For the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention, David Ebenbach, author of HOW TO MARS, presents (virtually) The Role of Science-Fiction in Reaching Mars Successfully on Thursday, October 14 at 4PM PDT.

Imagining the Journey: The Significant Role for Science-Fiction in Reaching Mars Successfully

Science fiction has long played a surprising and important role in science itself, inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers as well as shaping ideas that have led to technological advances; imagining a bright future helps us to attain it. In that same vein, science fiction has plenty to teach us in our pursuit of Mars.

The most obvious role for fiction is to help us think through technical and logistical hurdles, and there’s plenty of relevant work to turn to on these points. Perhaps less obvious, but potentially even more important, science fiction can help us appreciate the complicated and central human element that will shape any endeavor to visit or colonize the red planet. This includes paying attention to individual psychology—what it will really be like for a person to go on a journey like this—and also attending to social dynamics and to the ways that we carry culture, tradition, and human nature wherever we go, for better and for worse.

The speaker, author of the novel HOW TO MARS, will discuss fiction by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Ellen Klages, and Kim Stanley Robinson. He will also discuss discoveries derived from his own creative process and share from his work.

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened Thursday-Sunday, October 14-17, 2021, all over the world via the Internet! The International Mars Society Convention presents a unique opportunity for those interested in the planet Mars to come together and discuss the science, technology, social implications, philosophy and a multitude of other aspects of Mars exploration.

Following up on our wildly successful 2020 Virtual Convention which boasted over 10,000 people attending, and more than 150 papers presented, we will again be using unique technology, to not only hold presentations, panel discussions and debates, but also to allow people from around the world to participate, posing questions and interacting with one another.

The Mars Society’s four-day international conference will bring together leading scientists, government policymakers, commercial space executives, science journalists and space advocates to discuss the latest scientific and technological developments and challenges related to the human and robotic exploration of Mars and the eventual human settlement of the Red Planet.