A challenge from NASA to build a 3D-printed habitat for Mars began in 2015 and has been drawing interest from several major organizations to compete in various stages and phases. Currently in the final stage, the competition will end on May 4 and the final competition events will be streamed live on NASA TV on May 3 and 4.

Here are some of the highlights from previous stages:

AI Space Factory‘s MARSHA concept

The design from SEArch+ and Apis Cor that won first place in the Virtual Construction stage

Mars Talk is a new podcast from The Mars Society, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to sending humans to Mars. Billed as “A community discussion about humanity’s future in space”, the biweekly Mars Talk podcast features Mars Society chapter leaders and other guests to discuss the Society’s activities. The podcast will also provide commentary on recent space news, such as commercial space activities and those of the worldwide space agencies.

The first episode of Mars Talk was recorded on Friday, April 12th and is hosted by Christopher Tarantola from the Mars Society’s Chapter & Outreach team. Christopher is joined by two co-hosts: James Burk, the Society’s IT Director and organizer of the Seattle chapter, and Lucinda Offer, the Society’s Executive Director and organizer of the UK chapter. Christopher, James, and Lucinda provide commentary on the recent NASA return to the moon announcements, SpaceX & Boeing’s commercial crew activity, the recent Falcon Heavy launch of ArabSat-6A, Israel’s SpaceIL mission to land on the Moon, India’s anti-satellite test and its aftermath, and several other current space-related news items. In addition, Lucinda provides an introduction to the Mars Society and the recent projects and activities done by our worldwide network of chapters.

For more info visit: http://www.marstalk.org

This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, so what better way to celebrate this historic event than to learn more about the moon with augmented reality? AstroReality is an app that uses augmented reality (scanning an object and providing feedback based on that object) to provide clickable links of images, historical and other data. You can get the whole solar system, but the 3D objects are expensive and the moon poster can be printed for FREE and even works if you scan it from a screen (don’t necessarily need to print). A tablet would be best because of the larger screen to see the information, but even a phone would work.

You can download the app here:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/astroreality/id1194876117?mt=8
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mr4iot.sciencereality

Just download the app, click on the moon button, say you printed the poster, and scan the image below. Then you can rotate the moon on the screen, click links, etc.

The AstroReality website has more information and an option to buy the 3D objects (including Mars!) if you so choose, but even the free version is so cool!

And if you enjoyed that, they also have an Earth app that offers some neat interactive models of our planet for free that even show the interior.

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/astroreality-earth/id1297189181
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mr4iot.ar.earth

Happy exploring!

Happy Mars New Year!

Mars Society – Mars VR Kickstarter project – Be a crowdexplorer!

The Mars Society is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new open-source virtual reality platform called MarsVR, which will be used for serious research to support the goal of sending humans to the Red Planet.

The MarsVR program will be a unique multi-phase effort designed to pioneer the emerging field of CrowdExploration, which we define as the partnership between the first astronauts on Mars and VR experts and enthusiasts back on Earth. The Mars Society aims to develop a special VR platform to assist with the initial human exploration of Martian landing sites.

Phase 1 of the MarsVR program will focus on designing training simulations for the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, providing direct assistance in preparing MDRS crew members for their analog research and testing. Since every moment at MDRS is valuable, just like actual astronauts working in space, the Mars Society wants its crew members to make the most of their time “on Mars.” Key elements of the platform will also be open-sourced so that the general public can freely make use of it to experience human Mars exploration.

As part of MarsVR, the Mars Society intends to build a high-resolution simulation of the entire MDRS habitat, both inside and out. To complete the experience, Mars Society staff will scan a one-square mile capture of the Mars-like terrain around MDRS using the latest photo-grammetry techniques.

With your direct support and involvement, the Mars Society can pioneer the use of virtual reality for exploring Mars, as well as expanding Mars advocacy and outreach among our global community.

Kickstarter deadline is May 31, 2018.

Join the Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/MarsVR1

Program website: www.marsvr.io