NSBE Space SIG -

The Space SIG will send a six-person expedition to the Mars Society's desert research station in Hanksville, Utah for a 14-day mission.  The Mars Desert Research Station can be thought of as a volunteer version of NASA's Desert RATS studies.  This crew of six will include Space SIG researchers paired with competitively selected college students in an apprenticeship relationship to conduct peer-reviewed research related to scientifc exploration of Moon and Mars.  This facility, built and operated by the Mars Society, provides a full-immersion into a Mars-analogue environment, allowing research teams to study various aspects of life on Mars.  The research activities conducted at the station are intended to contribute to future planetary missions by space agencies and potentially by private space organizations.  This is an excellent opportunity for persons with work experience or interest in robotics, human factors, astrobiology, geology, habitability, interior design, spacecraft architecture, life support, human-computer interface, astronomy, extravehicluar activity, in-flight maintenance, mission design and crew scheduling, or many other discipliens of human spaceflight.

Call for Crew Members!

Join the crew of this most exciting adventure!  All crew members must propose an experiment that they will conduct during the 14-day mission.  View the MDRS Call for Proposals for guidelines to submit your proposal.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

• We cannot reserve a mission date with the Mars Society until we have received six valid proposals from six crew members.  The sooner you upload a proposal the more likely you are to be selected as a crew member.
• Submitted proposals must pass a scientific/engineering peer review to be selected for the mission.  It is vital to ensure that all work done at MDRS be at a professional level.  We have contacts with NASA analogue research study groups and Mars Society former crew members who can assist with questions you may have in developing a credible proposal.  Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for assistance.
• Proposal submission is open to any collegiate member.  Each selected collegiate crew member will be paired with an Alumni or graduate student crew member as their mentor.
• Alumni and graduate students members must be members of the Space SIG in order to be considered for selection.
• NSBE national dues must be current in order to be selected as a crew member.
• This expedition depends on sufficient funding to cover the costs of crew member travel, equipment, supplies, and shipping.  If your school or employe is willing to cover some or all of your costs, or to provide sponsorship for this project, please indicate such in your proposal.
• All crew members will be required to sign liability waivers in order to participate.

Estimated Time Obligations

• A time committment of roughly ten to twenty hours should be expected in order to write a presentable proposal.  More or less time may be required depending on your technical writing background and the degree of experience you have with the experiment you propose.
• There will be a series of pre-mission conference calls, beginning once the crew has been selected.  These calls will be roughly one hour in length and will be held on a weekly basis.  (This may be slipped to bi-weekly or monthly if warranted.)
• All crew members will be expected to help with logistical preparations, including fundraising, communications with the Mars Society, equipment and supplies purchases, and shipping.
• The analogue mission will last for exactly 14 days.  However, plan for additional travel time before and after the mission - roughly one day each way for travel and another two days before and after the mission for set up and break down, thus roughly twenty days total.  You will need to be able to take this time off from work as personal leave, unless your job is sending you as a work function to participate on this crew.
• After the mission, you will need to write at least one paper to document the results of your experiment.  Again, time may vary depending on your technical writing background.  This should be a paper of caliber for presentation at an industry technical conference, roughly 8-12 pages in legnth.  All crew members are expected to submit their papers to the 2012 NSBE Aerospace Systems Conference.  Paper and/or poster session submissions are also encouraged to non-NSBE technical conferences.

Last Updated on Monday, 23 August 2010 16:32