the cost of access to space.Everything depends on it; at thispoint, the primary obstacle preventinghumanity from becoming a space-faring civilization with the resources ofthe Solar System at its fingertips is theexorbitant cost of reaching free spacefrom Earth. The initial phase of aunified Earth space program shouldbe primarily focused (90%+ ofexpenditure) on advancement ofspace transport technology.

4. A global program to developspace solar power as a method ofproviding continuous, reliable andabundant clean energy to Earth, whilesimultaneously increasing ourcapabilities in space and developingtechnologies for on-orbit construction.

5. A global program to developspace tourism as a viable economicmotivator for the private space sector,a source of inspiration and adventureto the people of Earth, and anessential precursor to space property

development and colonization.6. Development of a robust and

profitable space mining industry. Thiswill simultaneously provide threeenormous benefits: an economicincentive for space development; agreat abundance of metals, carbon,water and other materials necessaryfor construction of a space civilization;and development of technologies andmethods for defending Earth fromasteroid impacts.

7. An international collaborativeeffort to establish permanent humansettlements in Earth orbit and on Lunaand Mars. These seeds will becomenew branches of human civilization,thus ensuring the long-term survival ofhumans and many other Earthianspecies. The exercise will also teachus about advanced recycling,nanotechnology, robotics, resourcemanagement, advanced biology andchemical engineering, planetaryengineering, how to successfullycreate harmonious, close-knitcommunities, and many other thingsthat can be applied with tremendousbenefit on Earth.

The time is now. It will onlybecome more difficult over thecoming years. The past doesn'tmatter, and neither do our pettyconflicts over resources; all thatmatters now is creating a positivehuman future for ourselves and ourdescendants. The sooner we makespace development our utmostpriority and open up space for thepeople of Earth, the sooner we willenter an amazing new chapter ofhuman civilization. We need to pulltogether as a team, get organized andfocused, and create an exciting newfuture of peace and freedom -in space.

Shaun Moss is a freelance webprogrammer, dedicated spaceenthusiast and writer living inMelbourne, Australia. He contributesregularly to numerous spaceorganizations and is interested inspace settlement design, ISRU,planetary engineering, robotics andfield [email protected],http://shaunmoss.id.au


In reading this, please keep in mindtwo things: (1) Truth is stranger thanfiction; and (2) futurology ischaracterized mainly by failure ofimagination.

The future invariably arrives soonerand much stranger than we expect itto be. My personal experience withthis involves following an adventurestrip in the newspaper when I wasnine years old. Phil Nowlan and DickCalkins were the creators of "BuckRogers in the 25th Century." So whenI started reading it in 1930, it was"Buck Rogers, 2430 AD."

Nowlan and Calkins, along withmany scientists of the day, believedthat humans would go to the Moonand to Mars, but not until 500 years inthe future. As it turned out, the firsthuman stepped onto the moon 39years after I started reading the strip.

Suppose a fortune teller had comealong and told me this, along withanother true circumstance: that at thetime I was reading "Buck Rogers",there was a newborn baby 16 miles tothe south of me, who would be thefirst man to walk on the moon. Hisname was Neil Armstrong. I thinksuch a story would classify as totallyfantastic and improbable in theextreme.

But in the town of Wapakoneta,Ohio, which is 16 miles south of Lima,where I was growing up, Neil's parentswere friends of my parents -- mymother having been born inWapakoneta. I never met Neil until hewas an astronaut. I was the first tointerview him and the other twomembers of the Apollo 11 crew ontheir return from the moon and aftertheir brief quarantine. (There was afear that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrinand Mike Collins might be bringingback some contagion for whichhumans had no immunity -- but thequarantine was discontinued for laterApollo missions.)

The adventure strip was not as welldrawn as a companion strip called"Flash Gordon", which was more

fantasy than science fiction. Actuallythe "Buck Rogers" authors displayedsome sound science in depicting theairlessness of space, and the relationof Mars to its two moons. In oneepisode, an evil Martian city wasdestroyed by slowing the orbitingvelocity of Mars's smaller moon andcausing it to crash onto the surface ofMars at the precise location of the city.A rocket ship, nose down on the smallmoon, applied steady pressure to alterthe orbit in a calculated way thatproduced the results desired. Theaction was pretty sound, scientifically,even though the city on Mars was not.

But the romance of space travel washeated up in me by my encounter withBuck and Wilma and Dr. Huer. Spacehad enthralled me since I was five,and I learned from my father that themoon was 238,000 miles away. I thinkI was so flattered to be given a grown-up answer to my question, that thiswas a factor in setting fire to myimagination. I had no idea how far238,000 miles stretched -- not sure Igrasp it with exactness even now -- it'sfarther than ten times around theworld. And of course it is much closerthan the next planet out from us,named after the god of war becauseof its redness.

How blessed we are to have Marsas a neighbor -- of a size not to havesurface gravity unfriendly to humans.Not too far from the sun to have thebenefits of radiation; possessing a daythat is nearly the same length as ours.And having many of the resourcesnecessary to give seriousconsideration to eventualterraforming.

My youngest great-grandchild (mygrandson's daughter) is three now andcan name every planet out from thesun. The pre-kindergarten crowd isgetting that kind of education today.Her brother, now six, wants to be ascientist and go into space. It mightbe a stretch to suppose he could beamong the first to reach Mars, butsurely one of his children could be in

that first expedition, if I'm not sufferingfrom failure of imagination.

And maybe I am. I am thinking ofthe amount of time under presenttransportation methods that it takes toget to Mars one-way -- a couple ofyears. Crossing the Atlantic by shipwent from several weeks (sail) to four-and-a-half days (steam) and then sixhours or less by air. Now low earthorbiting objects circumnavigate theglobe in 90 minutes. There may be ameans of propulsion that will cut thetime way down for a Mars trip. Bestnot to count on this, but don't rule itout.

So my vicarious trips to Mars takethree forms: childhood imagination,adult enthusiasm flavored with wishfulthinking, and relishing the possibilitythat descendants of mine are likely toactually go there.

Hugh Downs, longtime anchor ofABC Television's primetime newsmagazine 20/20, has enjoyed adistinguished 66-year career in radioand television as a reporter,newscaster, interviewer, narrator andhost. He has received six EmmyAwards and numerous other literaryand honorary awards, and hasauthored 12 books, including anautobiography. Downs hosted PBS's"Live From Lincoln Center" for adecade. He helped launch NBC'sTonight Show in 1957; he anchoredThe Today Show from 1962 to 1971,and has broadcast numerous specialsand documentaries. Downs is a pilot,with a current medical rating, alongwith ratings from multi-engine to hotair balloon. He has been an advisor tothe National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA), and iscurrently the chair of the Board ofGovernors for the National SpaceSociety.in Washington, D.C.

He and his wife Ruth, live in Arizona.They have two children, twograndchildren, and now two greatgrandsons and a great granddaughter.

