Mars conference slated for October 1-3 at MIT

Larry Klaes (lklaes@bbn.com)
Fri, 17 Sep 1999 12:54:30 -0400

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>Subject: Mars conference slated for October 1-3 at MIT
>To: SEDSNEWS@listserv.tamu.edu
>
>Subject: Mars conference slated for October 1-3 at MIT (Forwarded)
>Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 00:55:19 GMT
>From: Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
>Organization: UTCC Campus Access
>To: SEDSNEWS@listserv.tamu.edu
>
>News Office
>Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>
>CONTACT:
>
>Denise Brehm
>MIT News Office
>(617) 253-2704
>brehm@mit.edu
>
>Justin Talbot-Stern
>jts@mit.edu
>
>September 16, 1999
>
>Mars conference slated for October 1-3 at MIT
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>Reporters: You are invited to cover this event
>
>Selected speakers and times:
>
>Friday, October 1
>
> * Robert Zubrin, Mars Society President 7:45-9:00pm
>
>Saturday, October 2
>
> * Franklin Chang-Diaz, NASA Astronaut 9:45-10:45am
> * Robert Zubrin 12:30-1:15pm
> * Maria Zuber, MIT 2:00-2:45pm
> * Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Astronaut 3:45-4:30pm
>
>Check complete schedule at http://thinkmars.mit.edu/marsweek.html
>for updates.
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>CAMBRIDGE, Mass -- Astronauts, scientists, and other people interested in the
>human exploration of Mars will convene October 1-3 at MIT for "Mars Week," a
>student-run conference.
>
>The conference, designed as an inspirational event that will educate and
>excite individuals about Mars exploration, will feature speakers
>representing an array of interests in Mars and space science.
>
>Among those scheduled to speak are Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin,
>astronaut Franklin Chiang-Diaz, Professor Maria Zuber of MIT, and Robert
>Zubrin, Mars Society president and author of The Case for Mars: The Plan to
>Settle the Red Planet.
>
>The three-day event was planned by members of the "ThinkMars" initiative, a
>team of students from MIT, Harvard and other New England colleges, and is
>being presented in cooperation with the Mars Society, NASA Academy Alumni
>Association, National Space Society, and MIT's Department of Aeronautics and
>Astronautics.
>
>ThinkMars was created last year to participate in NASA's "NASA Means
>Business" competition, and the student group was subsequently selected by
>the judges to develop a comprehensive business plan for a mission to Mars.
>That business plan went on to become a semifinalist in MIT's $50K Business
>Plan Competition.
>
>The team, which works via the internet, is using NASA's technical mission
>plan (the NASA Design Reference Mission) as the basis for a business plan
>that focuses on the financial, political and logistical aspects of human
>exploration of Mars. Team members hope to launch the company that organizes
>the first mission.
>
>"We weren't around for the first Moon walk, so this is our way of
>contributing to space exploration," said ThinkMars founder Justin
>Talbot-Stern, a graduate student at MIT. "To us, it's not just a competition
>anymore, it's real life."
>
>For more information about Mars Week and ThinkMars, see
> http://thinkmars.mit.edu.
>
>---
>Andrew Yee
>ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
>