Mars Society UK News Release

Contact : Bo Maxwell, President, Mars Society UK

Date : For immediate Release Friday, 1st October 2004

Phone : 0709 280 5915

Mars Society Welcomes Major Decision on UK Space Future

Today, Lord Sainsbury, the Minister for Science and Innovation, announced that the UK will sign up to the preparatory phase of European Space Agency’s long-term exploration of the Moon and Mars. The European Space Exploration Programme [ESEP – previously known as Aurora] comprises of a series of robotic probes which will pave the way for manned missions that could see human explorers on Mars by 2030.

Bo Maxwell, President of the Mars Society UK, explained why this decision is so welcome: “The UK has been at the forefront of space science – our scientific and engineering skills are world class, and the UK has been involved in a wide range of space research projects. ESEP will allow us to build on that experience, to further our skills and knowledge and to take part in an inspiring programme of exploration. We have been looking forward to this decision with great anticipation. The Mars Society is very active in preparing for the manned exploration of the red planet and we all look forward to seeing this being translated into live missions.”

The Society has been running a programme of Mars Analogue Research Stations since 1998. Based at locations which resemble the conditions on Mars, these stations allow researchers to develop the techniques that will be required when people actually land on Mars.

This announcement comes just a week prior to a major Mars-related event, as the Mars Society UK is hosting the European Mars Society Conference for 2004. It will take place at the Open University's Walton Hall Campus in Milton Keynes, home to Beagle 2 and where the Mars Phobos and Deimos Survey mission is currently being planned.

The conference runs from 8-10 October. It will feature speakers from across the UK, Europe and the USA and is open to anyone with an interest in the exploration of Mars.

Details can be found at www.marssociety.org.uk/EMC4-OU.

For further information contact Bo Maxwell (bo_maxwell-at-marssociety.org.uk)

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Mars Society is a world-wide organisation with 6,000 members, centred in the USA. It conducts real research at analogue Mars bases in the Canadian arctic, the Utah desert and soon in the Australian outback and in Iceland. The society’s president, Dr Robert Zubrin, recently gave testimony to the US Congress on President Bush’s new space plan to explore the Moon and Mars. Dr Zubrin will be among those addressing the European Mars Conference, being held from 8-10 October at the Open University.

 

ENDS