Media representatives are invited to attend a simulation of a robotic mission to Mars, conducted by a team of 30 university students and researchers in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), on Thursday, June 6.
Working from a remote “Mission Control” centre, the students will use the CSA’s Juno rover to find scientifically significant rocks and soil on the CSA’s analogue terrain, which replicates the environment of Mars. The team will be given a limited amount of time to determine how to select the best samples for science, as would be the case for a real mission to return samples from Mars to Earth.
The mission simulation is part of a CREATE project in Earth and Space Exploration, a cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional training program, led by Western University’s Gordon Osinski and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) with the collaboration of the CSA. The exercise is designed to help train the next-generation of space scientists and engineers through an integrated learning experience. In return, the students will share their data and lessons learned with the CSA for future exploration projects.
Note: This event will take place outdoors and will be cancelled without advance notice in case of rain.
Date: June 6, 2013
Time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
What: Student-led simulation of a Mars rover mission
Who: Alain Ouellet, Acting Director, Space Exploration Development, CSA, Gordon Osinski, Western University/Principal Investigator, CREATE program and university students
Where: Canadian Space Agency, 6767 Route de l’Aeroport, Saint-Hubert, Quebec, J3Y 8Y9
Event contact information:
Canadian Space Agency
Media Relations Office
Telephone: 450-926-4370
E-mail: media@asc-csa.gc.ca
Website: www.asc-csa.gc.ca
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Renaud, Senior Media Relations Officer, 519-661-2111, ext. 85165, jrenaud9@uwo.ca
