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Projects: Red Rover Goes to MarsStudent Scientists Make Historyby Rachel Zimmerman
The following article is reprinted from the May/June 2001 issue of The Planetary Report. "It was the best week of my life!" This was the overall sentiment of the Red Rover Goes to Mars Student
Scientists after a weeklong visit to San Diego to take pictures of Mars using the Mars
Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard Mars
Global Surveyor (MGS). The students--from
India, Hungary, Poland, Taiwan, Brazil, and the United States--earned this
unprecedented opportunity through The Planetary Society's Red Rover Goes to
Mars Student Scientist essay contest. The nine contest winners, aged 10 to 16, spent several days working at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), the company that built and operates the MOC. There they worked directly with renowned planetary scientists Ken Edgett and Mike Malin to program the spacecraft camera to capture high-resolution images of specific areas on Mars. Consequently, the Student Scientists made history, as never before had members of the public commanded an instrument on a NASA planetary exploration mission.
TeamworkKimberly DeRose, Shaleen Harlalka, Hsin-Liu Kao, Iuri Jasper, Tanmay Khirwadkar, Zsofia Bodo, Vikas Sarangadhara, Bernadett Gaal, and Wojciech Lukasik trained for their MSSS visit for nearly nine months, studying landing-site training materials and working remotely with experts from the Planetary Science Institute and Planetary Society staff. By the end of their training, the students had a solid understanding of the geology and geography of Mars, the goals of a sample return mission, and the importance of remote-sensing imagery for future Mars landers. At MSSS, the Student Scientists worked as a team to select three sites to image. Initially they chose a wide range of geological features, including crater rims, slopes, valleys, canyons, polar layered terrain, and chaotic terrain. Then, based on their knowledge of the various regions of Mars and their desire to image different types of landforms, they narrowed their selection to three sites. "It was remarkable how quickly the students began to interact as a team--they overcame language barriers to share their knowledge of Mars, ideas for rover landing locations, and mission objectives," said Rebecca Williams of MSSS. "Their enthusiasm and dedication illustrate the promise for the future of space exploration." In the end, the student team chose to take high-resolution images of areas in the equatorial, mid-northern latitude, and northern polar regions of Mars. These regions were selected for their likelihood of harboring scientifically interesting features and their potential to reveal some of Mars' mysteries. The staff at MSSS programmed the MOC to image the selected locations when MGS's orbit passed over the targets 48 hours later. After the images were taken, a numerical data representation of each was transmitted from MGS to the Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna receiver in Goldstone, California. The students watched as the numerical data were downloaded from the DSN, translated by MSSS software, and converted into digital images, making them among the first people in the world to view these new pictures of Mars. The first image captured alluvial fans in Mars' equatorial region. An alluvial fan--a fan-shaped mass of loose rock material deposited where a stream's velocity decreases suddenly or where a valley widens abruptly--is viewed as a sign of past water on Mars. The second image, of polar layered terrain, is especially stunning, and the students chose it to show the public at a press conference scheduled for the end of the week. The third image, of fretted terrain, displayed another of Mars' mysteries. Amid the dunes and valleys the students expected to find was an unusual grouping of large dark-colored boulders surrounded by light-colored terrain. Where did the boulders come from? And why did they end up clustered together? The image raised many questions but offered no clear explanations. Even professional planetary geologists were stumped. "I looked at a few pictures around [the area] and couldn't find anything to explain it. Very puzzling!" remarked Michael Carr of the US Geological Survey. "These are huge boulders. There are no indications of any outcrops that could shed such boulders." Meeting the PressThe students released the three new views of Mars at a press conference held at LEGOLAND, a Red Rover Goes to Mars project sponsor. When viewed together as a triptych, the images showcase the diversity, beauty, and mystery of the Red Planet. CNN, MSNBC, Spaceflight Now, and Mars News were on hand to report the event. In addition to journalists, students from the San Diego area attended the press conference, and many of them eagerly sought autographs from their new heroes, the Student Scientist team. Throughout the week, the students gave presentations at LEGOLAND, where they interacted with park patrons as well as students from local schools. Joining the Student Scientists at LEGOLAND were planetary scientists Matt Golombek and Bob Anderson of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Ken Edgett of MSSS. Shoulder to shoulder with the experts, the Student Scientist team fielded difficult questions about Mars with the confidence of professionals. In addition to their work at MSSS and their public appearances at LEGOLAND, the students spent one morning in Hollywood at Paramount Studios on the set of Star Trek: Voyager. Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor on the show and a spokesperson for Red Rover Goes to Mars, gave the students a VIP tour of the set. As part of their special tour, the students had the rare opportunity to see part of an episode being filmed. In addition, they had their pictures taken with members of the Star Trek: Voyager crew. Later that afternoon, the students were taken to Pasadena for a VIP tour of JPL. There they viewed the 7.6-meter (25-foot) Space Simulator, where spacecraft are tested, and the Mars Yard, a sandy and rocky terrain used for testing Mars rover prototypes and simulating Mars missions. Additionally, the students heard special presentations about the Rocky 7 rover, the FIDO rover, and the nanorover that is currently in development at JPL. Visiting JPL enabled the students to get a perspective on the strong heritage of the NASA Mars Program and its plans to continue innovation and exploration into the future. All of the Student Scientists have received national media attention and recognition for their participation in the Red Rover Goes to Mars program. The students are now accustomed to appearing on television, in newspapers and magazines, and even in parades. They have become heroes to the other students in their countries, showing that with sufficient interest and effort, young people can make significant contributions to the study of other planets. The Red Rover Goes to Mars Student Scientists are true role models for future scientists and engineers everywhere. This extraordinary project couldn't have happened without you, the members of The Planetary Society, whose support made it all possible. Red Rover Goes to Mars is just one more example of how, together, "We Make It Happen!" |
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