Mars: AA PPersonal JJourneyby Hugh Downs


Simplifying tthe DDifficult by U.S. Rep. Pete Olson

When President Bush announcedthe Vision for Space Exploration inJanuary of 2004, he did so at a timewhen interest in exploring Mars was ata high. The rovers, Spirit andOpportunity, had just landed on theRed Planet. Amazing when you thinkthat over 5 years after the landing, andunder a different Presidentialadministration, the rovers are stillsending scienceback to analyze.A majorcomponent ofthe visionannounced in2004 was ahuman missionto Mars. I am astrong advocateof that goal, it isa worthy goal.Readers of this journal know thebenefits of such a journey, but are wein the majority of Americans? Havewe made the case to our fellowcitizens, to the public, and to mycolleagues on the Hill?

It doesn't hurt to assume that amajority - as well as the odds - may beagainst us. This is not the Apollo-era,when the nation stood willing tosacrifice whatever it took to beat theRussians to the moon. Having to stateour case will keep our focus sharp andour arguments focused on the areasand points that most resonate with thepublic to gain their support. Theability to turn that support into fundingwill be what ultimately leads to thesuccess or failure of such a grandgoal.

During your annual Mars Societyconvention, at least 150conventioneers will venture to CapitolHill to meet with members ofCongress or their staff to share youragenda. I wish you well and offer afew suggestions for your visits tomake them most effective.

It is important for you to know your

audience and demonstrate that youunderstand the unique challenges thateach congressional district faces.Each member has uniquebackgrounds with respect to theleading industries, educationalinstitutions, and demographic makeupof their district. A district sufferingfrom high unemployment in thiseconomic environment might present

a harder sell forthe Marsprogram asopposed to onewith a hi-techemploymentbase.

In making yourcase, the abilityto broaden yourperspective isimmensely

helpful. During the presidentialcampaign, then-Senator Obama's fourmain priorities were clear: energy,education, the environment, and theeconomy. Space and explorationwere not included, but we can tieexploration and the space programdirectly to each of these priorities.Can you make the case that sending ahuman to Mars is worth funding incomparison to improved healthcare?

Are robotic missions a wiserinvestment than energy technology?You must be prepared for thosequestions, because while the federalbudgetappearslimitless, thehard truth isthat it is not.

It'simportant toface thechallengeshead-on.Admit thefailures of thepast,particularly

the budgetary challenges the programhas faced. This, if nothing else,demonstrates just how difficult thesegoals are, and thus all the moreworthwhile when we commit to them.

Finally, your enthusiasm and theability to share your inspiration will themake the time well spent. Just thinkabout the impact Steve Squyreswould have with 30 minutes in eachcongressional office. Find oppor-tunities to include the overall benefitsof a Mars mission. Your perspectiveand the reason you individually andcollectively feel strongly about thiscritical issue will go a long way.

In your last edition of The MarsQuarterly, Chris McKay wrote aboutcontinuing robotic missions to lay thegroundwork for future human ones. Icould not agree more. The problemthat faces our space program is thatwe are looking inward and notupward. We have the ability to learnfrom our successes and our failures toachieve a worthwhile goal. It is up tous to demonstrate the value of thatgoal. If we fail to do so, we'll fail tostart, let alone finish, a greatjourney.

Rep. Pete Olson serves the 22ndDistrict of Texas. He currently servesas the ranking member of the Spaceand Aeronautics Subcommittee of theHouse Science and TechnologyCommittee.

Have we made the case to our fellow

citizens, to the public,and to my colleagues

on the Hill?

Illustration “Chasma Borealis” by Greg Martinwww.ArtOfGregMartin.com


OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP AND DONATION FORM

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__ Visionary ...................$5000 __ Explorer ......................$2000__ Benefactor.................$1000 __ Enthusiast ...................$500__ Friend ..........................$200 __ Donor ...........................$100__ Other donation ......................................................$_________

I’m donating $100 or more, please send an autographed copy of:__ The Case for Mars __ Entering Space__ Mars on Earth __ First Landing (a novel)__ The Holy Land (satire) __ Energy Victory__ On to Mars 1 __ On to Mars 2__ Mars Songs CD __ NEW! How to Live on Mars

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www.MarsSociety.org

Of TTime aand MMoneyBy Patricia Czarnik,

Director of Membership

In this issue I want to talk about membership,more to the point, why your membership isimportant. There are two components ofmembership - a contribution of time and acontribution of money. The Mars Society couldnot exist without both.

• Contribution of time: there are memberswho donate their time on mission support,telemedical support, various task forces onoutreach for education and political action, toname a few. They head up the University RoverChallenge, maintain the website, coordinate andmaintain FMARS and MDRS operations and makeour annual international convention the premierevent it has become. They produce thispublication you are reading now. Got talent?Volunteers are always needed in every aspect ofeverything we do.

• Contribution of money: we have severallarge financial donors but most of our income isgenerated from our members. Each and everydollar you contribute via membership anddonation is added to the pool of every othermember to allow us to continue our goal ofseeing humans on Mars in the near term. It alladds up. Got money? Money is always neededin every aspect of everything we do.

Most people join an organization based on itsmission statement and goals. They want to be apart of and contribute to an organization wherethey feel their contribution will make a difference.I am often asked "What do I get for mymembership?" My simple answer is "You aresupporting the goal of seeing humans to Mars inthe near term". The answer doesn't stop there. Icontinue to explain that The Mars Society notonly discusses how and why we should go toMars, but takes action on critical components ofgetting us to Mars. So where does yourmembership contribution go?

• Mars Analog Research Stations: FMARSand MDRS. 100's of participants have taken partin analog studies of what it will be like to live andwork on Mars. Together these stations are ableto support human mission simulations for tenmonths out of the year, investigating subjectscrucial to future Mars exploration, including fieldgeology and microbiology, human-robotinteraction, advance space suit design,collaborative telescience protocols, remotecommunications systems, assistive computing

continued on page 17


Just one year after first and secondplace were separated by just one pointat the University Rover Challenge(URC), York University swept in anddominated the competition at thisyear's event, more than doubling thepoint total of their nearest competitor.

York topped a field of seven teamsfrom three countries thatmade the trip out to theMars Desert ResearchStation (MDRS) to fight offthe late-May scorching sunand fierce desert winds.They were able to build asubstantial lead during thefirst day's events, winningthe Construction Task, andputting in a solidperformance in theExtremophile Search Task.The second day ofcompetition got off to anexciting start as York, the first team toattempt the Emergency NavigationTask, became the only team all day tosuccessfully locate the distressedastronaut hidden in the field. And forthe second year in a row, the teamthat won this task went on to win theentire competition. Closing out their

day with another great showing in theSite Survey Task, York seemed to bethe only team able to survive thestress and rigors of URC without anymajor breakdowns.

"I had expected our rover to not beas complete and fine-tuned as theother rovers. Our team made a

decision at the beginning of the yearto build a completely new rover," saidVincent Huynh, Co-Caption of the YorkUniversity Rover Team. "You can saythat our rover by far exceeded myexpectations this year!"

