The MSA board has formally written to Professor Piper, the Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University, expressing our disappointment and concern at this development and asking that it be reconsidered in the light of the significance of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) and its unique role in Australian Space Science. We are especially concerned at the diminished opportunities the closure of ACA means for student and research choices, forcing Australian students and researchers to move overseas.
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MSA President David Cooper and Starchaser MARSupial Rover Project Manager and Director, Dr Graham Mann, recently visited St Joseph’s School in the Town of Northam, in the wheat-belt of Western Australia.
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Mars Society Australia is pleased to announce that the call for papers for the sixth Australian Mars Exploration Conference (AMEC 2006) is now open. This years theme – ‘Establishing Base Camp: Science, Methods and Technologies to Support the Human Exploration of Mars’ – covers the plethora of issues connected to development of a Mars base to support future human exploration, such as selecting a site, building a base, logistics, exploration radii, setting up a research program, communication and crew safety.
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A public lecture on the Mars Society Australias MarsOz mission architecture and concept vehicle designs will be given by MSA Vice-President Dr Jonathan Clarke at the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) at 6pm on 5th July, 2005. Booking is essential.

For more details, download a lecture flyer here (pdf).
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Univelt Publishers has just released ‘Mars Analogue Research‘ as volume 111 of the American Astronautical Society’s science and technology series . The book contains a large collection of papers on Mars analog research, including expeditions, field science, human factors, education and outreach, engineering, and cultural studies. Many of the papers feature work done by MSA and its affiliates overseas.
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Registration is now open for the sixth annual Australian Mars Exploration Conference (AMEC 2006), to be held in Melbourne in October of this year at the Victoria Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC). You may register online using our secure registration form, or by downloading and faxing in a registration form (pdf).

Find out more at the AMEC2006 homepage and register now for this exciting event.

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The seventh annual Australian Mars Exploration Conference (AMEC 2007), will be held in Perth over the weekend of the 13th to 15th of July at Trinity College, East Perth. Presentations over this two-day event will cover a range of issues concerned with forging, nurturing and developing the pioneering culture and methods required to explore Mars.
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The next generation of space explorers are now reaping the benefits of a new NASA training program which is about to head to Australia, thanks to local efforts. According to David Cooper, President of the Mars Society Australia, agreement has been reached with organizers of NASA’s innovative Spaceward Bound program to extend it to Australia. Spaceward Bound is an educational program organized at NASA’s Ames Research Center in partnership with The Mars Society and funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) at NASA Headquarters.
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The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is evaluating a range of small Mars mission concepts. MSA’s Michael West is on the Mars Institute’s project team for one of the studies, the PRIME Mission to Phobos. You can read more about the PRIME mission here.
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