Programs

LIVING ON MARS.... ON EARTH

"Earth as a Classroom for Exploring Other Worlds" webcasts

Students Interact with Astronaut Researchers

Challenger Center for Space Science Education in cooperation with the Mars Institute to hosted the project Earth as a Classroom for Exploring other Worlds on July 16-20, 2007, from Devon Island in the Arctic Circle.

Devon Island, a dry polar desert environment similar to Mars, is situated 800 miles from the North Pole and is the location of a large ancient meteorite impact, Haughton Crater. The Haughton-Mars Project, established in 1996, is a research platform for simulating space exploration on other worlds.

Former astronauts William Readdy and Leroy Chiao, and astrobiologists Matthew Reyes and Keith Cowing comprised a science research team that travelled to Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada. For one week, they worked in an environment simulating a research outpost on the Moon or Mars.

Students from 12 participating Challenger Learning Centers interacted with the astronauts and astrobiologists during five webcasts. Topics for the webcasts included: living in a remote base camp; an automated greenhouse for the moon and Mars; testing spacesuit concepts; and going deep inside an impact crater.

As part of their stay on Devon Island the science team visited a memorial constructed to honor the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and built a memorial to the crew of the Challenger 51-L mission.

For information on the Haughton-Mars project, visit http://www.marsonearth.org or for information on the Mars Institute, visit http://www.marsinstitute.info/

Participating Challenger Learning Centers:

Kenai, Alaska
Tuscon, Arizona
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Tallahassee, Florida
Hammond, Indiana
St. Louis, Missouri
New York City, New York
Suffern, New York
Oregon, Ohio
Houston, Texas
Alexandria, Virginia

For more information on the Challenger Learning Centers participating in "Earth as a Classroom". For more information about the Earth as a Classroom for Exploring other Worlds.

Challenger Center for Space Science Education is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 1986 by the families of the astronauts tragically lost in the Challenger 51-L mission. Dedicated to the educational spirit of that mission, Challenger Center programs continue the crew's mission of engaging students in science, math and technology and foster in them an interest to pursue careers in those fields.

Additional Information

For more information on Challenger Learning Center programs, please contact a Learning Center Coordinator via e-mail at info@challenger.org; by telephone at (877) 443-5701 or (816) 471-7770; or by completing the Feedback Form.