Brigham Young University (BYU)leveraged a great performance in the

Site Survey Task, as well as arelentless performance in theConstruction Task after a touchycontrol system sent their rover's armflailing, snapping a cable and losingthe socket needed to secure the bolts.They were followed closely in thirdplace by the University of Nevada,

Reno, who thoroughlyimpressed the judges withtheir expertise in theExtremophile Search Task.The field was rounded outwith impressive showingsall around by the 2008champions from OregonState University, GeorgiaInstitute of Technology,Warsaw University ofTechnology, and theUniversity of California, LosAngeles.

Students from York'steam will be in attendance at the 12thAnnual International Mars SocietyConvention this summer, where theywill be talking to other attendeesabout their experiences at URC, andwill then be honored for their successat the convention's Saturday eveningbanquet.

continued from page 16systems and human factors studies.

• Tempo3: This was the winner ofThe Mars Project Challenge in 2008. Itwill be the first step in testing artificialgravity for a crew on their way toMars, a critical component in allowingthe crew to arrive physically fit fortheir exploration of Mars.

• University Rover Challenge:Now entering its fourth year, the URCcalls on the best and brightest collegestudent teams to design and build thenext generation of Mars rovers thatwill one day work alongsideastronauts on the Red Planet.

• Political Action: The MarsSociety has established an all-volunteer, grassroots Political TaskForce whose purpose is to promotehuman missions to Mars as the

primary goal of the U.S. SpaceProgram. Members conductcongressional meetings locally and inWashington, D.C., meet withpresidential candidates and campaignsand periodically visit both houses ofCongress en masse.

• Educational Projects: Explorationof another planet cannot beundertaken in a year or two, or even ina single generation. The Mars Societyis committed to engaging theimagination and intellect of the nextgeneration. Educational projectsrange from the local level, withclassroom visits by society membersto elementary and secondary schoolsto a larger scale, including exhibits ofstations before they were deployed atKennedy Space Center and AdlerScience Museum. For the past three

years under a cooperative agreementwith NASA, the Spaceward Boundprogram had brought manyexceptional college students andprimary/secondary school teachers totrain at MDRS.

I'm not going to tell you that if yougive up one latte on the way to workwe will get to Mars in 10 years. I amgoing to tell you that your continuedsupport via donations, membershipdues, and volunteering will get us toMars. This is why your membershipis important.

As always, I look forward to yourcomments and suggestions aboutmembership and chapters. I hopeyou are having a great summer!

Contact Patt Czarnik via email at [email protected]

York UUniversity RRuns AAway WWith tthe TTitle aat UURCBy Kevin F. Sloan


Carberry: Looking at your strongties to the Mars community, I think thefirst question I'd like to ask is - whynow? Why didn't you write A Passionfor Mars earlier?

Chaikin: It was really kind of anaccidental process. It started when Icontacted Erik Himmel, the Editor-in-Chief at Abrams. I'd gotten to loveMichael Benson's book Beyond,which is just a wonderful compendiumof planetary images - beautifullydesigned book. Michael did a superbjob and of course had Abramsproductionquality behind it.I very muchwanted to dosomething in thatvein. I've alwaysloved doingillustrated booksas well as bookslike A Man on the Moon, where it's notillustration driven, but text driven. SoI got together with Abrams and Erikand I decided that I would do a Marsbook.

It started out as being just anillustrated history of Mars explorationand a few months into the processErik said, "Gee, I really don't like theidea that you are going to do a greatbook on Mars exploration and thensomeone else will come along and doone that is not as good, but [people]won't know the difference. Is thereany other way that you can think of tomake this book any more bullet proof,so that it will really stand out?" And Isaid, "Let me make it personal." Fromthat point, it evolved over a number ofmonths into the history of Marsexploration through the lense ofpeople I have known and encounteredover the years who have really beenthe real movers and shakers in Marsexploration. Not that it iscomprehensive by any means, but it isa story that is meaningful to me and Ido try to tell an overarching storyabout Mars exploration - telling asmuch about the people as I do aboutthe planet.

What I realized when I got intowriting that book - as opposed to theone that I had originally embarkedupon - as I started to look back at myown history, I realized that Mars reallywas a thread through my whole life.It goes back to my early childhoodwhen I fell in love with the planet. As Isaid in the book, Mars was the planetthat made me feel most like anexplorer.

Carberry: I think the fact that it waspersonal made it more compelling,

and makes it amust-read in thespacecommunity.

Chaikin: Iappreciate that.What happenedby accident is thebest thing that

could have happened as far as I wasconcerned, because I really feel thatthis is a book that is meaningful to meon many levels. For example, to beable to write about my collegeprofessor, Tim Mutch. His name isprobably not known to many people,but he was a tremendously importantperson in my life and also influencedso many other people. It was certainlysatisfying to be able to tell his storyand also that of Jerry Soffen. It hasreally been "neat" on that level.

Carberry: Who do you really thinkbest captured the reasons for going toMars? Was it Mutch or somebodyelse?

Chaikin: Well I would say that theperson who expresses it the best isRay Bradbury, who's not a scientist atall of course but one of the giants ofscience fiction. I call him the poetlaureate of Mars exploration becausehe has an amazing way of expressingwhy this matters - why it's so crucialthat we continue to live out ourdestiny as an exploring species.Bradbury makes the statement thatMars is a waystation in our path toimmortality. By that he means, to

become an interstellar species, andtruly make the human race live foreverby going out in space. The first stopalong the way is to go to Mars andlive on Mars. Until we've done that,we haven't really cut the cord.

Carberry: When you were workingon Viking, did you think humanswould be on Mars by 2009?

Chaikin: Probably not when I wasworking on Viking, but I guess if you'dsaid to me at the time, "Gee, do youthink we'll be on Mars by 2009…" Youknow that was so far away - that was30-something years away. So, wellsure, I would have hoped we'd bethere by then. You know I think whenthe Shuttle started flying in the early80s… actually, it was earlier than that.When we stopped going to the Moon,that was obviously a sign that thingswere not going to continue at thesame spectacular pace that they hadbeen while I was growing up. Iremember being very disappointedthat what was then called the "GrandTour" was being cancelled. Of courseit was resurrected as Voyager. To methe most important thing that thespace program is for is exploration -whether it is with humans or withrobots. When the Shuttle startedflying in the 80's, it just didn't feel likeexploration, and neither does theinternational space station project. Ithink over time it felt that there wasthis divide between the human spaceprogram and the robotic program.The robotic program was aboutexploration, whereas the human spaceflight program was about engineering.

Carberry: There is no question thatwhat we have been doing for the past30 years in the human space programhas not felt like exploration. Thecancellation of Apollo was the keyproblem, but what else do you thinkwent wrong?

