
Mars Society
The Mars Society is a nonprofit organization that advocates for human Mars exploration and colonization, founded by Robert Zubrin in 1998. It is based on Zubrin's Mars Direct plan, which aims to make human mission to Mars as lightweight and feasible as possible. The Mars Society aims to garner support for the Mars program by lobby the United States and other governments. Since its founding, the Mars Society has hosted its annual International Mars Society Convention and operated Mars analog habitats, named the Mars Desert Research Station and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station. The organization also hosts university robotics competitions, named the University Rover Challenge and the European Rover Challenge. Many Mars Society members and former members are influential in the wider spaceflight community, such as Buzz Aldrin and Elon Musk.