MarsCon 2025 - Virginia Beach: Full Schedule

1:00pm EST

GPS: Global Positioning System and How It Really Works

Friday January 17, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

The physics and engineering behind the Global Positioning System and what it can and can't do (and who do you blame when it does go bad).

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for over 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm... Read More →

Brad Goodman

Scientist

Brad has been a guest at local science fiction conventions for more than thirty years. Now retired, he worked for NASA Langley Research Center, at their Visitor Center, and in support of traveling exhibits. Later he worked for the Science Museum of Virginia. These assignments came... Read More →

Michael Morton

Author, USSF

Michael Morton is a retired USAF space operations officer and wishes the Space Force happened earlier. Still, he gets to work for them as a civilian, so life isn't all bad. He writes award-winning military sci-fi and fantasy and lives in Colorado Springs with his family. When he's... Read More →

Charles Blue

Featured Science Guest

Charles Blue (aka Blue the Science Dude) has more than 35 years of science communications experience. Charles has worked as the director of media services at the American Institute of Physics. He also served as the Writer/Editor for the National Science Foundation’s Directorate... Read More →

Friday January 17, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Physical & Space Sciences

1:00pm EST

How Societies Shape Military Forces and Vice Versa

Friday January 17, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

How does a society shape their military forces man, machine, philosophy, and how does the military shape the society they serve?

Moderator

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

Commander Pournelle retired from the Navy after 26 years of service as a surface warfare officer, operations analyst, and joint operations planner. He served on cruisers, destroyers, amphibious ships, and an experimental high-speed vessel. He served on the Navy staff conducting modeling... Read More →

Speakers

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Christopher Ruocchio is the internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater, a series blending elements of both science fiction and fantasy, as well as more than twenty works of short fiction. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Christopher received a degree in English... Read More →

Kacey Ezell

Featured Space Opera Guest

Kacey Ezell writes emotionally charged adventure fantasy and science fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist for Best Alternate History and won the 2018 Year's Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers' Choice Award. She has written multiple bestselling novels published... Read More →

Daniel Kemp

Author

Finishing at Ole Miss in 1998, Dan spent the next decade in infantry assignments in South Korea and the 101st Airborne. That lasted as long as his knees and his back held out. A master's in military history (Norwich University '12) and a somewhat turbulent personal life after the... Read More →

David Shadoin

Author

David "Shady" Shadoin is a trouble-making, corn-fed Nebraska boy the United States Air Force managed to turn into a somewhat decent pilot of whirly birds. An avid reader from a young age, he has always found inspiration listening to rock music while reading Fantasy and Sci Fi novels... Read More →

Friday January 17, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Science, Social & Political Sciences

7:00pm EST

The Garbage Belt: What Should We Do About It?

Friday January 17, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Salon L

There is A LOT of trash in space, so much so that there are professionals whose sole duty is to track that garbage and make sure it doesn't damage functioning satellites in orbit. But, it's not like there are Coke cans and banana peels up there. What is in the Garbage Belt and how should we deal with it?

Speakers

Michael Morton

Author, USSF

Friday January 17, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Physical & Space Sciences

11:00am EST

First Contact

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

A discussion on the pros and cons of humans making contact first, and then of the aliens making contact first. Which should we hope for? Which should we expect?

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Mark Wandrey

International bestselling author of military sci-fi, space opera, and zombie apocalypse, Mark Wandrey is also the only 4 time DragonCon Dragon Award finalist!Living the full time RV lifestyle as a modern day nomad, Mark Wandrey has been writing science fiction since he was in grade... Read More →

Scott Sykes

Author

S.M. Sykes never saw himself as a writer, facing struggles with English classes in school. Even his wife, who doubles as his editor, can attest to occasional challenges with organizing his thoughts. However, despite these obstacles, he discovered a passion for storytelling that he... Read More →

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

I was born in Coatbridge, in the West of Scotland, more years ago than I care to remember. Though, now I come to think about it, who actually remembers being born? I moved east to Edinburgh, by way of Birmingham, London, Lagos, Nigeria, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York: a necessary... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Science, Social & Political Sciences

4:00pm EST

Space Colonization: How and When?

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST

Salon L

In order to build galactic empires, we first need to get out into space. Then, with the very large distances between planets, there is always the problem of getting from one place to another in a timely manner. How will that happen? How close are we to being able to travel even to the Moon or Mars in a few hours or days instead of weeks or months?

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

D. Wes Rist is an international human rights lawyer with a specialization in preventing genocide and mass atrocities. He has worked with non-profit and non-governmental organizations around the world, conducted trainings for international lawyers and atrocity prevention experts, and... Read More →

Ben Davis

Scientist, ECPI University

Ben Davis has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics and an M.S. in Nuclear Astrophysics from the University of Notre Dame. He taught at the college level for several years on a number of technical subjects ranging from computer programming and math to, of course, astronomy and physics. In the... Read More →

Charles Blue

Featured Science Guest

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Physical & Space Sciences

7:00pm EST

Are All Empires Evil? Governance in Space

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Salon L

How might empires that cover more than one planet be governed? How would order be maintained? Do empires have to be evil in order to hold together? Join our panelists as they discuss how multi-planet or multi-system federations or empires might be governed, from galactic senates to loose confederations.

Speakers

Dennis Myers

Author

Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better. After spending... Read More →

Jacob Holo

Author

Jacob Holo has been a recreational geek since childhood, when he discovered Star Wars and Star Trek, and a professional geek since college, when he graduated from Youngstown State University with a degree in Electrical and Controls Engineering. He started writing when his parents... Read More →

Kacey Ezell

Featured Space Opera Guest

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Social & Political Sciences

8:00pm EST

Your Weird Civilization is Infringing Upon My Utopia

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Salon L

We discuss the idea of a utopian society and explore the question of the perfect utopian society (STNG v Ferengi) for everyone. Is it even possible?

Speakers

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

Rowan Worth

Author

Rowan Worth's first book, Past Imperfect, introduced a family of shapeshifters trying to stop an enemy intent on destroying their small pack. Her next release is The Lost Prince, the first book in a science fiction series about an asteroid miner who finds an abandoned battleship deep... Read More →

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Tory Brown is the designer of Votes for Women, which launched on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Tory is a longtime activist and works as a political communications strategist for progressive causes. Inspired to create Votes for Women by games like... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Social & Political Sciences

10:00am EST

Imagining Atrocities: Using Speculative Fiction to Help Address Human Made Atrocities

Sunday January 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Shenandoah Room

Speculative fiction allows our imaginations to literally run wild. How can speculative fiction help us imagine the best, and more importantly, the worst of humanity? How can these imaginings help us in 'the real world' to put an end to atrocities or prevent them altogether?

Speakers

Pamela K. Kinney

Author

Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago, ignoring the demanding voices in her head and has been writing ever since. Her horror short story, “Bottled Spirits,” was runner-up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. She... Read More →

Claire Merrick

Author

Tired of writing about bad news as a producer at a news station, Claire Merrick began using her free time to write urban fantasy stories. She attended FantaSci in Durham, hoping to learn from authors about the business side of publishing. One of the guests, Kevin Ikenberry, asked... Read More →

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

Sunday January 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Science, Social & Political Sciences