Chaikin: It has been the Field ofDreams approach to the spaceprogram -- "If you build it, they willcome." The idea was 'You won't be

Passion: DDon't LLeave HHome WWithout IIt!An Interview with Andrew Chaikin, author

Mars was the planetthat made me feel

most like an explorer.


disappointed. Let us build this spacestation and we'll find so many coolthings to do with it. You'll be amazed.'You know, that really hasn't pannedout. It would be nice if instead ofstarting with the engineering andtrying to figure out what we're goingto do with it, we would start with thepurpose that says we want to goplaces and do things that nobody hasever done before - and let that drivethe engineering. I think that the jury isstill out on that question as the Obamaadministration begins to sit down andreview the human space flightprogram. My fondest wish is that weretain the goal of getting beyond lowEarth orbit - sooner rather than later.Because for me, the worst thing - I'mprobably going to annoy a lot ofpeople in The Mars Society by sayingthis, but I could live with the notionthat we won't get to Mars anytimesoon. I can even live with the notionthat we won't get back to the Moonanytime soon. What I can't live with isif we are going to be stuck on lowEarth orbit for the next twenty yearsas we have the last 35 years. To me ,even if we did human missions tonear-Earth asteroids, as a kind ofstepping stone to inter-planetarymissions, that at least seems to me asthough we were back in the exploringgame. Of course, I want to see us onMars! Of course I want to see usreturning to the Moon. But, the worstthing to me is not to try to extend ourreach beyond what we've alreadydone.

Carberry: Actually, I don't think thatmost members of The Mars Societywould get angry at what you said.While we want to get to Mars asquickly as possible, if it were a choicebetween exploring near Earth objectsor continuing to do what we've beendoing for the past 35 years, I for onewould pick asteroids. The status quoisn't compelling. The most compellinghuman space mission is going on aswe speak - the Hubble repair mission.

Chaikin: Exactly! Let me give you aperfect example of where I think we'vebeen. In 1997 I went to JPL to coverthe Pathfinder mission. Twenty-oneyears after Viking I'm back, this time asa journalist. I'm there at JPL, just as I

was with Viking viewing the firstpictures from the surface of Mars in 21years. I was in the press center andthere were two monitors up on thewall. One was showing the Shuttlemission from that time, which was aSpaceLab mission, and the picturethat you saw was a bunch of guys inrugby shirts inside a tin can doingwho knows what. I certainly didn't feelcaptivated by whatever they weredoing in SpaceLab. The other monitorhad pictures of [ ] and thecontrast was just startling. There in anutshell was everything that waswrong with the human space flightprogram. Just today, as youmentioned, I have on my computer asI'm talking to you the live feeds fromthe space walks to repair the Hubble.That is the first thing that hashappened in years in the human spaceflight program that has felt like we areusing humans for what they'resupposed to be used for. I would feelthat way again if we could only dosomething that got us further than wewere in 1972 in some way, shape orform. I'm frustrated and have been fordecades.

One of the things that was greatabout writing A Passion for Mars wasthat I got to immerse myself inexploration saga. A multi-decade,multi-generational saga of Marsexplorers, that is all about the bestqualities that we have as humanbeings. The curiosity to want to knowwhat another planet is like and whereit came from and how it evolved - theingenuity to build machines to actuallyanswer those questions - theperseverance to keep plugging aftercrushing disappointments; and thespectacular results that led us on thiscosmic narrative that stretches back tothe very formation of the solar system.This bears on some of the mostcompelling questions that we knowhow to ask, like is there life beyondEarth? Can we live on other worlds?How do planets form and evolve? Andthen on top of it all there is this bonus- we get this leap in awareness. Infact, one of my favorite pictures in thebook is the picture that opens the finalchapter, which I call "Tomorrowland"named after a Disney space show inthe 1950s. It's an observation about

the fact that going to Mars keepsreceding into the future. At theopening of that chapter is the view ofEarth as seen from Spirit, sitting inGustav Crater. Looking into the pre-dawn sky is this bright point of light,which is the Earth. To me that is oneof the most powerful images to comeout of the Mars program, because itreally helps us make the mental leapto being on Mars, and at the sametime we kind of get an appreciation ofthe enormous challenges that remainbefore a human being can have thatview.

Carberry: On the topic of lifebeyond Earth, with the recentevidence of methane, water, etc., doyou think they will find life on Mars?

Chaikin: Well, let me put it this way-- I think that the preponderance ofevidence has shifted the baseline in adirection of expecting that there is life.It may not show up in the first placewe look for it, but I think it would bereally surprising at this point, giveneverything that we know about lifeand its tenacity and its adaptabilityand given of what we know about thelikely conditions underground on Marsand some of the satellites of Jupiterand Saturn - it would be verysurprising if we didn't find life in someof those places. I think it is verypossible that if there were aquifers onMars - you'd have all the conditionsyou'd need. They say the three thingsyou need are: water, organics, and asource of energy. Those three thingsmay very well exist in the subsurfaceareas of Mars.

Carberry: In your book, you devotea lot of time to The Mars Under-ground. How much impact do youthink they had? Many of theirmembers (Penny Boston, Carol Stoker,Chris McKay) are extremely activewith The Mars Society.

Chaikin: Well, one of the stories thatI really wanted to tell in A Passion forMars was this story. The MarsUnderground refused to take no for ananswer at a time when NASA wasignoring the whole subject of humansto Mars or anywhere else beyond lowEarth orbit. These young folks inBoulder were saying "Hold on, just a


second! This is our space programtoo!" As Carter Emmart in the book,"Damn it! What happened to ourfuture?" they set their own course andshowed what passionate people cando. To me, it's one of the mostinspiring parts of the book. It showsthat a meaningful, important, long-lasting impact can happen on agrassroots level. It's that kind ofpassion that we will need to have ifwe are going to get to Mars. It's thepassion that says, "We're going to findout how to grow crops on Mars! We'regoing figure outhow to protectthe crew fromradiation! We'regoing to figureout how toproducepropellant andthose otherconsumablesfrom in situ resources!" These wereideas that were really outside themainstream before the Case for Marsconferences began and now they'reaccepted and are part of the base-linethinking of how you would go to Mars.The credit for that largely goes to thepeople who created a Case for Marsand the people who attended thoseconferences and worked together. Iremember being at the second Casefor Mars conference in 1984. Sittingin there with everybody - PennyBoston, Carol Stoker, Chris McKay,Tom Meyer, Carter Emmart, andeveryone else - it was like they werecreating their own space program -like a parallel space program - exceptthis space program was one that wasreally about what I wanted us to bedoing, and what we should be doing.The other space program was a lowEarth orbit holding pattern with theshuttles and diminishing excitementand expectations. I hate to be harsh.In hindsight, maybe I'm feeling a littlemore harsh than I did at the time, but Ifeel like it's been 30 years of lostopportunity and we're still trying to getback on track to where we were withthe human program when Apolloended.

