Follow this link to make a tax-deductible donation to Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program.

Designing, building, testing, and launching a spacecraft is an expensive process. Though our volunteer labor and in-kind advisory resources help to defray a huge fraction of spacecraft development costs, reliability demands substantial testing procedures and a launch vehicle is a multi-million-dollar missile. Estimated project costs total roughly $15 million plus launch.

We plan to raise the necessary funds through a combination of public and private support. This mission offers several advantages for both:

> Groundbreaking Research. This mission's findings will begin to determine the possibilities for our future in space, something relevant to every person on Earth. This area of research has been talked about for decades, but never seriously investigated until now. We expect that patrons of space and science will be eager to attach themselves to such a historically important mission, and that the fundamental implications of its research will draw widespread public support.

> Private Initiative. This mission will demonstrate the rapid development and launch of a complex orbital research platform for a fraction of the cost of most corporate and government satellite projects. This type of architecture represents a new way to achieve results in small-scale space programs that is truly faster, better, and cheaper. It will serve as an impetus to the space industry to streamline and accelerate systems engineering to produce more economic spacecraft in the future. This type of process demonstration will draw support from private investors looking to mobilize the scientific and commercial potential of space sooner rather than later.

> Setting Precedents. Despite the long history of life science experiments in space, this mission will make a number of new advances: it will be the longest space mission ever flown with a non-human crew; it will prove the longest-duration autonomous life support system ever demonstrated; it will be the first mission to study partial gravity; and it will make the first study of an extended artificial gravity environment. As a pioneer among space programs in a number of ways, we expect this mission to attract great public attention and media coverage, which will aid in the search for funding.

> Public Interest. Animals are popular with the public, particularly the mouse, which has come to serve so many symbolic roles in our society. We expect that people will identify personally with our crew of mice, and that this will increase both public awareness of and involvement in the mission, providing greater opportunities for advertising than would be possible with other research projects.

> Outreach and Education. This program has close ties to both the International Mars Society and NASA, both organizations renowned for their extensive outreach and educational activities. We will be able to draw upon these established resources and connections to bring the excitement and results of this program to schools and communities around the world. The quest for Mars is a unifying theme that every person from every culture can share in, and this important investigation towards that ultimate goal will provide a great opportunity to re-ignite public interest in space exploration among people of all ages. We expect to receive a great deal of grassroots support from educational and government organizations in order to make these great developments and connections possible.

If you would like to assist with the fundraising effort, please contact the Program Office. For additional ways to assist the Mars Gravity Program, please read on.

There are many ways you can help to make this mission a reality, some of which are discussed below. In addition, we have prepared a sponsor package for potential contributors, which is available upon request.

> Donations. Estimated project costs total roughly $15 million plus launch. These costs may be reduced by support we hope to receive in other areas, but most of this money will come from dedicated individuals and businesses. Both corporate and personal donors will receive our utmost support and recognition in the mission's many publicity opportunities. We are always happy to discuss options with potential sponsors, and invite them to assist the management of the project if they so desire.

> Hardware and Services. This spacecraft will involve a great many complex components—not only for the spacecraft itself, but for all the prototypes, systems, and platforms built over the course of a year and a half of extensive testing. Ground controls during the mission will require additional hardware, including centrifuges and shake tables to model the rotation and vibration experienced by our animals in space. In-kind donations of hardware and services from distributors and manufacturers can go a long way towards reducing project costs. All supporting companies will receive the benefit of advertising in affiliation with the mission.

> Technical Support. Our spacecraft is small, but quite complex, and will require solutions to challenging engineering problems. If you have experience in any relevant fields of engineering or animal research, we welcome your help in improving designs, identifying risk factors, and providing experienced advice to our subgroups. If you would like to provide technical guidance in any area of the project, please contact the Program Office.

> Fundraising and Public Relations. This mission has tremendous potential to excite the public and draw the support of people all over the world. We need your help to harness these valuable resources, and urge you to become an advocate for the Mars Gravity project. If you have access to media sources, public forums, organizations, or educational institutions, we are always more than happy to provide information and materials to help publicize the mission and its important objectives. Small connections to the right audiences can make a huge difference, and we hope you will consider lending your resources to support this worthy cause.

MIT	University of Washington	University of Queensland	The Mars Society	NASA
MIT Sponsored Research	UW Aero Astro	UQ Hypersonics	MIT Mars Society	The MathWorks
MIT Aero Astro	MA Space Grant	WA Space Grant	Edgerton Center	CyberTeams Inc.
MIT Mech Eng	EDS

And through the generous contributions of people such as yourself.