Ken (Tianjun Qu)
President & Founder
TRI VALLEY
MARS SOCIETY
The Official Tri-Valley Student Chapter of the Mars Society
We're looking for students who refuse to believe humanity's story ends on one planet.
Founded in 1998 by aerospace engineer Dr. Robert Zubrin and a coalition of scientists, educators, and space enthusiasts, The Mars Society is the world's leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing the human exploration and eventual settlement of Mars. What began as a single gathering of roughly 700 delegates has grown into a global movement of thousands of members and supporters across more than 50 countries, connected through local chapters, research stations, and student competitions worldwide. Tri Valley Mars Society is proud to carry that mission forward here in the Bay Area — turning big ideas about life beyond Earth into real projects, real research, and real momentum, one student at a time.
Our focus areas
Clothing, Food, Shelter, Transportation — reimagined for Mars
Four human needs, four engineering problems. Every project our members take on lands in one of them.
Clothing
Spacesuit design and human factors — pressure garments, mobility, and thermal control for people working on the surface.
Food
Greenhouse and agriculture systems for growing food on Mars, from hydroponics to closed-loop nutrient cycles.
Shelter
Inflatable and membrane habitat structures that balance radiation shielding, pressure loads, and livable space.
Transportation
Mars rover design — suspension, power, and autonomy for crossing rough regolith terrain reliably.
Milestones
The roadmap ahead
November 2026
- 01
November 2026
Chapters + ISSDC team
Establish chapters at Tri-Valley area high schools — Amador Valley High School, Emerald High School, Foothill High School, and others — and form a team to compete in the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC).
- 02
March & July 2027
Joined events with ACSEF
Co-host joint events with the ACSEF Student Leadership Board (Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair).
- 03
End of year
Las Positas College event
Host an event at Las Positas College: a science outreach program for younger kids, plus a guest lecture from an industry or NASA speaker for high schoolers.
Team
Officers
Kai (Kai-Hsun Tsai)
Vice President & Co-Founder
FAQ
Questions, answered
Gallery
From our events
Chapter kickoff
ISSDC prep
Habitat build
Outreach day
Guest lecture
More photos coming soon
Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Thank you to the organizations backing our work — materials, competition travel, and outreach across the Tri-Valley.
Vigiles Robotics
Student-led competitive robotics team supporting our engineering projects.
vigilesrobotics.comYour organization here
There's open space on this page for the partners who join us next.
Partner with us