Carberry: Yes, who would havethought we'd be where we are 35

years later.Chaikin: I feel like Mars has some

really important things to teach us like'check your hubris at the door.' Everytime we look at Mars and thought wehad it figured out, the next time welooked, we were wrong. We had topretty much start from scratch andreformulate our understanding ofMars. Another lesson is 'Be in it forthe long haul!' This is a multi-generational quest. It is not going tobe one lifetime or even two. It's reallysomething for us to stick with it and

keep our eyes onthe prize. I thinkthat the otherthing that a Casefor Mars relatesto is harnessingthe power ofhuman ingenuityand passion. It'skind of like

'Passion: Don't Leave Home Withoutit!' There was as much passion in thatroom in 1984 as I have ever seen inone place. There's a great story that Ithink Steve Welch told about RossBailey who at that time was working atJPL on various engineering tasks.And at one point during the Case forMars conference he stood up andexclaimed "This is what I want to bedoing!" It kind of says it all.

Carberry: Shifting gears, you alsodiscuss the importance of space art inyour book. What impact do you thinkspace art can have (or has had) inpromoting and documenting spaceexploration?

Chaikin: Well, speaking personally,space art is what got me hooked onspace. Space art is the spark for me.It all began with my childhoodastronomy books and artistsconceptions. My favorite words in thebooks was "artist's conception"because it meant that was lookingthrough a magic portal that let metravel to other worlds at a time that webarely even knew what those otherplaces were like. It was incredible forme and I still remember sitting on thefloor in my house, with one or two ofthese space books in front of me juststaring at these illustrations - Jupiteras seen from one of its moons, or

standing on the polar ice cap of Mars.Books like The World we Live In whichwas a Time Life compendium ofnatural history, had a space sectionand had a bunch of Chesley Bonestellimages in there. Or the little How andWhy Wonder Books. These paperbackbooks, which you look at them todayand the illustrations are pretty simpleand unsophisticated, but to my five-year-old mind, they worked wonders.So space art really was the rocket fuelfor me and continues to be very closeto my heart.

One of my favorite parts of thewhole story that I tell in the book isthe time I got to spend time with thespace artists of my generation inplaces like Hawaii and Death Valleyand try to create our own magicportals to take what we know todayabout the planets and feed that intoartistic portrayals. Really a great, fun,group of people -- still some of mydearest friends today. We all owe atremendous debt to Chesley Bonestellwho really shows that space art cando something even more compellingthan even documenting scientificknowledge. It's a way of enabling thefuture by visualizing it ahead of time. Ithink that the fact that we could seewith such spectacular detail andcinematic sweep, what it might be liketo go to Mars and go to the Moon andtour the Solar System. It's one of thethings that allowed us to accept thereality of space exploration when itcame along. We were ready for it.We were certainly more ready than wewould have been without those pre-visualizations. I think space art hashelped to mid-wife the space age, andcontinues to be a way to help goplaces that we can't get to with ourmachines or ourselves.

Carberry: Once we actually do startexploring again, what role do youthink space art will play indocumentation (as was done with theAmerican West). The onlyprofessional artist I can think of thatreally documents space explorationfrom experience is Alan Bean.

Chaikin: I was wondering if youwere going to say Alan. You know,Alan and I and my wife have achildren's book out on Apollo. It's

It’s that kind of passion that we will

need to have if we aregoing to get to Mars.


called Mission Control, This is Apollo.It's the story of the missions, sort ofadapted from A Man on the Moon.Vickie and I wrote the text and Alan'spaintings provide the illustrations. Ialso have a book out this month calledVoices from the Moon. It is quotesfrom all my conversations with theMoon voyagers, and those extensivequotes - intimate quotes about theMoon experience, paired with thesebeautiful new scans of the [] photography (mention this ininterview).

Carberry: What lessons from thehistory of exploration can we apply tospace exploration - whether that beolder historical voyages, or fromApollo?

Chaikin: One the lessons fromApollo is the knowledge that we cando seemingly impossible things whenwe work together for something thatis greater than the individual. That'sone of the most important legacies ofApollo, but I think even and above thatis the view of the Earth and the leap inawareness that we got by going to theMoon and the realization that theEarth is a very finite and precious -and to the astronauts - a seeminglyfragile oasis in the blackness of space- in the void; the perspective of theEarth as a world that we need tocherish and protect. That's aperspective that we're still trying totake in and absorb. That is not whyKennedy sent us to the Moon. It's notwhat was on the minds of the 400,000people who worked for the better partof a decade to get us there. It was ademonstration that exploration almostalways gets us things that we neveranticipated, and that often thosethings can have the most valuableresults of all.

Carberry: Do you think the privatesector is going to play a role in this atall?

Chaikin: I hope so. A couple ofmonths ago I was out in L.A. and gota tour of the SpaceX factory and sawa Falcon rocket being assembled andsaw a mockup of the Dragon capsule.I've really got my fingers crossed thatthose guys or someone else will beable to really change the rules of the

game. It will be interesting if ElonMusk is able to find a way to getpeople up to the station sooner thanNASA does.

Carberry: In the years that you'vebeen involved in the spacecommunity, what was the point thatyou were most inspired, and by thesame token, what was the point inwhich you were most discouraged ordepressed?

Chaikin: The inspiring moments forme have really come from the imagesof the robotic missions. One examplethat I talk about in the book was thehigh-rise view of Opportunity at therim of Victoria Crater, which remindedme of Laurence of Arabia. It was thisincredible cinematic moment and itreally brought home that this was areal explorer on the surface of Mars.It just made me stop in my tracks for amoment and was a real thrill. Also,that picture from Sprit was that wayfor me too. So some of the mostinspiring moments for me have comeout of the robotic missions - and notjust Mars of course. The incrediblestuff that's been coming back fromCassini of Saturn and the rings and themoons, and the Huygens lander onTitan - stuff that makes me really gladto be alive. The depressing momentshave come when I have just felt thatwe are stuck in old ways of thinkingand old approaches to space. Whenpeople say that Ares is a result ofpolitical forces at work at NASA andthat's why that design was chosen -that's very depressing. I don't know ifit's true, but that's some of what youhear these days and you think, whycan't we ever get to the point wherewe're making decisions about thespace program for the right reasons?I guess the depression is really afeeling of when are we going to learnfrom experience and realize that wefeel the most fulfilled when we'redoing what human beings are doingwhat they're intended to do, which isexplore and discover and learn fromthose discoveries.

Carberry: Which book are you mostproud of, and what book would youlike to write in the future?

Chaikin: I'll answer the second

question first. The book that I'd loveto write is about my flight around theMoon.

Carberry: I look forward to that one.I hope it comes out really soon.

Chaikin: I guess the book that I'mmost proud of is still A Man on theMoon. I really do feel that I made acontribution with that book and had Idone nothing else, it would make mytime on this planet mean something.It was a tremendously difficult project.Those were difficult years, butincredibly rewarding. So, I guess thatone would still be at the top. I'm alsoproud of the Mars book, and proud ofVoices from the Moon, which my wifeand I put together that has just comeout. I try to make every bookmeaningful to me. I try to get everybook to tell a story that I feel needs tobe told. So hopefully in the future I'llcontinue to find stories that fit the bill.My hope in writing Passion for Mars isthat I would be able to give somethingback to the people who have given somuch of themselves to the quest forMars. I hope the book reaches theMars community and that they read itand feel that I've done that.


