This way to Mars: International Mars mission launches from New Zealand
Monday, 31 July 2017
An international Mars mission headed by a former Nasa rocket scientist has launched in New Zealand.
The organisation, called The Martian Trust, wants to take interplanetary exploration away from the 'priesthood' of aerospace industry and give it to the space-lovers among us.
The global group has been operating in stealth mode, quietly setting itself up as a non-profit in New Zealand.
Now, they want you to join.
**READ MORE:
* Rocket Lab reaches satellite launch milestone
* Rocket Lab signs satellite company Spire as customer
* New Zealand's space policy: Government lays out rocket rules and United States pact
* 'Time is right' for New Zealand to launch space science technology centre**
Founder Charles Polk launched The Martian Trust and a campaign to sign up an initial 100 New Zealanders on Tuesday.
Run through crowd funding website PledgeMe, it's a soft start for a bigger goal: 100,000 global members by April 2018.
A former Nasa rocket scientist turned economist, Polk dreamed up the idea of an international, intergenerational space organisation over 20 years ago, after growing frustrated with failures to fund national space projects.
'There's this expression, 'It's not rocket science'. It's become the domain of experts … and that is a problem,' he said.
The Martian Trust is similar to the early National Geographic Society, a non-profit which funded exploration of the world's furthest reaches through everyday members, magazine subscribers, and wealthy philanthropists.
The intent is to tap into the global space-lovers, who will help fund projects in exchange for martian stories, products and experiences produced.
'Think of how many people know Klingon [from Star Trek] is a language? That involvement exists, it just hasn't been tied in.'
Polk, 55, said it's feasible the trust could fund projects that would have humans growing produce on Mars within his lifetime.
'Thirty years is a reasonable time frame if the revenue model gets going.'
Elected trustees will use member funding to sign contracts with researchers and space technology companies, such as New Zealand's Rocket Lab.
Six trustees from China, Japan, India, Russia, Europe and the United States will be announced in the coming months. A New Zealand trustee will be voted the first members who pledge $10.
The trustees include a science fiction author, journalist, planetary scientist, and possibly an architect.
Three more trustees will be able to buy a seat on the table for $5 million, money which will fund the first projects.
The current 'priesthood' of space exploration - government agencies and space-mad billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos - aren't excluded, but Polk isn't starting a 'billionaire boys club'.
New Zealand, being a stable democracy with low corruption, good business laws, and far from large aerospace industry, was the perfect base for such an endeavour, Polk said.
'It's the last piece of major ground settled. There's a poetic value to that.'
New Zealand internet pioneer John Houlker, who first brought the internet to our shores in 1989, has been helping pull the strings in New Zealand.
'This project has been in stealth mode for considerable time.'
He said New Zealand, with its history of punching above its weight, is the right base for a globally driven Mars mission.
'If you're trying to set-up a non-governmental organisation that's transnational and not aligned with any particular country's politics or business, there is a pretty strong story that New Zealand will be accepted for something like that.'
University of Auckland astro biologist Kathy Campbell has signed on as a founding member.
'Why not? Let's dream a little bit, maybe this one will work,' she said.
'There's a lot going on with space right here in New Zealand, but people don't know about it. We are big players, considering how small this country is.'