Jim Green, former NASA chief scientist, will deliver a presentation during the Mars New Year festival. Butler Eagle File Photo

As NASA eyes its return to the moon and future missions to Mars, one of its most recognizable figures is returning too, this time, to the town of Mars.

Dr. Jim Green, former chief scientist at NASA, will deliver a presentation at the Mars New Year Festival to share insights into the next era of space exploration and what the path beyond Earth looks like.

For his presentation, Green will discuss the latest developments in lunar and Martian exploration and how getting back to the moon is just the first step to getting to the planet Mars.

Dr. Soyeon Yi, South Korea’s first cosmonaut, the day of launch on April 8, 2008. Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Joining Green at this years celebration is another inspiring individual from the space and science community, Dr. Soyeon Yi, South Korea’s first cosmonaut.

“She is absolutely wonderful, and I know she will capture the attention (of) young people who will look up to, and want to be like, her,” Green said.

At 28 years old, she was chosen for the mission out of 36,000 applicants in December 2006.

“She went through an enormous amount of training. You have to be at peak condition, peak mental condition, and you need to be someone who can remain calm and work through things. She passed with flying colors,” Green said.

In April 2008, she became the first South Korean to fly in space, spending nearly 11 days aboard the International Space Station as part of a mission with the Russian Soyuz TMA-12 crew.

Green, who has known her for many years, connected with her at a conference and filled her in on what he’s been up to.

“She said she would check her calendar and if she was free, she’d be interested in joining me,” Green said.

Green is excited to be attending this year with So-Yeon because its offers an opportunity to give back to the public and a community of people who want to learn about what’s going on in the space program.

“It never really occurred to me I could inspire the next generation. It’s not something I ever thought about,” Green said.

An interaction with a young learner at Mars New Years in 2015 opened Green’s eyes to this.

“A little boy, about 11 years old, followed me around all day long, he wandered around with me, and I sat with him and drank cocoa and we talked about space; and, later that day, I let him hand stuff out at our booth, and he just had a great time,” Green said.

It was what came after the interaction that changed Green’s view on the impact he could have.

“About six months later, his father sent me an email thanking me because his son was now building spaceships out of Legos, watching specials about space exploration and doing much better in school. You don’t realize the impact you can have on people,” Green said.

Jim Green, then-chief scientist for NASA´s planetary science division, left, and Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung pause for a photo during the Mars New Year Blast-Off Dinner in 2019. Butler Eagle File Photo

Green was first contacted about the festival by Hartung in 2015. At the time, Green was the head of planetary science at NASA.

“I explained to (Green) that we were trying to do something within the community that had a connection to the planet Mars because of our name,” Hartung said.

Green remembers pulling out planetary charts of the Martian planet to see what he could come up with.

“He said they wanted to find a way to celebrate something about Mars, so I pulled out my chart and immediately noticed the month they wanted to hold their event in happened to fall on the Mars equinox, or the Mars new year,” Green said.

That phone call was the beginning of what is now a cherished community festival.

Hartung extended an invitation to Green to attend the first festival held in 2015. Green not only accepted, it was his next question that changed the game.

“I asked if I could bring some NASA people with me,” Green said.

Joining Green at the first festival were some 100 people from NASA, all of whom Hartung set up in booths and prepared a stage for them to speak.

While Green is fully retired from his role at NASA, he isn’t slowing down. Green is still very much apart of the aerospace community, traveling the country and the world giving talks and presentations on the current state of the space programs and the latest developments.

“Although I’m retired, I’m not going to go play golf and I’m not going to sit around the house watching TV,” Green said with a laugh.

From left, Sarah Untich, Kat Wintersteen, and sisters Kris and Jess Rogers get autographed Mars rover photographs from NASA scientist James Green during the Mars New Year Festival in Mars on June 20, 2015. Butler Eagle File Photo