Settling tthe SSolar SSystemBy Gen. Simon "Pete" Worden, NASA Ames

Illustration “Mars Phobos Eclipse” by Ron Miller


On April 1, 2008 a curious web siteappeared associated with Google'ssearch engine. It announced a jointventure between Google and RichardBranson's Virgin Corporation labeled"VIRGLE." The initiative solicitedvolunteers to go to Mars and settlethat planet as privately fundedpioneers. The web site was, ofcourse a typical April Fools Day prankof the Google Corporation and itsequally innovative colleague at Virgin- or was it?

Let's examine VIRGLE's preceptsand what we know about Mars tosee if its vision makes sense. Are themost innovative businessmen on theplanet pointing a way for us toexpand human presence into thesolar system? I believe they are.Let's examine their assumptions andwhat we know about Mars and howto get there.

What do we know about Mars?We are in a golden age of Mars

discovery. The first Mars probes inthe 1960s and 70s returneddisappointing results for thosehoping to find another earth. Marsappeared a lot more like the Moonthan Earth. That perception haschanged based on recent results.

Recent Mars results show theplanet has substantial quantities ofwater - at the poles in polar glaciers,at high latitudes in the form ofpermafrost and perhaps elsewhere inunderground aquifers. Liquid watermay even break through to thesurface from time to time. Martiansurface rocks also show evidence ofsubstantial surface water in thedistant past. It appears that much ofthis water is still present near thesurface. There even appears to besnowfall at some locations.

The most interesting regions onMars are below the surface. Liquidwater and other volatiles may evenflow at depths of a few kilometersbelow the surface. Recent terrestrialobservations show that methane isreleased into the atmosphere fromsub-surface processes. This variablemethane observation is significant. Itsuggests there are either activegeological and thermal processes

ongoing below the surface - implyingan active source of heat and/or thereare current life-processes releasingthe methane. Either possibilitysuggests that Mars holds below itssurface environments conducive tolife as we know it.

Mars ability to support life,particularly microbial life is central topermanent human settlement of thatplanet - or any planet for that matter.This is my first critical message:Human expansion into the solarsystem in dependent on eitherfinding, or creating environments thatcan support life.

Why is Microbial Life so Important?Human venturing into space so far

has been near-by and short-lived.The Apollo Moon Missions lasted afew days with all consumablescarried with the astronauts. TheInternational Space Station nowsustains a handful of astronauts moreor less permanently. Yet it requiresseveral hundred tons of hardware,frequently re-supplied withconsumables such as oxygen, water,fuel, and replacement parts tosupport these people. Using thisapproach for a similar infrastructurefurther into space is prohibitivelyexpensive. NASA's plans for apermanent outpost on the moonidentify as the only feasible approachto permanent off-world settlement"living off the land" - In Situ ResourceUtilization (ISRU).

NASA's ISRU program focuses on acritical consumable - oxygen. Thiselement is present in large quantitiesin lunar rocks. It's needed for humanrespiration and potentially as oxidizerfor fuel. Next on NASA's list ofconsumables is water - or hydrogenfrom which water can be made.Alternatively, hydrogen could beextracted from water for use as fuel.Water and hydrogen are rare on themoon, with the possible exception ofthe lunar poles where water may belocked up in frozen deposits at thebottom of permanently shadowedcraters. The solar wind may alsoimbed small amounts of hydrogen inthe lunar regolith. Other elementsnecessary for life, such as carbon and

nitrogen are present only as traceconstituents. To extract oxygen (orother elements) requires energyintensive chemical and thermalprocesses. Such technology isavailable, but it is heavy andpotentially difficult to maintain evenat lunar distances from earth.Hundreds of tons of sophisticatedmining and industrial processingequipment are hard enough toenvision on the moon - let alonedeeper in the solar system on Mars.

An alternative to expensivehardware for processingextraterrestrial material to supporthuman life is to use life itself toprocess extraterrestrial material - bio-ISRU. Arguably the earliest form oflife on earth, cyanobacteria (or blue-green algae) has for billions of yearsprocessed terrestrial material -consuming atmospheric carbondioxide, water and other traceelements using solar energytransformed by photosynthesis withoxygen as a waste product. It is thisprocess that converted the primitiveearth's carbon dioxide reducingatmosphere to its current oxygen richstate that supports us and otherhigher life forms.

Cyanobacteria and other life formsoffer a potentially compact andflexible bio-ISRU approach. Someterrestrial microorganisms arealready used in "bio-mining" toextract trace metals from low-gradeores. Critical to these processes isthe presence of the necessary feed-stock and supporting materials. In allcases we know these materials arewater and other volatiles containingcarbon and nitrogen. Unless theseare found in significant quantities atthe lunar poles, an open question, themoon won't be a promising locationfor permanent off-world settlement.

Biology-based ISRU is the key tosettling the solar system. Micro-organisms are the ultimate self-replicating machines. Rather thanneeding hundreds of tons ofsophisticated hardware to extractneeded resources one could needonly a few vials of properlyconstituted micro-organisms tosurvive on another world - IF thenecessary raw materials are present,


water and other volatiles. A self-sustaining off-world colony would bea colony of not just humans and otheranimals and plants - but a completebiosphere based, as life systems areon earth, on micro-organisms andtheir processes.

One final note about bio-ISRU: Weare on the verge of true "synthetic"biology - the ability for humans toconstruct self-replicating, livingorganisms from basic amino acidbuilding blocks. As this technologymatures it might be possible toconstruct tailored micro-organismsoptimized for alien environments suchas Mars and capable of supportinglarge-scale human societies. Mysecond critical message is that:Finding or developing suitablemicroorganisms to extract ISRU andsupport a human biosphere should bea primary objective of spacesettlement programs.

Where Do We Find Life-Supporting Resources?As noted above the moon appears

to be a poor locale for finding thenecessary life-supporting material.This conclusion could be modified iffuture lunar missions find substantialdeposits of water and carbon-bearingvolatiles at the poles. Indeed, roboticlunar missions should focus on thisobjective.

Mars, however, does appear to be agood location for supporting life. Ithas carbon dioxide it its atmosphereas well as trace amounts of methane.Water is present at its poles andunderground at many locales. Whereelse might we find such materials?

Some asteroids and cometssometimes contain substantialamounts of water and carboncompounds. We know this from anumber of sources - most importantare pieces of asteroids - meteorites,which we find on the ground. Weknow that certain asteroid classessuch as carbonaceous chondrites arerich in these compounds. The likelysource of volatiles, if they exist on thelunar poles, is volatile-rich comets andasteroids that have struck the moonover the past few billion years. Mythird major point is: Mars and someasteroids appear to be the most likely

and accessible source of life-supporting material off earth.

