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) |
|---|---|
Have you learned a lot in the simulation so far? | Yes it has taught me what it’s like to be an astronaut living on another world |
What precautions do you have to take before you step out into space? | Before you go into space you need to get suited up into a space suit. You need to wait in the airlock before going out so the pressures inside and out are equalized |
Do you really think we will be able to go to Mars? | Yes I think we will one day. This is what this simulation is all about so we can collect information so one day an actual expedition to Mars will take place |
Is it windy on Mars? | Yes it can get very windy on Mars. There are small dust storms called “dust devils” as well as much larger ones that can take over the entire planet for days |
How long is a day on Mars? | A day on Mars is a little longer than on Earth. It is 24 hours and 39 minutes (Earth day is 23 hours 56 minutes) |
Does it rain on Mars? | No because the atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. But we believe there is water locked up as ice in the polar caps and possibly beneath the surface |
How do you go to the toilet on Mars? | All the water is recycled in the Hab. So when you go to the toilet this is recycled so all the water is purified and can be used again |