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Study suggests where to hunt for fossils on Mars

Sedimentary rocks in Mars' Gale Crater, which is thought to have once contained a lake(Credit:NASA)

Although Mars appears to be an arid, lifeless place now, about four billion years ago its surface was covered with bodies of water – which may have supported microscopic aquatic life. A new study has determined what type of rocks may be most likely to contain the fossilized remains of such microbes.

The study was conducted by scientists from Scotland's University of Edinburgh, along with American colleagues from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Brown University, California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University.

They determined that sedimentary rocks, which formed out of compacted mud or clay, "are the best place to seek fossil evidence of life." This is due partially to the fact that the rocks formed in ancient lake beds, during the Noachian and Hesperian periods of Martian history, between three and four billion years ago. Additionally, such rocks are rich in iron and silica, both of which are known to help preserve fossils.

If there are fossil-containing sedimentary rocks on Mars, they are more likely to be intact than their same-aged counterparts on Earth. This is because unlike our planet, Mars hasn't been subject to the shifting of tectonic plates, which can grind up ancient rocks over long periods of time.

It is now hoped that the findings could help determine the landing and search sites for future rover missions, including NASA's Mars 2020 Mission, which will be specifically looking for evidence of past Martian life.

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The Mars Society Raises Money FOr Virtual Relaity Mars

MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT View this email in your browser

MarsVR Update WE DID IT!! MarsVR Kickstarter Reaches Its Funding Goal!! Stretch Goals Still Available Through May 31st Thanks to your help, we are very happy to announce that late last night the Mars Society reached (and surpassed) its MarsVR Kickstarter goal of $27,500!! There are new stretch goals available to boost our MarsVR projectand its scope even further, with a few days still remaining in the Kickstarter campaign.  If we raise $35,000, we will increase the amount of terrain we will have in the Phase 1 virtual environment by 25%. That means instead of one square mile, it will be 1.25 square miles. We will also include an additional crew member training scenario (likely growing plants in the GreenHab). Finally, we will send a large round stickers of our Mission Seal to ALL BACKERS. This would be a great sticker to apply to a car or laptop. If we reach $45,000, our terrain coverage will go up to 150% of the planned amount -- so 1.5 square miles. This will allow us to do an additional 2-3 EVA sites at a minimum! We will also add two more mission scenarios including repairing a space suit inside the RAM module, which is a highly technical process that planners have talked about, but that we were hesitant to commit to building in VR.  If we raise 45K, we will figure it out one way or another! Finally, if we succeed in reaching this $45,000 level we will provide additional rewards to ALL BACKERS! This will include a special online workshop event where we debut the beta environment and help train everyone on how to set things up, as well as a special training area of our website to include more documentation and materials on how to learn about MarsVR, Unity and VR in general.  Now that we are a successful Kickstarter, let's keep up the momentum! Tell all of your friends and colleagues about our MarsVR project, and please continue to give generously throughThursday, May 31st!  Thanks! ================== Mars Society Launches Kickstarter to Create MarsVR Crew Training Program The Mars Society, the world’s largest space advocacy group dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars, launched today a Kickstarter campaign to help raise $27,500for 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.” Also key elements of the platform will 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 plans 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 photogrammetry techniques. Funds raised beyond the $27,500 project goal will be used to expand the VR platform beyond the initial one-square mile capture to allow for a broader Mars experience for both crew and members of the public. The goals of the MarsVR program include:  A Research Tool: We hope to use VR to conduct serious research on the challenges of exploring a Mars landing site. An Open Source Platform: We want to ensure that MarsVR is available and customizable for everyone. An Example of Best Practices: We want to make the best use of generally-accepted technology processes and tools. A Love Letter to Space Enthusiasts: This new virtual platform is built by and for space advocates so that all can experience space exploration. An Inspiration to Our Youth: We aim to inspire the next generation of space explorers and aspiring astronauts. A STEM Education Platform: MarsVR will be a free, open source and customizable environment able to meet many educational purposes. A Public Outreach Tool: We will use MarsVR to tell the story of the future human exploration of the Red Planet. An Immersive VR Experience: MarsVR will be a fully immersive experience, transporting you to MDRS and allowing you to explore a simulated Mars environment.  With your direct support and involvement, the Mars Society can pioneer the use of virtual reality for pre-mission crew training as well as expanding Mars advocacy and outreach among our global community.    For full details about our exciting MarsVR program and how to contribute to the Kickstarter campaign, please visit: MarsVR.io.   To sign up for the MarsVR newsletter, please fill out the online form available at the bottom of the MarsVR.io web page. Any technical questions regarding the MarsVR program can be referred to James Burk, Mars Society IT Director, at jburk@marssociety.org, and all media and general inquiries should be sent to Michael Stoltz, Mars Society Media & Public Relations Director, atmstoltz@marssociety.org. Facebook Twitter Website YouTube Share Tweet

The Mars Society 11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A. www.marssociety.org

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A Russian Mission To Mars

MARS SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT View this email in your browser Call for Volunteers for Sirius Mission The Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP), jointly with Human Research Program NASA (HRP NASA), will be conducting an extended duration lunar mission simulation at its facility in Moscow in 2019 and 2020. The mission, known as Sirius, will involve a crew of six, including three Russians and three non-Russians. IBMP has  asked the Mars Society to recruit the three non-Russian crew members. The mission duration will be four months during 2019 and eight months in 2020. Crew members will need to be available for both. IBMP will provide lodging and meals for the volunteer subjects during quarantine before the mission and during the simulation itself. There will be no salary or expenses paid by IBMP, so volunteers will either need to be self-funded or backed by resources from their own institutions or universities. Candidates should be engineers, biologists or doctors or offer substantial skills in one or more of these areas. Further details about the mission are available at: http://sirius.imbp.info and in the mission script [click here]. If you wish to apply to be part of the Sirius crew, please send your resume and a cover letter explaining your reason for applying to:Sirius@marssociety.org. Please include your dates of availability, your language skills and make clear any limits you might have in the areas of diet or health.  The deadline for applicants is July 31, 2018. Facebook Twitter Website YouTube Share Tweet The Mars Society 11111 West 8th Avenue, unit A Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A. www.marssociety.org https://www.facebook.com/TheMarsSociety @TheMarsSociety Copyright (c) 2018 The Mars Society All rights reserved.

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