| *** DECEMBER 2006 *** |
| NASA TO ANNOUNCE STUDENT LUNAR STATION DESIGN CHALLENGE RESULTS |
| MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - On the heels of NASA's announcement to build a permanent base on the moon by 2024, NASA Quest, Moffett Field, Calif., will announce the results of the Lunar Research Station Design Challenge on a webcast from the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the Utah... News media are invited to participate. Intended for students in grades 5-8, the contest challenged students to design and build a full or scale model of an Earth-based research station that will support living adaptively and working efficiently on the moon. Sponsored by the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Washington, the challenge was designed to help generate excitement for NASA's future human exploration of the moon. As part of the webcast, students will be able to discuss their design issues with MDRS crewmembers participating in an eight-week training and research mission simulating a Mars mission as part of NASA's Spaceward Bound project... |
| NASA SENDS STUDENTS TO THE UTAH DESERT FOR MARS RESEARCH |
| MOFFETT FIELD - Two dozen explorers will soon don space suits, live in an enclosed Mars habitat and conduct a research expedition here on Earth to learn about the future exploration of the moon and Mars. As part of NASA's Spaceward Bound Program, 24 crewmembers will conduct four, two-week training and research expeditions from November 2006 to January 2007 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the Utah desert. Each crew of six is comprised of a commander and a mixed group of graduate students, undergraduates and recent graduates. The crews will be responsible for all aspects of the mission, from logistics to research and extravehicular activities (EVA). "The goal of Spaceward Bound: MDRS is to prepare our future leaders for human exploration of the moon and Mars," said Liza Coe, co-project manager for the Spaceward Bound project at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "The expeditions give crew members an authentic research experience that research has shown to be fundamental to exemplary training and retention of students in science and engineering fields as they transition from school to work." |