Mars Society UK Talks and Presentations

See the Mars Society UK events page for upcoming talks

The Mars Society UK provides a range of talks and presentations to schools, colleges, professional bodies, societies (e.g. astronomical societies), guilds and anyone interested in learning more about space exploration and the promise of Mars.

To request a talk in your area, contact us at the e-mail address given at the foot of this page.

To help you determine what you would like use to speak about, here are some outlines of our more popular presentations. Please note, however, that talks can be specifically tailored to suit individual booking needs. Please refer to the bottom of this page for further information on booking.

The Mars Society

Duration: approx 45 minutes

This presentation provides an overview of the work of the Mars Society, starting with a brief history of the organisation in terms of its formation, current size, and international recognition, before focusing on the various international projects the Society manages and those projects and activities undertaken by the Mars Society UK. Includes coverage of the Flashline Mars Analogue Research Station, the Mars Desert Research Station, the upcoming European Mars Analogue Research Station, the Society's analogue rover project, etc.

Mars Direct: Challenging the Paradigm

Duration: approx 1 hour

This presentation examines the Mars Society's "Mars Direct" plan to send humans to Mars. In doing so, it presents Mars in an historical context: why are we so fascinated by Mars? How Mars came to be at the epicentre of astronomical discovery, how it lead to our first serious considerations of life on other worlds, etc. The talk then goes on to examine the history of the major plans to explore Mars, starting with Werner von Braun in the 1950s and concluding with the Society's radical and influential "Mars Direct" plan. Finally, it brings things up to date with a look at the current status of thinking around Mars missions - including ideas put forward by film-maker James Cameron.

Mars On Earth: The Mars Analogue Research Station Project

Duration: approx 40 mins

The Mars Society currently operates 2 Mars Analogue Research Stations in Canada and the US, and a third, European-run unit will shortly be operational. In these units, located in remote sites that mimic Mars in a variety of ways, teams of six individuals at a time live and work in conditions very similar to those the first astronauts will find on Mars, and aboard their habitation vehicles while there. In this presentation, we trace the history of the MARS project, and examine the work performed at both the Canadian and US stations, before taking a sneak peek at the new European station that will become operational in 2005.

Costs

The Mars Society UK does not generally charge for presentations given to most organisations (the exception being for the provision of after dinner speakers - see below). However, we do ask that any travelling expenses incurred by our speakers are covered by the organising body. We also welcome any donation you may be willing to make directly to the Society (cheques payable to "The Mars Society UK").

Corporate After Dinner Speakers

The Mars Society can offer selected after dinner speakers for corporate events, etc. These speakers can provide tailored presentations on the work of the Mars Society at evening dinner events, special meetings, etc. There is a standing charge of £100 for the provision of such speakers (cheques payable to "The Mars Society UK") and all travelling expenses / accommodation for the speaker must be covered.

Requirements

All Mars Society presentations are laptop-based. Speakers will generally supply their on laptops. However, where virus concerns are an issue (e.g. connecting a laptop to a corporate network), talks can be supplied on USB disk for pre-scanning and use on a host system. All that is generally required by the Society is an LCD or barco projector. If a request for a talk is received sufficiently in advance, the Society can provide a projector as well.

Bookings

To book a Mars Society speaker, please contact us at at the address below, stating the nature of your event (public presentation or corporate speaker), and your preference in presentations:

talks-at-marssociety.org.uk

Please replace the "-at-" with the @ symbol when cutting and pasting the required address - we are trying to eliminate spam.