The 2019 Humans to Mars Summit kicks off in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (May 14), and you can watch the conference events live online.
The annual three-day gathering, hosted by the nonprofit organization Explore Mars, brings together scientists, engineers, academics, government officials and other industry leaders to discuss the future challenges and the current progress humanity has made toward launching a crewed mission to the Red Planet by the 2030s.
Space.com will stream the conference live here, courtesy of Explore Mars. You can also watch it directly via livestream.com/viewnow/HumanstoMars2019.
Related: From Radiation to Isolation: 5 Big Risks for Mars Astronauts (Videos)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will kick off the conference Tuesday morning with a speech at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), following opening remarks from officials with Explore Mars. Afterward, industry leaders will talk about how NASA's goal to land astronauts on the moon in 2024 will help astronauts get to Mars by the 2030s. Later in the day, NASA officials will present updates on the agency's InSight Mars lander. To wrap up the day, Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida will offer his remarks about the Red Planet.
Wednesday (May 15) will begin with remarks from Hoppy Price, chief engineer of NASA's robotic Mars exploration program, and SpaceX's principal Mars development engineer Paul Wooster — so we may learn more about SpaceX's plans for a Mars colony and its new interplanetary vehicle, named Starship." That will begin at 8:50 a.m. EDT (1250 GMT).
Afterward we'll hear a keynote speech by Mir Sadat, director of the U.S. National Security Council, followed by a panel on space in education and the entertainment industry. Representatives of the Afghan girls' robotics team will also speak at the conference Wednesday morning. In the afternoon, talks will focus on how astronauts can live on Mars, from utilizing resources to 3D printing food.
The third and final day of the conference will start off at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 GMT) with a panel titled Human Health on the Moon and Mars: Keeping Crews Healthy and Productive. The National Security Council Users' Advisory Group will hold a Q&A session at 10:40 a.m. EDT (1440 GMT), and that will be immediately followed by a speech about blockchain technology.
These are only some of the highlights for the Humans to Mars Summit, but there's plenty more going on that you can watch live online! You can explore the full conference agenda at h2m.exploremars.org and tune in to live webcasts of talks and panels at livestream.com/viewnow/HumanstoMars2019.
- A Brief History of Mars Missions
- NASA's Moon-by-2024 Push Could Help Put Astronauts on Mars by 2033
- Independent Report Concludes 2033 Human Mars Mission Is Not Feasible
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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