How Do We Get to Mars?NASA is developing new hardware

to take humans into the solar system.Its Constellation program isdeveloping two types of spacetransportation - a system to takehumans into low-earth orbit and aheavy-lift booster to transport rocketstages and human-support modulesfor journeys deeper into space. Themoon is our initial target - althoughthe Obama administration is reviewingthe basic approach and objectives.NASA remains committed to anultimate human Mars journey.However, a government-sponsoredMars journey appears to be a veryexpensive flags and footprints missionmany decades in the future.

We can speculate on an optimumapproach for actually settling Mars -the most likely abode for large scalehuman settlement off earth. I proposethe first step be well-funded bio-ISRUdevelopment. As synthetic biologydevelops it may hold the mostpromise for effective off-world ISRU.Bio-ISRU has the added advantagethat similar technologies hold thepromise of effective and affordablebio-fuels and other means toremediate terrestrial climate changedamage. Large scale biology createdthe environment conducive to ourform of life on earth. It is reasonableto believe applied biology canremediate the damage as well asenable life to flourish on other worlds.

We must determine the suitability ofoff-world material for supportingbiological colonies that can eventuallysupport humans. Robotic missionsare ideal. Experiments to set up self-supporting biological enclaves wouldbe a vital step to ensure themicroorganisms we choose can stablyreproduce and flourish off-world - andif not to develop varieties that can. Ifthe moon has the necessary volatilesit would be a good experimentallocation. Suitably selected near-earthobjects (asteroids) - NEOs - mightactually prove to be better targets.From a propulsion perspective someare easier to get to as one doesn'tneed to enter a deep gravity well as

with the Moon or Mars.Mars is a more complicated target.

Before attempting to establishterrestrial life on Mars it's critical todetermine if it already harbors life.Robotic missions capable of probingdeep below Mars surface, andeventually return samples to earth areessential to determine whether thereis extant Mars life. Great caution iscalled for. Aside from the scientificimperative of not contaminating a life-bearing planet with earth life, it'simportant not to contaminate earth.Our experience in mixing different lifeforms on earth is that one often killsthe other. While earth life and marslife may share a similar origin throughasteroid impact-caused exchange ofmaterial over the past few billions ofyears, the possibility that current earthlife could be on the losing side ofmicrobial contamination from Marsdemands extreme caution. Should wefind that Mars is barren - or onlyharbors mutually benign life, roboticexperiments to creating closed lifesystems using Martian resourcesrepresent a next step.

Sending humans to Mars to stay ishard. It's even harder to send themthere and back. Several year-longround-trip missions appear far off,unaffordable and very risky. It is,however feasible to mount humanmissions to near-earth asteroids(NEOs). Missions to these bodies cansequentially extend our ability tojourney ever deeper and longer intospace. This "envelope expansion"should have a goal to eventually reachMars. Human missions to NEOs arewithin the capability of the hardwarebeing developed by NASA - indeed itmay be easier than the difficult lunarlanding. Visiting a NEO is a "docking"problem rather than a landing problemdue to the almost non-existent gravityof these small objects. This has theadded advantage of sustainingexcitement as ever more distantmilestones are reached - unlikelimiting our human visits to just themoon. After all, we visited therealmost half a century ago.

The ultimate destination within thenext few decades should be one ofthe Martian moons, Phobos orDiemos. This is true both due to the


complexity of landing and taking offfrom the Martian surface and our needto rule out extant, potentiallydangerous on Mars itself. Phobos hasthe advantage that it probably hasMartian material collected on itssurface blasted from Mars by asteroidstrikes over the eons. Some expertsbelieve it may be a volatile rich bodyitself capable of supporting longer-term human activity. Mars-surfacerobots tele-operated from Phobos(little or no light-travel time delay)could enable a most comprehensivesurvey of Mars for life as well assuitable colony locations.

What's the Role of the Private Sector?What I've detailed above lies in the

province of governments. Basicresearch into off-world biological ISRUand synthetic biology is a governmentfunction and likely to remain so.Burgeoning private sector interest inthis technology for importantterrestrial applications could changethis. Similarly exploration and lifeexperiments on NEOs now appear tobe government functions. But theremay be an important role for privatesector initiative insomuch as prizesand data purchase rather than outrightgovernment sponsorship could behighly cost-effective.

Human missions to asteroids andeventually Phobos seem to lie whollywithin government functions due tothe cost of the very high reliabilityrequired of public space missions -including the key phrase used inPresident Kennedy's first speech onthe topic: "and returning him safely toEarth." But what if we didn't need toreturn them to Earth?

Robert Zubrin has proposed in hisMars Direct concept with boot-strapped low cost missions designedto establish a sustainable andsustaining ISRU function on Mars. Idiffer from him only in that I preferbio-ISRU rather than nuclear-poweredISRU. Zubrin and others demand thatwith a suitably robust infrastructure bein place before humans arrive. Theycould then come as colonists, oneway to stay rather than as two-wayexplorers. The cost of these one-waycolonization missions are a few billion

dollars each from numerous estimates- not the tens of billions needed for agovernment there and return mission.These colonization missions couldbest be private sector initiatives.

The private sector has numerousindividuals interested in spacecolonization (including people such asSpace-X's Elon Musk, Amazon's JeffBezos and Google founders SergeyBrin and Larry Page among others).These individuals wield the necessaryresources to mount true colonizationmissions. They have the interest andthe technology is, or soon will beavailable. History is replete withwealthy, visionary individuals willingto sponsor risky colonization missions.Private individuals can take larger risks- and many would be willing to do soto be the first colonists on anotherworld. I predict we will see suchcolonists in the decades ahead.

What's the role of governments in private colonization of Mars? Governments can and should

develop the necessary technologies tosustain a colony on another world.The government should survey thestepping stones (NEOs) andenvironment on Mars for optimumlocations for a colony as well ashazards such as extant life. Thegovernment should also put in placeinfrastructure such as communicationsback to earth and navigation aidessuch as a Martian GPS. However, thecolonists would travel at privateexpense and at their own risk. Ofcourse once firmly established theycould contemplate the means toreturn to earth - but one wouldsuspect most would choose to stay.

We could imagine an early Marscolony founded at locations such ascaves. These might be sealed tomaintain an earth atmosphere.Suitable caves or other locationswould be scouted out by governmentsystems to be optimum for access toresources such as water. Caves, ofwhich we already know of several onMars could be ideal as their thermalextremes are less and they provideprotection from a hostile radiationenvironment on the Mars surface.They might also provide underground

access to liquid water and thermalsources. My final postulate istherefore: Our exploration programshould be focused on developing thenecessary, probably biologicaltechnologies to enable private sectorcolonization of Mars.

ConclusionHumanity has begun its greatest

adventure - expansion and settlementof the cosmos. This is an excitingtime to be alive and involved. UnitedStates and other government spaceprograms focus on this objective. Agood beginning has been made -there is now an opportunity toexplicitly work on these goals.

