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 The Planets are Aligning for a Once-in-a-Generation Space Journey 
 
 Press Release From: Griffin Communications Group 
 
 Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 
 
 
 
 
 
 MEDIA ADVISORY 
 
 
 
 WHAT: The Inspiration Mars Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit organization led by American space traveler and entrepreneur Dennis Tito, invites you to attend a press conference detailing its plans to take advantage of a unique window of opportunity to launch an historic journey to Mars and back in 501 days, starting in January 2018. This "Mission for America" will generate new knowledge, experience and momentum for the next great era of space exploration. It is intended to encourage all Americans to believe again, in doing the hard things that make our nation great, while inspiring youth through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and motivation. 
 
 
 
 The Inspiration Mars Foundation is committed to accelerating America's human exploration of space as a critical catalyst for future growth, national prosperity, new knowledge and global leadership. 
 
 
 
 WHO: 
 
 
 
 - Miles O'Brien, moderator 
 
 
 
 - Dennis Tito, chairman of Inspiration Mars Foundation and the first private space traveler 
 
 
 
 - Taber MacCallum, chief executive officer and chief technology officer of Paragon Space Development Corporation and crew member for two-year mission in Biosphere 2 
 
 
 
 - Dr. Jonathan Clark, associate professor of Neurology and Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and space medicine advisor for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute 
 
 
 
 - Jane Poynter, president and chairwoman of Paragon Space Development Corporation and crew member for two-year mission in Biosphere 2 
 
 
 
 WHEN: 
 
 
 
 Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 at 1 p.m. 
 
 
 
 - 45-minute press conference, followed by Q&A period 
 
 
 
 WHERE: 
 
 
 
 The National Press Club 529 14th St NW, 13th floor Washington D.C. 
 
 
 
 MEDIA R.S.V.P.: 
 
 
 
 Space for this event is limited (news media only) Please respond to confirm your attendance. If you will not attend, you may transfer your invitation to another colleague. If a photographer or videographer will attend with you, please indicate this in your R.S.V.P. We request that all media R.S.V.P. by Monday, Feb. 25 to Jessica Ballard with Griffin Communications Group at (281) 335-0200 or JBallard@GriffinCG.com. 
 
 
 
 
 
 // end // 
 
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 The world’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito is planning to launch a manned mission to Mars in January 2018 on a round-trip journey lasting 501 days. 
 
 Tito, who paid about $20 million to visit the International Space Station in 2001, has founded a new nonprofit company called the Inspiration Mars Foundation. The manned mission is intended to “generate new knowledge, experience and momentum for the next great era of space exploration,” according to a press briefing posted by NASA Watch, a website dedicated to space news, on Feb. 20. 
 
 The company will hold a press conference on Feb. 27 to provide details of the mission and answer any questions, of which there are numerous. In particular, how the mission intends to keep its participants safe and healthy during the journey will be a key issue. 
 
 In attendance at the conference will be Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter of the Paragon Space Development Corporation, which creates life-support systems for space and other environments. MacCullum and Poynter were members of the Biosphere-2 project that attempted to build a completely isolated environment inside a giant structure in the 1990s (an experiment that had mixed success). The briefing also mentions Jonathan Clark, a medical researcher at the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, who will probably address the dangers from potentially lethal radiation to humans in deep space.
– While NASA concentrates on sending unmanned probes to Mars, a private space enthusiast plans to raise the ante—with a manned flight to Mars within the next five years, reports Wired. Most of the details are under wraps until Wednesday, but the Inspiration Mars Foundation has announced it intends to launch the 501-day round-trip journey in January 2018, sending a person or people around the red planet and back to Earth. "This 'Mission for America' will generate new knowledge, experience and momentum for the next great era of space exploration," said the press release. The Inspiration Mars Foundation was founded by Dennis Tito, who paid $20 million in 2001 to become the world's first space tourist. But if you cannot wait until 2018 for your Mars fix, India confirmed yesterday that it will be launching its first probe to Mars this October, reports the Wall Street Journal. It follows up an an announcement India made last year.