MarsDrive
| File:MarsDrive Logo.JPG | |
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Focus | Space Advocacy |
Area served | International |
| Products | Mars mission designs, Science Competitions, Space business proposals |
Key people |
|
| Website | http://www.marsdrive.net |
MarsDrive, was founded in 2005 primarily as an international volunteer based online Mars outreach and mission design organization with a worldwide membership numbering over 400 and branches across North America, Europe and Australasia (Registered association). Their first mission design emphasised usage of multiple launches of medium lift vehicles such as the SpaceX Falcon 9 and was created by Grant Bonin Titled Mars for Less being presented first at the International Space Development Conference in 2006.[1] Their next manned Mars mission design known as The MarsDrive Mission design 2.5 was presented at the 2008 Mars Society Conference by their retired Apollo engineer Ron Cordes.[2] They are advised by a board of space industry professionals including Brian Enke[3] and John Hickman.[4] MarsDrive also produced a low cost design for sample return from Mars named Project Rigel by Kent Nebergall via a competition in 2008.[5]
MarsDrive's goal is to promote a private spaceflight human mission to Mars and to involve the public, directly and actively, in the settlement and exploration of space.Their current website is found at marsdrive.net and their new website under construction at marsdrive.org containing all of their projects, membership details and other work conducted in the space sector over ten years can be found there or in the files section of their temporary Facebook group. Social media outreach continues to show growing membership numbers and high activity levels from the wider public.
In their updated mission statement MarsDrive states that their mission is to "inspire people everywhere to the benefits of Mars and to help ensure cheap space access becomes a reality in our time" and this is clarified in their 3 point mission statement breakdown: "To drive forward investment in and support for private humans to Mars programs, to advocate for and support private and government space programs and to support incremental steps to achieve cheap space access". This mission statement change was made in recognition that without cheap space access Mars could not be viably settled, nor wider space activities supported at current extreme high transportation costs.
MarsDrive has evolved into a think tank for space projects and is currently working on ongoing mission designs and funding plans for humans to Mars. MarsDrive outreach projects include ongoing articles in The Space Review, an active group and page in Facebook, a presence in Second Life [1] and Twitter account.
Specifically members attend and present at various conferences such as ISDC[6] or the annual Mars Society Conferences. Members also engage in public outreach using popular social media playforms presenting the benefits and motivations for going to Mars to the general public, companies and the government sector.
The organization's Chief Executive, Frank Stratford, was also Director of Operations within the Australasian team and Joshua Gigantino heads up US operations. Randall Shelaga manages events and activities throughout Canada.
MarsDrive has also been promoting the concept of a "Mars Consortium" to bring together private and government sectors to enable a humans to Mars program and plan to hold their first round table dialogue conference for this purpose at their Mars Expo in 2013. MarsDrive has partnered with several Mars and space groups over the years including The Planetary Society, The Mars Society, The Moon Society, The Mars Foundation and more recently have combined efforts with a new Mars organization titled "The Mars Initiative". MarsDrive promotes a message of personal responsibility for a human future in space.
See also[edit]
- Settlement of Mars
- Human outpost
- In-situ resource utilization
- List of manned Mars mission plans in the 20th century
- Manned mission to Mars
- Mars
- Mars Direct
- Mars Gravity Biosatellite
- Mars landing
- Mars to Stay
- Inspiration Mars
- Terraforming of Mars
- The Case for Mars
- Mars One
References[edit]
- ↑ http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=19729
- ↑ http://www.worldlibrary.org/articles/mars_or_bust#MarsDrive_mission_design_.282008.29
- ↑ http://www.mars-one.com/about-mars-one/ambassadors/brian-enke-usa
- ↑ http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/print/5156
- ↑ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012LPICo1679.4116N
- ↑ http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/frontlines/Frontlines2008-06.html#collaboration
External links[edit]
This article "MarsDrive" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
