Hmmm.

I find myself in the unusual scenario of agreeing with Bowser on this one.

Today, it is pointless to involve "trial runs at living on mars."

One word:

Advertising.

Advertise the red planet day and night...night and day. Get it so that everybody knows about the plan to go to Mars. Every kid on the internet should be as familiar with a Mars pop-up ad as they are with the "mini-spy-at-a-babe camera" ads.

Chris underestimates the public's nonchalance. Not only are they unaware of the Mars Society's problems - they are unaware of the Mars Society in General.

Its SO go-da-ned simple.

Pay attention MARS folks - I'm going to spell this out once - and once only.

A)
Gather the Mars Society folks contributions. (And gather other funding as needed)

B)Go down to a model agency like Ford and hire two attractive female models and one male for a commercial.

Here's some free casting advice. You want a very attractive group, with a hint of ethnicity and intellect. My picks:

Shea Bown

Tomiko

Anna W

C)
Come on out here to Arizona, hiring a commercial video team with a set of red-filters for their cameras and shoot a series of commercial segments with the models in "real" looking space suits. (Contact a theatrical costume shop in hollywood! Rent them for a few days it won't cost that much!)

D)
In one or two day's shooting time (and one or two day's worth of model fees) you should be able to have the raw footage for at least a half dozen commercials.

E)
Keep Zubrin out of the commercials.

F)
Let the video company come up with some finished commercials and tweak them until they are just right.

G)
Broadcast the commercials nationally (when you can afford it) and in the meantime air them from the web 24/7!!!!!

H)
Time the release one of your half dozen commercials every 3 months - so that saturation and desire for the next commercial is tangible. After 18 months the public will be "primed"

I)
The public over 1-1/2 years of these commercials will be much more Mars conscious - and the media, scientists, etc. will also be Mars-focused.

Notes:

Get some talented commercial scripters! No amateur stuff. Paid professionals who know how to milk a sentiment, create a grandiose feeling and how to utilize models to their best advantage.

Models sell. Sex sells. Arctic doesn't sell. Zubrin is a turn off. You want people turned on.

Here's a commercial idea off the top of my head...

The two women models and one man model are planting a flag on mars - intentionally reminiscent of Iwo Jima:

Pan: close up of models faces straining, a few drops of perspiration, moisten their faces.

Voice over:
Mankind's future victories will not involve countries....but involve new worlds

Shot: "Earth" Flag (reminscent of UN symbol but with earth surrounded by ring of stars) fluttering on gold pole, pole being pushed forward.

Voice over:
Mars is mankind's next destination.

Shot: slight female grunting is heard as flag is pushed firmly into the earth. Faces determined then smiling looking up at the now planted flag of earth.

Voice over:
The human adventure is just beginning.

Print overlay on screen bottom:

MARS - mankind's next destination.
(with website info such as DESTINATIONMARS.com etc..etc.)

That's it....it's really that simple. The commercials should become cult advertising classics - like the Calvin Klein commercials (obsession,etc.), Chanel commercial (share the fantasy) among others.

Ah..I'm feeling generous...here's commercial two:

Beautiful girl on earth in evening gown on balconey looks up, party is going on inside her apartment. Couture gown - the works.

Pan up to the dot in the sky she is looking at - mars - lock it in center of shot.

Power of ten effect - magnify dot rapidly in quick steps so that after a few jumps we see clearly that it is the orange-red planet mars she is looking at.

Pause a moment before doing it again...zooming in on the planet's surface til we see a team working on the surface in spacesuits next to a rover type vehicle (modify a sand buggy)
All are models -

Pause again a moment to capture scene of the space team assembling something like a solar array or communications dish (something spacy)

Zoom in again to one of the helmets and we see it is this same woman (the balcony woman) who is now happily working on mars.

Voice over:
Sometimes the greatest of all dreams can't be fulfilled on earth...(pause)....Mars, our next destination.

Fade to image of mars.

Screen overlay: Mars, our next destination. ( & Wesite info, etc.)

There you go.

;-)

SDAI-Tech1

PS
No one can ever say I didn't pull my weight in showing the way to get folks to really want to go to Mars.