Mars colony

Capt. Alan Louie, AFOTEC, helps students from East San Jose Elementary of Albuquerque connect a tunnel from one habitat to another at the Convention Center on May 6. Schools from across New Mexico participated in the Mission to Mars program, where classrooms follow curriculum set by AFRL. As a final project, students build habitats that connect to other habitats and present information they have learned about outer space.

Fifth-grade students build ‘Mars’ colony

Published May 12, 2011
By Connie Rankin
377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Kirtland Air Force Base -- More than 1,200 fifth-grade students from 40 New Mexico schools gathered May 6 at the Albuquerque Convention Center to link 62 inflatable shelters to form a "Mars" colony. This is the 17 year the Air Force Research Laboratory La Luz Academy has hosted the Mars Missions Flight event.
The students studied the "red" planet for three months to prepare for their simulated trip to build a colony of habitats needed to survive on the planet. Teams of five to seven people stayed in touch using computers, fax machines and telephones.
Link-up day was the first time the students met face to face.
The teams demonstrated the life-support system they developed to live on Mars. Other support systems include water supply, waste management, temperature control, food production, communications, transportation and recreation.
The students constructed their habitats with connecting tunnels. They went through a "uniform" inspection, briefed each other on the life support systems they built and completed a mission log. They also weighed their bag lunches, because every pound of cargo must be accounted for when traveling to Mars.
Former "Mars colonists," in sixth graders from area middle schools, assisted as mission control members. Other link-up-days in New Mexico took place April 26 in Roswell and today in Las Cruces.
The Air Force Research Laboratory's La Luz Academy is an AFRL education outreach program at Kirtland Air Force Base, in collaboration with New Mexico Tech University, dedicated to raising student interest and knowledge skills in science, technology, engineering, and math to target students from fifth through 12th grade.
The project is based on the Challenger Center's "Marsville" Program, designed as a learning experience to teach students about teamwork and problem solving, and to enhance the study of math, science and engineering.
Students are exposed to technological and environmental space exploration issues. This event also provides students with positive role models from the fields of science and technology.