New Mars

Should aliens ever decide to land on Earth, they’d probably pick Contact to make their first appearance. Held in the Bay Area from March 1st-3rd, the 19th Contact Conference covered an ambitious array of topics including anthropology, astrobiology, planetary science and more, with speakers such as Apollo Astronaut Rusty Schweickart, Frank Drake and Robert Zubrin. Even though no extra-terrestrials were (visibly) in presence, they’d have been more than welcome as long as they could have survived an inevitable barrage of questions from the assembled scientists, authors and artists. New Mars staff writer Joel McKinnon reported from the first day of the conference.

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Filed under: Articles on March 23rd, 2002 | 3 Comments »

The public’s perception of space exploration and astronomy is almost as important as the events themselves. One of the most prominent figures in shaping that perception in Britain is astronomer, author and television presenter Heather Couper. New Mars conducted an extensive interview with Heather on her current projects and her thoughts about the future of space exploration, both around the world and in Britain.

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Filed under: Interviews on March 21st, 2002 | 3 Comments »