WORLD FIRST MARSLINK® MISSION UPDATE - 2011

Dr. Dana Barry assists a High School student with the Mars Simulation.

Dr. Dana M. Barry’s World First MarsLink team continues to make progress. Members in the United States, Malaysia, and Japan participate in planet/star gazing sessions and other space-related events and contests. Space Explorers’ MarsLink mission activities are now a component of her International Program in Creative Education. She initiated this program, in collaboration with Dr. Hideyuki Kanematsu of Japan, to promote and develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills in students of all ages.

In October 2010, Dr. Dana Barry (of Clarkson University) carried out a Mars Explorer Simulation Mission at Mikunigaoka High School in Osaka, Japan. She was assisted by Dean Professor Hideyuki Kanematsu of Suzuka National College of Technology and by Mr. Ota Takashi, a Chemistry teacher at the High School.

The students had a chance to simulate the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, in which rovers named Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004. The primary goals of that Mission were to search for and to characterize a wide range of rocks and soils for clues about the past water activities on Mars. Therefore, chemistry and engineering science were incorporated into this simulation, which presents a three dimensional surface of Mars.

From the left (standing): Mr. Ota Takashi and Dr. Hideyuki Kanematsu observe the participants during the Mission.

Participants started by selecting a landing site and launching a spacecraft to Mars. Then they carefully moved their rovers across the surface of the red planet (Mars), as they encountered problems such as dust storms, rocky terrain, and solar energy lapses. The students used cameras and instruments aboard their rovers to obtain information about the Martian soil, rocks, and sky. Individuals earned points for carrying out certain activities during the simulation. They learned a lot, had fun, and celebrated their successful mission with astronaut ice cream.

Dr. Barry’s World First MarsLink Mission is supported by NASA and Space Explorers, Inc. and sponsored by the Northern New York Section of the American Chemical Society. She and her team are very grateful to Space Explorers, Inc. for making this simulation possible and for their continued interest and outstanding support.

MARSLINK –RELATED / SCIENCE PUBLICATION

Kanematsu, Hideyuki and Barry, Dana M. “Engineering Design and Creative Education,” MEMOIRS of Suzuka National College of Technology, Japan, 42 (2009).

2010 Update