Students tackle varied challenges at Mars Mission Link-up

  • Published
  • By Michele Sager
  • Air Force Research Laboratory
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A mission to Mars would mean providing a sustainable food source, oxygen and water supplies, in addition to needing a form of transportation and recreational activities while on the planet. These are just a few of challenges students at the Mars Mission Link-up Day were asked to tackle.

The event, hosted by the Air Force Research Laboratory's La Luz Academy April 25 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, saw more than 1,000 fifth grade students from 40 different schools across New Mexico working towards a successful mission to our neighboring planet.

"This event is provided to students by their teachers, who use discovery as an add-in, not an add-on to their curriculum," said Ronda Cole, AFRL La Luz Academy director. "It is a unique hands-on learning opportunity and offers students positive role models from the fields of science and technology."

Cole said the teachers are trained several months before the event, and are provided the information they need to implement the Mars mission at their school. The event included varied Mars-related activities, such as determining if microbial life forms originated on Mars, or were there by an asteroid bombardment.

To represent the surface of Mars, the convention center floor was covered with large, marshmallow-like plastic cubes. Within these cubes, two teams were placed together to get the habitat up and running for sustainable life. For example, a team from St. Anthony Indian School in Zuni planted squash, red beans, and corn for its food source. The team was also responsible for transportation, and built a large rover over their remote control truck for exploring.

One student from Los Ranchos Elementary said his group learned a lot about cooperation. "We had to work as a team to build our habitat," he said. "Without cooperation, we would have never made it to Mars."

The link-up wasn't monopolized solely by science or technology; creative arts was also incorporated. Each team had to provide a "saga," which had to be a sung or written ballad and could include choreography describing their journey from earth to Mars.

The students all agreed the Mars Link-Up was a tremendous learning opportunity, one they would love to repeat if given the opportunity.

"We are very proud of each and every participant," Cole said.