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Shown here is the Flag of Mars designed by
Dr.
Thomas O. Paine, former Administrator of NASA during the Apollo Program.
In 1984, following Case for Mars II, Paine designed this flag and
presented it Tom Meyer and Carol Stoker (pictured here) for 1983-84 for their
work in organizing the Case for Mars conferences dedicated to the
exploration and colonization of Mars. Dr. Paine's intent was that in
future years the flag would be passed as an award to other individuals
who made similar contributions. This award is administered by the
Planetary Society.
The flag shows a blue Earth in the lower corner with a white boundary indicating its biosphere. Mars, the red planet is shown with white polar caps suggesting a potential source of water. The arrow with the circle is the standard astrological symbol for Mars. By design, the arrow points to a star in the upper corner opposite Earth. Thus the motto for the flag was chosen to be, "From Earth to Mars a Step to the Stars".
Case for Mars conferences were held in 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993 and 1996. The goal of the original conference in 1981 was to develop a blueprint for a manned mission to Mars, including a continued presence on the surface. This was refined at the Case for Mars II in 1984 whose purpose was to show that human missions were feasible using current technology. These results were published with support from the NASA Office of Exploration under the title: "The Case for Mars: Concept Development for a Mars Research Station", NASA JPL Publication 86-28.