Why Colonize Mars ?:

• Evolution
• Economic Growth
• Commercialization of space
• Spread the human population
• Development of previously unavailable technologies
• Seek out possibilities of current life
• Seek out the possibilities of past intelligent life

The Mars Direct Program:

The Mars Direct program is a program designed by Robert Zubrin and his colleagues. This program proposes a "live off the land" approach to manned missions. this mission suggests

(1) Elimination of on-orbit assembly

(2) Elimination of a lunar base as a precursor

(3) Extensive use of local resources on Mars for return propellant and consumables starting on the very first mission.

Robert Zubrin's Mars Direct plan can be found in his book The Case for Mars.

Recently (8/20/98) the founding convention for the Mars Society was held in Boulder Colorado. There engineers Robert Zubrin, Chris McKay, Carol Stoker, and authors Kim Stanley Robinson, and Gregory Benford plus numerous volunteers held this four day conference on Mars. The Mars Society is a group conceived by Robert Zubrin, made up of scientists, authors, engineers, and ordinary people, all set on going to Mars.There Robert Zubrin and numerous others, gave talks on the Mars Direct program, terraforming,and colonization. There they ratified the founding declaration for the Mars Society, and created a Mars Society mission plan. The Society would start of with the establishment of an arctic base to emulate conditions facing Mars explorers. next would come some kind of unmanned exploratory mission to Mars. The Society would earn a solid reputation, gain support, raise money and eventually put together a mission for humans.

The NASA Mars Reference Mission:

The Mars reference mission was initially created in 1993. A year-long NASA-wide study effort has led to the development of an innovative strategy for the human exploration of Mars. A mission has been devised that significantly reduces the perceived high costs, complex infrastructure and long schedules associated with previous Mars scenarios. The mission strategy enhances the mission return, improves the safety of the crew, and reduces or eliminates many of the obstacles associated with conventional strategies.

International Mars Mission:

Created by the entire International Space University student body, the International Mars Mission covers everything from mans first step on Mars to a permanent base on Mars. This mission is perhaps the most expensive and involved yet.