As you all know, the campaign season is now in full gear. As a result, the majority of Congressmen will be spending an exceptionally large amount of time in their districts until November.  This is a very good time to arrange meetings with them. They will not be this accessible for another two years.

The majority of the Congresspeople that we have already spoken to have, on the whole, been supportive of the concept of a mission to Mars.  Many of them were not aware that a human mission to Mars is possible in the near term and for a fraction of earlier estimates.  We need to make sure our Congresspeople are aware of this fact.

Within a week the Outreach Task Force will be posting a political briefing book on the web that should be given to Congresspeople or their staff. I will send out an e-mail when it has been posted.  We will also be providing additional information and advise.

Here are some easy steps for setting up a meeting with your Congressperson or their staff,

1) Call the Congressional/campaign headquarters. Contact information can be found at http://www.vote-smart.org (this page will supply voting records as well).

2) Talk to the scheduler and request a meeting. Generally the scheduler will ask for a fax/letter introducing the group.   See sample letter at bottom of page.

3) After sending the fax, make a follow up phone call a day or two later to make sure they have received the fax (in some cases they may already be able to propose meeting dates).

4) At the meeting, make sure the Congressperson knows A) who the Mars Society is, B) any businesses in his/her district that might benefit from a Mars program, see http://procurement.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/FACS/map.cgi C) why a Mars program is
important to do, D) what we are specifically asking for. Any advance information on the Congressperson can
be used to describe specific benefits from the space/Mars program that they can relate to. E) Now that money is starting to be freed up from the Space Station, this is the ideal time to begin a Mars program.

5) Make sure to thank the Congressional member, both in person as you are leaving, as well as by letter. (See our sample letter)
 

Over the past few months, we have made the Presidential candidates aware of our cause.  We now need to show them that there is Congressional support for a Mars mission.  This Congressional support will not materialize unless we make a concerted effort to tell our Congresspeople why a human mission to Mars is the right thing to do for the United States and their districts. We all know that such a mission is technically feasible.  PLEASE help us make it politically feasible.

All chapter contacts should expect follow-up phone calls from the Outreach Task Force.  In order to make this process easier, we would appreciate it if you would supply us with a telephone number that you can be reached at.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us

ON TO MARS!

Sincerely,

Chris Carberry
Coordinator, Outreach Task Force