Humanity in Space. Humanity on Mars.
by Chris Carberry
Monday, August 21, 2006
There are moments in space advocacy that stand out, and the Great 2006 Mars Blitz certainly falls into that category. It was a tremendous success. On Thursday afternoon, August 3, 2006, the Mars Society sent over 100 members to Capitol Hill to show support for the Vision for Space Exploration and to make sure Mars remains a key part of that plan. In just over three hours, we spoke to over 100 congressional offices. This was truly a “blitz.”
MARS HOAX: A bogus email is going around the Internet. It claims that Mars will be historically close to Earth on August 27, 2006–so close that Mars will look as large as the full Moon. This is not true. Here are the facts: On August 27th, Mars will be on the other side of the solar system, about 385 million kilometers from Earth. The red planet will look tiny and dim, nothing like a full Moon.
The “Mars Hoax” email first appeared in 2003. On August 27th of that year, Mars really did come historically close to Earth. But the email’s claim that Mars would rival the Moon was grossly exaggerated. Every August since 2003, the email has staged a revival. It’s as wrong now as it was then.
Courtesy: Space Weather News for August 6, 2006
Aug. 07, 2006
The Ninth International Mars Society Convention, held in Washington DC August 3-6, 2006 was a great success. Over 400 people attended. Speakers included NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Scott Horowitz, NASA Associate Administrator for Legislative Affairs Brian Chase, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Space Telescope Science Institute Director Matt Mountain, former NASA Mars Exploration program Director Scott Hubbard, Mars Society President Robert Zubrin, Australian Astronaut Andy Thomas, leading exobiologists Chris McKay and Penelope Boston, NSS Executive Director George Whitesides, Space Adventures Vice President Chris Faranetta, and over a hundred others.
The next meeting of the Dallas Chapter of the Mars Society will be Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 6:30PM at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Plano, at the northwest corner of Central Expressway and 15th St. The main topic of the meeting will be a rundown of the Mars Society Conference in Washington D.C.
Our members are space advocates and space enthusiasts from Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Arlington, Fort Worth, and all over the DFW Metroplex and North Texas. The Mars Society advocates human exploration of the Red Planet, for the purposes of science, exploration, and settlement.
The Dallas Chapter is working on several activities, including education and awareness outreach, political activities, and planning the “Mars and Beyond” track of the International Space Development Conference 2007 in Dallas, TX.
This is the website for the Dallas / DFW chapter of The Mars Society. The local chapter was formed in September 2003 with 5 members, and has grown to more than 10 members at each monthly meeting.
Our members are space advocates and space enthusiasts from Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Arlington, Fort Worth, and all over the DFW Metroplex and North Texas. The Mars Society advocates human exploration of the Red Planet, for the purposes of science, exploration, and settlement.
The Dallas Chapter is working on several activities, including education and awareness outreach, political activities, but is primarily focused right now on hosting the 14th Annual International Mars Society Convention on August 4th – 7th, to be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Grapevine, TX, a short distance from the DFW airport.
