FROM EARTH TO MARS

The 5th European Mars Conference
November 4th-6th 2005

A weekend of guest talks, panels, debates, workshops and events featuring some of the world's leading experts in Mars exploration

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Friday 4th November
Saturday 5th November

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Sunday 6th November

The first thing that amazed me on Sunday was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Bo Maxwell I passed in the hall before breakfast. Not a hint of hangover from Saturday night. Having caught me, he wasn't about to let me go, and roped me into helping get the main hall re-organised for the first talks. After we got the tables used in the quiz out of the way, he suggested I get some breakfast before it all went, and I left him to it....the next time I saw him, he was introducing Piero Messina for ESA and looking hungry!

Piero's talk on Aurora, ESA and ExoMars covered a lot of ground, and it was pretty obvious that something has changed at ESA and they just might be interested in working with (or at least listening to) the Mars Society and our views on Mars exploration.

Jens Ormo came next, talking about the "cyborg astrobiologist" - a mobile computer system that he and others were developing as a prototype of wearable computers that could be used on Mars to assist geologists in their work. Apparently, Jens' team may be carrying out further tests of the system at Euro-MARS once it gets to Iceland.

After the morning break, Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest were giving a talk on how they came to write "Mars: The Inside Story of the Red Planet". I wanted to hear this talk, but it was just my luck that I went back to my room and discovered I had a message on my mobile 'phone (one of the great things about Alexandra House is that they seem to have a system for blocking mobile phones around the presentation halls and rooms, so there is no danger of a 'phone ringing in the middle of a presentation). Anyway, I had to return the call....and I blew getting into Heather & Nigel's talk until near the very end, when they were taking questions. The whole thing sounded fascinating, and I hope it makes it onto the CD / DVD I understand is going to be produced.

Lunch was much better this time - there was more food, chairs at the tables AND water and glassses on hand. Some people still found fault with it, but I enjoyed myself and sat with several others discussing the onference and comparing notes - all of us agreeing EMC-5 was probably going to top EMC-4 and lamenting the fact more people didn't make the effort to be here.

In the afternoon Andrew Hide from Logica gave a talk on the re-entry and landing system for ExoMars that was clearly full of insider jokes, etc., but most of it was some involved and (unfortunately) intended for an engineering audience, that it passed over most people's head (mine included). He was followed by Adam Hawkey, who had gamely taken part in the Saturday quiz, and been a lot of fun then. Adam was the total opposite of Andrew. While his talk was mechanically-oriented (how we might - or might not - walk on Mars, and the physical effort, etc., involved), it was enthusiastic, informative, thought-provoking and funny in the right places. It also generated some of the most interesting questions of the weekend, and clearly grabbed the attention of people like Robert Zubrin (who I thiak actually learned something!).

After the break, Fran Blok of the Netherlands chapter talked about how Euro-MARS came into being and was designed, and gave a real insight into the project and put forward some startling ideas (saunas on Mars, anyone). He and Bo took the question & answer session together and I got the feeling that those working on Euro-MARS clearly know what they are doing and it made me more determined to be a member of a crew rotation on it.

The final talk of the day was Jerry Stone's pitch on Aurora. I missed this in 2004, and had to miss it again, as I needed to get on the road for the drive home - the programme was already running half an hour late, and I didn't want to risk getting snarled in traffic. So after Fran's talk, I reluctantly went back to my room, shoved everything into my bags and after saying "bye" to several people in the laounge and around the registration desk, checked out and headed for home.

I think that EMC-5 was definitely the best conference about Mars I've been to. It was a pity that attendance was so low - by the middle of Sunday afternoon I think there were only about 40 people total there), but the speakers were as impressive as 2004, and the venue just made the whole thing. Congrats and well done to Bo and the team for putting it all together - and a very special thank you to Bo's wife, Susan, who did another seeming non-stop stint manning the registration desk the WHOLE weekend!

One of the things that really made this conference so good (for me at least) was the "University Challenge" type quiz on Saturday - this was just an inspired piece of thinking that provided a lot of fun and was so very clearly enjoyed by everyone, guests included. I hope future conferences plan similar light-hearted activities. I also think having an after-dinner speaker was also a good move. It gave a nice focus to the Saturday night dinner.

EMC-6 is going to take place in Paris. I know I can't wait!