Mars begins organizing 2025 Mars New Year
MARS — The borough has started planning for the next Mars New Year event, which is scheduled for June 2025.
At the borough council meeting Monday night, March 18, Mayor Gregg Hartung said the event committee was considering extending the Mars New Year festivities before the event.
“We’re talking about spreading the events out a little bit,” Hartung said. “Not so much taking up more of Mars, but maybe having some different dates leading up to the actual Mars New Year.”
One possible event includes a bicycle ride from Pittsburgh International Airport to the borough capitalizing on the astronomical theme of the event.
“We’re in conversation with Moon Township about this bicycle rally from the airport in Moon Township to Mars as part of the Mars New Year, and having an astronaut be part of the bicycle rally,” Hartung said.
Hartung also said the borough is working with NASA to hold a three-day space/S.T.E.M. camp in June. The camp, which is called Higher Orbits, is scheduled June 24 to 26, and “probably” will be held at the Discovery Church on Scharberry Lane.
The object of the camp is for students to use S.T.E.M. fundamental to design a space experiment which may be chosen to be sent to the International Space Station.
“NASA will come in and work with students in our area,” Hartung said.
Unlike other local events in Mars, such as the Fourth of July parade and Light-up Night, which are held on an annual basis, Mars New Year is held once every two years to coincide with the solar cycle of the planet Mars. The red planet takes one full rotation around the sun in 687 earth days — nearly two full earth years.