To reiterate my specificrecommendations and perspectivesthis great quest should have fourprecepts - subject of course torevision and replacement as we learnmore:

1. HUMAN EXPANSION INTO THESOLAR SYSTEM IS DEPENDENTON EITHER FINDING, ORCREATING ENVIRONMENTS THATCAN SUPPORT LIFE;

2. FINDING OR DEVELOPINGSUITABLE MICRORGANISMS TOEXTRACT ISRU AND SUPPORT AHUMAN BIOSPHERE SHOULD BEA PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OFSPACE SETTLEMENTPROGRAMS;

3. MARS AND SOME ASTEROIDSAPPEAR TO BE THE MOSTLIKELY AND ACCESSIBLESOURCE OF LIFE-SUPPORTINGMATERIAL OFF EARTH; AND

4. OUR EXPLORATION PROGRAMSHOULD BE FOCUSED ONDEVELOPING THE NECESSARY,PROBABLY BIOLOGICALTECHNOLOGIES TO ENABLEPRIVATE SECTOR COLONIZATIONOF MARS.

Dr. S. Pete Worden (Brig. Gen., USAF, ret.) isthe current NASA AmesResearch Center Director.

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The MAVEN mission was recentlyselected for flight, to explore theupper atmosphere of Mars and todetermine the role that loss of theatmosphere to space played in thehistory of the Martian atmosphere andclimate. Results obtained by manyspacecraft over the last decadesupport the view that there was liquidwater at the surface early in Martianhistory, although it is not stable theretoday. Increasingly, evidence points toloss of gases out the top of theatmosphere to space as an important,and possibly the dominant, process inthe changing climate. Although recentmeasurements provide compellingevidence that loss to space hasoccurred, they do not allow a uniqueestimate to be made of how much gashas been lost or to determine thespecific processes by which the lossoccurred.

The Mars Atmosphere and VolatileEvolutioN (MAVEN) mission will be thefirst mission devoted to understandingthe Martian upper atmosphere andaddressing these questions. Theseissues get directly at the nature ofMartian habitability by microbes andhow it has changed through time. Assuch, they fit cleanly into the Marsexploration program, whose broad

goals include understanding thehistory of habitability and whether anyorganisms have ever existed on theplanet.

MAVEN will launch in November2013 and will enter orbit around Marsin September 2014 after a ten-monthcruise phase. The orbit will beelliptical, allowing measurements tobe made at all altitudes throughout theupper atmosphere, at all local timeswith respect to the Sun, and at mostlatitudes. The primary mission willlast one Earth year, providing sufficienttime to make the key measurementsto address the science objectives.

There are several ways to look atthe measurements that MAVEN willmake. From the perspective of the"science goals", it will make threedifferent types of measurements.First, it will determine the present-daycomposition and structure of theupper atmosphere. Second, it willdetermine the present-day rate ofescape of gas from the upperatmosphere to space. And, third, itwill make measurements that allow usto extrapolate this escape rate to pasttimes, when the solar wind and thesolar ultraviolet light (that drive theescape) were greater, and to estimatethe total amount of gas that has been

lost.From an "observational" perspective,

we can also look at the MAVENmeasurements in three ways. First, itwill measure the properties of theupper atmosphere as the spacecraftpasses through the upper atmosphere.These allow a very detailed look atone place in the atmosphere on eachorbit, and allow determination of thebasic state of the upper atmosphere.

Second, it will make remote-sensingmeasurements of a large part of theplanet from the high-altitude parts ofits orbit. This will allow the pointmeasurements to be extrapolated toglobal conditions, and will provide agood understanding of thegeographical variations that can takeplace.

Third, MAVEN will measure theenergy inputs into the upperatmosphere that drive the processesthat lead to escape. This will includethe properties of the solar wind as ithits Mars, of solar ultraviolet light, andof solar storms, all of which can affectthe behavior of the top of theatmosphere.

There are eight science instrumentson MAVEN, and they will be providedby three different institutions. Twoinstruments will be built at the

The 22013 MMAVEN MMission tto MMarsby Dr. Bruce Jakosky, Principle Investigator

Artist's conception of the MAVEN spacecraft. For scale,the high-gain antenna (in the middle of the bus) is 2 m indiameter. Instruments are mounted at the ends of thesolar panels, on the deck of the bus surrounding theantenna, on three booms at the top of the image, and onan articulated platform at the end of a boom at the bottomof the image.

Illustration showing the different atmospheric loss andenergy processes that MAVEN will measure. Neutralprocesses are shown in blue, ion and plasma processes inred, and solar energetic inputs are shown in the upper left.


Laboratory for Atmospheric and SpacePhysics at the University of Colorado,four will be built at the Space SciencesLaboratory of the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, and two will beprovided by NASA's Goddard SpaceFlight Center. Each of these groupshas tremendous experience with theirinstruments, having provided similarones on numerous other missions.

The spacecraft will be built byLockheed Martin, which also built theMars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey,and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiterspacecraft, all of which orbited Mars.Lockheed Martin also will carry out themission operations, using theirtremendous experience from havingoperated these same spacecraft.

Goddard Space Flight Center willprovide the management for theproject under the direction of thePrincipal Investigator. And NASA's JetPropulsion Laboratory will providecommunications through its DeepSpace Network, as well as trackingand navigation.

After a relatively slow ramp-up thisyear, MAVEN will be on a naturalschedule leading the launch; the bulkof the development will take aboutfour years. The total cost of themission is capped by NASA to be nogreater than $486M (expressed in2006 dollars, so not includinginflation).

The MAVEN mission will provideexciting new science at the RedPlanet. Its goals have been a highpriority as described by the NationalResearch Council for a long time, andthe MAVEN team is excited to havebeen chosen to implement themission.

Additional details on the missioncan be found at the interim missionweb site, located athttp://lasp.colorado.edu/maven.

Bruce Jakosky is a Professor at theUniversity of Colorado in Boulder, andis the Principal Investigator of theMAVEN mission.

THE MARS SOCIETY is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization withheadquarters in Colorado, USA, committed to furthering the goal of the explorationand settlement of the Red Planet, via broad public outreach to instill the vision ofpioneering Mars, support of ever more aggressive government funded Marsexploration programs around the world, and conducting Mars exploration on aprivate basis.

THE MARS SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Buzz AldrinPenny BostonChris CarberryJonathan ClarkePatricia CzarnikTamarack Robert

CzarnikGary FisherGus Frederick

James HarrisRichard HeidmannRt. Rev. James

HeiserJean LagardeDarlene S.S. LimBruce MackenzieBo MaxwellSteve McDaniel

Guy MurphyAnthony Curtis

MuscatelloGabriel RshaidShannon M.

RupertGus SheerbaumFrank ShubertKevin F. Sloan

Peter SmithSara SpectorLucinda WeisbachArtemis

WestenbergRobert Zubrin

THE MARS SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE:

Robert Zubrin Declan O'Donnell

Richard Heidmann

Scott Horowitz Penelope Boston


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