Local Science Society Simulates Living On Mars
Group Promotes Space Exploration
POSTED: 5:19 p.m. PST January 5, 2004
UPDATED: 5:28 p.m. PST January 5, 2004
SAN DIEGO -- Over the years there have been a number of movies and books about space travel. It is a topic that captures our imaginations.
The landing of the Mars Probe Spirit is a giant step in the right direction for a local group of Mars enthusiasts called The Mars Society.
Dave Rankin, from The Mars Society, said, "I think a lot of us grew up in the Apollo era and we remember how exciting that was and how things can be done. We're sort of frustrated by the direction that we've taken the last 30 years since then where essentially we've just gone around in circles with the space station and the shuttle."
The Mars Society -- a privately funded, international organization -- is going out on its own. They are conducting research on manned-space missions worldwide and practicing for the real thing.
"It's big enough for six people. It's got six staterooms. On the bottom floor we have a laboratory. We have a work room. The second floor would be the crew compartment where they meet and cook their food," Rankin explained.
The group believes Mars is a much better choice for a manned mission than the moon.
"It has a day that's almost as long as ours. It has an atmosphere. It has water in the form of ice. It has a gravity that's 38 percent of earth's," Rankin said.
Forget your jokes about men being from Mars and women from Venus -- this group is all inclusive.
"There are opportunities for men and women in our group. We have people from all over the world from basically every walk of life," Rankin told 10News.
They may have a sense of humor, but this group is serious about promoting space exploration.
"If we took half of the money we spend on manned-programs now, like the space station and space shuttle, we could do it. So, it's a matter of will and direction rather than technology or money," Rankin said.
The group said putting a man or woman on Mars will teach us more about the red planet, than any machine.
For more information about The Mars Society, visit their Web site at www.marssandiego.org.
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