The Purpose of the Mars Society is to further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This will be done by: Broad public outreach to instill the vision of pioneering Mars. Support of ever more aggressive government funded Mars exploration programs around the world. Conducting Mars exploration on a private basis. Starting small, with hitchhiker payloads on government funded missions, we intend to use the credibility that such activity will engender to mobilize larger resources that will enable stand-alone private robotic missions and ultimately human exploration.