NASA Ames Research Center Director's Colloquium, July 10, 2014, Moffett Field, California. Achieving a human mission to Mars has been a fascination of humanity for some time. In the 1990s, Dr. Robert Zubrin proposed the "Mars Direct" mission architecture, using conventional rockets and Mars in-situ resources to establish a sustained human presence on Mars. Now, with the nation debating how to proceed with human space exploration, the "Mars Direct" plan is more relevant than ever: Can Americans reach the Red Planet in our time?

Robert Zubrin, formerly a staff engineer at Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, is now president of his own company, Pioneer Astronautics. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Space Society. He is the founder of the Mars Society; an international organization dedicated to furthering the exploration and settlement of Mars by both public and private means.

The NASA Ames Director's Colloquium Summer Series was presented by the Office of the Chief Scientist as part of the Center's 75th anniversary celebration.