The Red Planet is on a trajectory that will bring it to its closest
approach to Earth in over 50,000 years

PASADENA: On August 27, the planet Mars will be closer to Earth than it has
been in more than 50,000 years. The planetary event will enable the
public, space enthusiasts and astronomers to view greater detail on a
planet that is increasingly seen as humankind’s next giant leap.

Bright red-orange in the evening sky, Mars will be in perihelic opposition
this summer, meaning the celestial body is at a point in its orbit when it
is both closest to the Sun and to the Earth.

To celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime event, The Planetary Society will mark
this occasion with special events around the world, including an 83rd
birthday party for a man whose name is now synonymous with the Red Planet –
Ray Bradbury, author of the famous The Martian Chronicles. Bradbury’s
birthday comes the same week as this historic Mars opposition.

“If ever there was a man who could be billed ‘the leading man of Mars,’ it
is the brilliant Ray Bradbury,” commented Dr. Louis Friedman, Executive
Director of The Planetary Society.

The public can participate in Mars Day in a wide variety of ways. The
Planetary Society will collect birthday wishes for Ray Bradbury, which will
then be presented to him in the form of an enormous card. The Planetary
Society also will host Internet events with Bradbury near the time of Mars
Day.

The public can also participate by going outside to see Mars and learn more
about it. To facilitate this, The Planetary Society has launched a Mars
Watch campaign to raise public awareness and to function as a co-sponsor
for world events. Over 100 such events in 60 locales are already being
planned with more scheduled each week. Event locations include such
diverse venues as the Zeiss Planetarium in Vienna, Austria; the Nagoya City
Science Museum in Japan; and the Children’s Science Center in Cape Coral,
Florida.

For details on observing Mars from your own location, check the Mars Watch
site at http://planetary.org/marswatch2003/. This site is full of
information about the Red Planet and includes data on the planet’s
geological and exploration history, hands-on activities for children, a
list of worldwide Mars Watch events, upcoming Mars photo and art contests,
and recipes for fun Martian snacks.

In addition to observing Mars from Earth, people around the world will also
be keeping an eye on several spacecraft, representing various nations, on
their journey to the Red Planet. Five spacecraft are on their way, and
late this year will join two others already in orbit around Mars. The five
robotic space explorers en route include NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover
mission (Spirit), the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express and Beagle
2, and Japan’s Nozomi mission. NASA’s second Mars Exploration Rover —
Opportunity — is slated to launch on June 28 from Cape Canaveral.

Bolted to each of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover spacecraft is a mini-DVD.
Each disc is provided by The Planetary Society to carry to the surface of
Mars the names of 4 million people collected by NASA. Astrobots, which are
representations of LEGO mini-figures suited up for space, appear as part of
the structure that mounts the mini-DVD onto each spacecraft. The
astrobots, named Biff Starling and Sandy Moondust, explore the spacecraft
and Mars and chronicle their adventure in fun, educational ways at
http://redrovergoestomars.org/astrobots.

The Mars celebrations will culminate January 2-4 at Planetfest in Pasadena,
California, where thousands are expected to attend a weekend festival
observing the first Mars Exploration Rover lander as it touches down on the
Martian surface.

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