PLATINUM2022

MARS SOCIETY INC

Humans to Mars in a Decade

Lakewood, CO   |  www.marssociety.org

Mission

The purpose of the Mars Society is to further the exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. We work to educate the public, the media and the government on the benefits of exploring Mars and creating a permanent human presence on the Red Planet. In order to accomplish this, the organization actively seeks to: 1. Organize public outreach with the aim of fostering a deep interest in Mars, 2. Promote broad international support for government-funded Mars research and exploration, and 3. Advocate the establishment of commercial space ventures that will help achieve Mars exploration and settlement. Society activities include Mars analog simulations in the Utah desert and the Canadian Arctic, public outreach and educational programs such as the MarsVR virtual reality simulations.

Ruling year info

1998

Founder & President

Dr. Robert Zubrin

Main address

11111 W 8TH Ave Ste A

Lakewood, CO 80215 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

31-1585646

NTEE code info

Physical Sciences/Earth Sciences Research and Promotion (U30)

Physical Sciences/Earth Sciences Research and Promotion (U30)

Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis (W05)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Mars Desert Research Station

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is an analog Mars habitation and exploration station located in the southern Utah desert near Hanksville.  It went operational in February 2002, and has been operated by Mars Society researchers, NASA and selected scientists, engineers and other professionals from a variety of institutions worldwide all in support of science investigations and exploration research. As an operational test bed, MDRS has served as a central element in support of studies of the technologies, strategies, architectural design, and human factors involved in human missions to Mars.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) is an analog Mars habitation and exploration station located in the high Canadian arctic.  It went operational in 2001, and has been operated by Mars Society researchers, NASA and selected scientists, engineers and other professionals from a variety of institutions worldwide all in support of science investigations and exploration research. As an operational test bed, FMARs has served as a central element in support of studies of the technologies, strategies, architectural design, and human factors involved in human missions to Mars.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Each summer the Mars Society hosts a international convention to bring together scientists, researchers, artists, government officials and other Mars enthusiasts to share trends and ideas about how to get humans to Mars.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of conference attendees

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Annual Convention

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These are registration for our annual conference. The exact reach was much larger for all three years given that our webcast was streamed live and picked up by multiple media outlets.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The purpose of the Mars Society is to encourage the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. In order to accomplish this, the organization will actively seek to:

1. Organize public outreach with the aim of fostering a deep interest in Mars,
2. Promote broad international support for government-funded Mars research and exploration, and
3. Advocate the establishment of commercial space ventures that will help achieve Mars exploration and settlement.

We will accomplish this through:
Public outreach fostering Mars pioneers
Worldwide support for government-funded Mars research and exploration
Private-enterprise Mars exploration and settlement
Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government-funded missions, we intend to use the credibility
such activities engenders to mobilize larger resources, further enabling private robotic missions and
ultimately human exploration and settlement of Mars.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

MARS SOCIETY INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

MARS SOCIETY INC

Board of directors
as of 09/17/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. Robert Zubrin

Pioneer Astronautics

Robert Zubrin

Pioneer Astronautics

Anthony Muscatello

No Affiliation

James Heiser

No Affiliation

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 9/17/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/17/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.