Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin will explain on Sept. 29 how space travel to Mars is both possible and a necessity
KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 21, 2026 – Traveling to Mars has been a major human aspiration for the last half century. In the last three decades, aerospace scientists and engineers have taken significant steps in exploring the fourth planet from the sun with several rover landings.
So, why is it a must for humans to be sent to Mars in this lifetime? Robert Zubrin, who founded the Mars Society—an international organization dedicated to furthering the exploration and settlement of Mars by public and private means—will explain why in his fall Honors Colloquium lecture at the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
In this lecture, titled “Mars Direct: Humans to the Red Planet Within a Decade,” Zubrin will delve into how humans can travel to Mars, and why it is vitally important to do so—and soon. 
Hosted by the Honors Program, URI’s premier lecture series examines the science of outer space. Zubrin will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus as part of the fall colloquium series, “Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits.” Zubrin’s talk will also be livestreamed on the colloquium’s website.
Registration is required to attend.
Along with leading the Mars Society, Zubrin has developed several concepts for space propulsion and exploration, and authored more than 200 technical and non-technical papers and books. Zubrin’s architectural concepts for human exploration was the inspiration of Andy Weir’s novel and film, “The Martian.”
Zubrin’s lecture will be followed on Oct. 6 by Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and fellow at the Outer Space Institute. A full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors can be found on the Honors Colloquium website.
This year’s URI Honors Colloquium is led by the Department of Physics, bringing forth thought-provoking conversations that bridges cutting-edge science and the boundless imagination of science fiction. The series concludes in December with a lecture on achieving the impossible with outer space.
Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of this year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.
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