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) |
|---|---|
| What will it be like on Mars? | It’s awesome of course! |
| What will you be looking for on Mars? | These missions could be complex but we would be looking for signs of life, energy and water |
| Will you find minerals on Mars? | It would be great to find minerals that can be used in construction |
| What is the environment like? | The environment is different to anything you have ever seen. It’s nothing like on Earth |
| Is it hot in the desert? | It can get hot in the desert but on Mars it’s really cold and can get icy |
| Will you find ice on Mars? | Yes you can and we can use that to melt and get water |
| What is the dehydrated food like in the Hab? | The food looks dry and inedible but once rehydrated it looks and tastes like normal food |