[Seds-announce] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Crew Chosen for Four-Month Arctic Mars Simulation Mission

[Battler, Melissa]

FYI... And please feel free to forward this to any media contacts/potential
sponsors/whoever you want :)

-Melissa


======================================================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Crew Chosen for Four-Month Arctic Mars Simulation Mission

MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Sloan (814) 574-1211

November 20, 2006 – The Mars Society announced earlier this month the selection of
University of New Brunswick geologist Melissa Battler as crew commander of FMARS 2007.
This unprecedented four-month human Mars simulation mission will be conducted from May
through August of 2007 at The Mars Society’s Flashline Mars Artic Research Station
(FMARS) on Devon Island, in the high Canadian arctic. Battler and six other scientists
and engineers will conduct a sustained program of scientific experimentation and field
exploration while operating under most of the constraints of a real Mars mission, at a
location only 900 miles from the North Pole chosen for its striking similarity to the
Red Planet. Once complete, the mission will stand as the longest and most isolated
human Mars simulation mission ever conducted.

“I’m thrilled and honored to have been selected as Commander for this expedition, and
I’m really excited for the challenge,” said Battler. “The conditions will be harsh, and
we will need to adapt quickly and learn to work efficiently as a team to ensure our
success and survival. It will be difficult, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Rounding out the FMARS 2007 crew will be Executive Officer and Engineer Matt Bamsey of
the University of Guelph (Canada), Chief Engineer James Harris of Austin Community
College (USA), Interdisciplinary Scientist Kim Binstead of the University of Hawaii
(USA), Chief Biologist Konstantinos Kormas of the University of Thessaly (Greece),
Biologist Kathryn Bywaters of Miracosta College (USA), and Geologist Simon Auclair of
the International
Space University (Canada).

The crew will be taking a number of steps to prepare themselves for the challenges
presented by this mission during a two-week practice mission to be held in February at
The Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station outside of Hanksville, Utah. While
there, the crew will conduct tasks such as familiarizing themselves with the space
suits they will be required to wear every time they venture outside and learning to
collaborate with the Remote Science Team (RST) who will be supporting their efforts
during their time at FMARS. Composed of NASA, university, and private scientists, the
RST will provide scientific and logistical assistance in a role analogous to that of
mission support anticipated by NASA for future human Mars exploration missions.

For those seeking to understand the practical value of such an intense, demanding
research project, Battler had a simple explanation.

“Things will be similarly challenging for the first human Mars missions,” she said. “The
lessons that we learn will contribute to successful human Mars missions in the future.”

The Mars Society is a private international grassroots organization dedicated to
furthering the case for human exploration of Mars. Since its founding in 1998, The Mars
Society’s strong commitment to both outreach and research has put it at the forefront of
Mars exploration proponents, with 7000 members in 40 countries. The organization
currently operates multiple world class research facilities which investigate many
technical and human factors associated with human space exploration. Significant
political and public outreach has led to several hundred meetings with U.S.
congressional offices, and has otherwise reached hundreds of millions of people through
various media outlets.

For more information, please contact Kevin Sloan, or visit
http://www.marssociety.org/arctic/index.asp.

###
======================================================