Mission to Mars Link-Up a stellar event

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Albuquerque Convention Center had plenty of space colonization going on Friday, with the annual Mission to Mars Link-Up Day.

The event was put on by Air Force Research Laboratory La Luz Academy. It had around 1,000 fifth-grade students from more than 30 schools putting together habitats on the floor of the convention center, according to La Luz Academy Deputy Director Diane MacAlpine.

Students built habitats using plastic and tape and filled them with air using fans. The habitats were then connected to form "neighborhoods" of students.

"It was a great success," MacAlpine said.

Students also had the chance to perform, telling the story of their journey to Mars through a presentation called a "saga." Students wrote and rehearsed their sagas,
which are song-and-dance routines, prior to the event.

Scientists and engineers from AFRL interacted with students at various stations throughout the day, she said.

Students studied and learned about 3-D printers and how they would be used to make tools and parts on an actual mission. And, prior to the event, students developed mission patches and uniforms and packed lightweight, space-saving lunches.

Teachers helped students learn about plans to send humans to Mars and were briefed on those plans by representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX,
Mars One, the Mars Society and others.

For more about AFRL La Luz Academy, go to www.afrlnewmexico.com.