The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened Thursday-Sunday, October 17-20, 2019 at Fertitta Hall and Hoffman Hall on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. The four-day event is being held in concert with the Southern California Commercial Spaceflight Initiative.

The Mars Society conference will bring together prominent scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, journalists and space advocates to discuss the significance of the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic-social developments that could impact on plans for the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars.

The theme of the 2019 convention will be The Space Launch Revolution: Opening the Way to Mars, detailing the impact that the ongoing world-wide space launch revolution is having on preparation for human Mars exploration. The agenda will also include a variety of plenary talks, panel discussions and public debates concerning key issues bearing on human Mars exploration.

Conference highlights will include the latest exploratory results from the Curiosity and InSight missions and the Mars Express, ExoMars Trace Gas, Mars Reconnaissance and MAVEN orbiters. In addition, there will be updates on the upcoming ExoMars and Mars 2020 missions and a recount of the Opportunity rover’s many accomplishments on the Red Planet.

REGISTRATION: To register for the convention, please click here.

[New] The Convention Schedule is now available.

[New] Locations of Registration:

Thursday – Sunday: Registration 9-5 Hoffman Hall Lower Level

Map showing the two halls

[New] The convention will be streamed online at the URL The convention will be streamed online at the URL webcast.marssociety.org . All videos from the convention will also be uploaded to Youtube afterwards. [New] Parking Information at USC

A number of special events will be held during the convention:

The final face-off of the Mars Colony Design Contest, in which ten finalists drawn from around the world will present their creative designs for a 1,000 person Mars settlement before a panel of eminent judges and the international space community.

A discussion on how SpaceX’s fast-moving program to create the reusable Starship heavy lift launch vehicle could serve to open the way to exploring the Red Planet and beyond.

The annual keynote address and evening entertainment during the Saturday banquet.

A detailed presentation about the 2018-19 crew simulations at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah and planning for the next crew mission to the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) in northern Canada.

Previous Mars Society conventions have drawn hundreds of participants from all over the world and have received extensive national and international press coverage. This year’s conference should be one of the most exciting and interesting events to date. We hope that you’ll join us!

To register for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention, including early bird special rates, please visit: https://www.marssociety.org/convention-registration. Also for convention updates in the coming weeks and months, please visit our web site: www.marssociety.org.

Hotels:

A limited number of rooms at the USC Hotel are available, see below for the discount link.

The USC Hotel is directly across the street and in quick walking distance from our venue in Fertitta Hall.

3540 South Figueroa Street

Los Angeles, CA 90007

833-2-BOOK-USC

To receive discounted rates you must use the Link below:

https://be.synxis.com/?Hotel=5374&Chain=24206&arrive=10/16/2019&depart=10/21/2019&group=1010MARSSO

The Mayfair Hotel

1256 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017•(213) 632-1200

3.4 Miles to University of Southern California

Rodeway Inn & Suites

1904 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006•(213) 380-9393

3.2 Miles to University of Southern California

The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles

900 W. Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States, 866-925-7881

1.9 miles to University of Southern California

Luxe City Center Hotel

1020 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States, 866-925-7881

1.9 miles to University of Southern California

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE

900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States, 866-925-7881

1.9 miles to University of Southern California

Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. LIVE

901 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States, 866-925-7881

2.0 miles to University of Southern California

Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. LIVE

901 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States, 866-925-7881

2.0 miles to University of Southern California

Call for Papers

Those intending to submit an abstract for consideration should complete the online form located at: http://abstracts.marssociety.org

Presentations for the 22nd Annual International Mars Society Convention in October are invited dealing with all matters (science, engineering, politics, economics, public policy, etc.) associated with the exploration and settlement of Mars.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words are due by August 31st. Those submissions received after the deadline may not be included in the printed convention literature and are lower priority for adding to the final schedule.