Mars Society founded by Robert Zubrin
The Mars Society is a nonprofit organization that advocates for human Mars exploration and colonization. It was founded by Robert Zubrin in 1998 and based on Zubrin's Mars Direct philosophy, which aims to make human mission to Mars as lightweight and feasible as possible. The Mars Society aims to generate interest in the Mars program by garnering support from the public and lobbying. Many Mars Society members and former members are influential in the wider spaceflight community, such as Buzz Aldrin and Elon Musk.
Since its founding, the Mars Society has hosted its annual International Mars Society Convention and operated Mars analog habitats, called the Mars Desert Research Station and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station. Both of the stations are placed in remote locations and aims to replicate a true Mars mission for research. Crew members in the stations must perform mock extravehicular activities, do research assignments and live on strictly rationed supplies. The organization also hosts university robotics competitions, called the University Rover Challenge and the European Rover Challenge.