You can be a part of the exploration of outer space!

William Atkins
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 19:42

Science - Space

“Students Exploring the Red Planet”: Mars

The “Students Exploring the Red Planet” is a contest held by NASA and Arizona State University through the "Mars Exploration Student Data Teams.”

MESDT is a unique opportunity for high school and college students to become part of the science team for NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission.

According to the MESDT website, the goals are to: (1) Expand the opportunity to perform authentic Mars research with high school students; (2) Provide education and outreach to as broad an audience as possible; (3) Include as many diverse groups as possible; and (4) Take student-directed research to the next level.

Some of the work that students will do on the project is to analyze Mars mission data, take responsibility for such Martian research areas as its volcanic regions, future landing site locations, and its polar cap regions.

According to Brian Grigsby, project leader from Arizona State University, "Two goals of MESDT are to provide high-school students the opportunity to perform authentic science and to take student-directed research to the next level, and they've certainly done that. It’s really fascinating to see how the teams vary in their approaches because they are coming from different technical situations, yet all are doing a fantastic job." [MSNBC Cosmic Log: “Hey, Kids! Join a Space Mission”]

Go to “Students Exploring the Red Planet” for information on how to enter this contest.