See the Full Event Agenda here.

Explore Mars, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advocates throughout the world for the human exploration of Mars by the 2030s. 

Through their many unique and comprehensive programs and projects, they foster cooperation and facilitate collaboration.  They are the creators and hosts of the annual Humans to Mars Summit, the largest Mars exploration conference in the world.

Each year they host experts from NASA and other international space agencies, academia, policy makers, the entertainment industry, and the space-enthused general public. 

They conduct significant STEM and educational outreach activities that excite the imaginations of students, young professionals, and other space advocates. The programs connect them directly with industry leadership, government, and individuals responsible for achieving humanity’s presence on Mars.

Danielle Wood will be speaking at the event "Celebrating Black Lives in the Space Industry: an Exchange of Leadership Stories and Experiences" on August 31. Danielle and graduate researcher David Colby Reed will speak on September 1.

August 31, 2020: 2:00-3:00PM EDT | CELEBRATING BLACK LIVES IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY: AN EXCHANGE OF LEADERSHIP STORIES AND EXPERIENCES

Moderator: Sian Proctor (Professor, geoscience; science communication specialist; Board member, Explore Mars, Inc.)

Moderator: J.R. Edwards (Lockheed Martin, Chief Technology Office/Enterprise Business Transformation)

Charles Bolden (NASA: Former Administrator, Astronaut)

Camille Alleyne (NASA, Deputy Manager, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)

Leland Melvin (Engineer, Educator, Former NASA Astronaut & NFL Wide Receiver)

Danielle Wood (MIT Media Lab: Space Enabled research group, Director)

September 1, 2020: 1:00-1:45PM EDT | WHAT DOES A SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE COMMUNITY LOOK LIKE ON MARS AND ON EARTH?

• Danielle Wood (MIT Media Lab: Space Enabled research group, Director)
• David Colby Reed (MIT Media Lab: Space Enabled research group, Graduate Research Assistant)

Session Abstract: This session draws from Systems Thinking to ask long term questions about the responsibilities that humans face to create sustainable, equitable communities both on Earth and on Mars. The concepts are drawn directly from the research portfolio of the Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media which pursues a mission to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. In pursuit of this mission, Space Enabled works to support sustainability both on earth and in space. The discussion will argue that the space community, especially those pursuing human presence beyond Earth, needs a clear vision for sustainable communities. Sustainability is defined with inspiration from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to include aspects of environmental flourishing, economic wellbeing and social justice or equity across different human groups. The talk will explore how humans need to overcome major challenges to achieve sustainability on earth, by mitigating climate change, addressing vast global wealth inequality, and working toward social justice and equity for historically mistreated people groups. We also explore how future human presence on Mars creates an inspiring opportunity for creative design. On Mars, we have the chance to create modes of living as humans that are sustainable from the beginning, by respecting the Martian environment, creating equitable communities and explore modes of economic exchange that protect the environment and humans. The talk invites us to innovate in our plans for living on Mars and inspire new ways to live on Earth. We further explore the key ideas from systems engineering, philosophy, law and social science that can give us clues to how we can create a sustainable and equitable society on Mars and on Earth. The talk gives examples of research projects by Space Enabled that show concrete examples of these topics.