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 | Run by Elf/Jared and Aimee/ Thomas at Carter for Sat/Sun Answers offered by the crew and Mission Support |
|---|---|
Is the Hab built to specifications needed for a real Mars research station? (pressurized/extra shielding etc) | Yes it’s the right shape so a spacecraft can land on Mars. It has pressurized doors and shielding so it can be protected from the harsh atmosphere. |
How do you power the base on Mars? (What other fuel sources could we use?) | There is a diesel generator with backup batteries (Plutonium or other radioactive materials?) |
What kind of telescope are you using on Mars? | We are using the Musk telescope. It is a 28cm (11 inches) Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector |
What is a Solar Garden? | A Solar Garden is a way of telling the time by using humans and differently positioned rocks/shadows. It is similar to using structures like Stonehenge |
Have you found anything interesting geologically on Mars? | There are so many different types of rocks on Mars. They are different colours, shapes and compositions it is very awesome! |
Are you doing any seismic investigations on Mars? | No but we found out that this area has been very active in the past as the mountains have pushed up the rocks around it and changed the landscape and formation and composition of the rocks |
What kind of transportation do you use on Mars? | We are using a pressurized rover, (landrover) ATV quad bikes (Mars rovers) and our feet of course! |
Up for discussion-ways of getting to Mars and materials to use while on there? | Gravity assists, ion drive and controllable fusion? Materials like solar power smelting? Etc or any other ideas for moving heavy objects?? |