To further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This will be done by:

Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration. Visit The Mars Society website

Have you ever wanted to be a part of a space mission design team? Here's your chance!
The Mars Society unveiled its Kepler Prize Contest at the 2003 convention in Eugene, OR. The challenge for students and private individuals is to design an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) for a humans-to-Mars mission.

All skill levels are welcome, and will be judged against their peers. Winning teams will receive a trophy, while members receive individual tokens. The team will also receive a slot (one person, though this may be negotiable) on a desert research station mission, and an invitation to present their winning design at the 2004 convention.

Contest due dates are as follows:

The ERV is central to the Mars Direct mission plan, which can put people on Mars ten years after the goal is set. In the mission plan, the ERV travels to Mars with no crew, lands, then generates propellants and supplies for the crew after their arrival. It serves as their way home, as its name indicates.

For a broader background of the Mars Direct plan, look here, or refer to the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin.

For more design details on the ERV, download the request for proposal here

To 'listen in' on discussions about the competition, join the MSKP-ERV discussion group, click here.

If you have any questions about the contest that aren't answered here, contact Tom Hill (hillkid@earthlink.net). Good luck!