Pathways to Space

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (seated right) chats with Pathways to Space students at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and students from the Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, California, with whom they are collaborating.

These students are undertaking a NASA student research project – the Mars Student Imaging Program (MSIP) run by the Mars Education team at Arizona State University – and in collaboration with Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, California.

They explained to Administrator Bolden how they had narrowed their questions about past hydrothermal vent systems (hot springs) on Mars to a single research question. They demonstrated, with a live imaging event with the Themis camera on board the Odyssey spacecraft in orbit around Mars, how they would soon be calling for a specific image of an area of Mars that Themis has not yet photographed. The picture then gets returned to them after processing so they can then determine whether they have found a old hot spring or not, and if not why not.

Evergreen School has already experienced the thrill of a scientific discovery, with one of their teams adding to the list of six previously known caves on Mars. Martian caves, like hydrothermal vent systems, could provide clues about past or even present life on Mars if microbial life ever was – or still is – present on Mars.

All the students undertaking the MSIP work have, according to their teachers, gained confidence and maturity in their understanding of science at school as a result of their participation. Some have already acquired new opportunities, and all are offered help with getting into space-related courses at university. The students also acquire the ability to assess, to a degree, primary data – scientific papers published in professional journals, and get to meet key researchers in person or via a videocon.

All students went through the one-day Pathways to Space experience, and from that made the decision to undertake a research project.

Pathways to Space, and the follow-on project for those students who want it, are both free.

In November 24 students and their teachers from Singapore visited Pathways to Space. The Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of NSW, one of the four partners in the project, presented the group with a piece of 2.7 billion year old ‘stromatolite’. The piece shows beautiful swirling layers created by successive microbial mats billions of years ago.

Above: Prof Malcolm Walter, Director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology, presents a piece of 2.7 billion year stromatolite and an authenticity certificate to one of the visiting Singapore teachers.

Pathways to Space has a unique piece of software in which students learn to drive the Marsyard rover and to operate its camera. They then progress to science and engineering missions, which include a visit to the Marsyard to plan and carry out a mission – competing against their fellow students.

“Pathways to Space” was featured on ABC’s Science Show on May 28. Powerhouse head curator Matthew Connell and UNSW’s senior research fellow Dr Carol Oliver describe project’s  Mars Yard – a hall-sized simulation of Mars open to the public. Carol talks about the research and education project, and the importance of connecting high school students with real research.

“Pathways to Space” is a research and education project located at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney – a ‘living laboratory’ in a public space, open to the public and with a free ‘Mission to Mars’ curriculum-based education program for Years 9 to 12 students. A primary schools program will soon be under way.

The project is funded by the Australian Federal Government’s Australian Space Research Program, backed by matching funds in-kind from the four participating partners – the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of New South Wales (project lead); the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney; the Powerhouse Museum; and Cisco.