Mission Control Carter Observatory
During the two weeks of the expedition, Carter Observatory Wellington acted as "New Zealand Mission Control".
Carter’s stunning library was transformed into a high-tech mission control for the duration of the crew’s stay in Utah. A suite of laptops along with Mars themed exhibits set the scene and allowed students, teachers and the public to interact with KiwiMars Crew, find out about the mission, and learn more from expert astronomers.
Carter also provided dedicated staff members to look after Mission Control and interact with visitors. This included short presentations about the project and the mission progress at least twice a day, incorporating the latest updates from the base.
All planetarium shows during this time included Mars content and updates from the crew, inspiring visitors to go out and look for the planet for themselves in the night-time sky. Carter also provided a venue for meetings in the build-up to the mission and for a public event once the crew return from Utah.
Education Log-MDRS
The following log is written to give a record of what type of questions were being asked by the students, teachers & visitors at Carter Observatory who interacted with the crew in SIM. The method of communication was via “Chatroll” an online tool of instant messaging.
This instant messaging took place almost every day (see logs) from 1600 hrs to 2300 hrs MDRS time (10 AM to 5 PM NZST).
Questions from students | Answers offered by the crew (various crew members such as CDR,HSO,MSL |
|---|---|
How is it with 6 people living together all the time in a confined space? | It can be difficult at times being in a confined space at times but we manage. Sometimes we don’t get along but it’s been very good so far |
What can you see on Mars? | I can see dust, gravel, different coloured rocks and hills that are different shapes |
What experiments are you carrying out? | We have collected soil samples and analyzing them as well as taking pictures of interesting places on Mars |
Why do you want to go to Mars? | We want to go to Mars to see what it would be like on another planet |
What games do you play on Mars? | We can play cards and other games like charades. There is always plenty to do to have fun. We can also watch DVD’s here |
How old do you have to be to go to Mars? | I think you have to be at least 18 years old. Otherwise you won’t fit into the spacesuit. |
Why do you only have a shower every 3 days? | We have a limited amount of water to take showers. With 6 of us we can only shower once every 3 days |