With the successful landing of Mars Pathfinder and the arrival of Mars Global
Surveyor, a new decade of Mars exploration has commenced. Additional missions are
planned for every launch opportunity through 2005. This renewed era of Mars exploration
will revolutionize our understanding of Martian natural history and climate.
MarsQuest, a 5000 square foot traveling museum exhibit, accompanied by a planetarium
show and an education and public outreach program, is being developed to further bring
the excitement and discoveries of this "Decade of Mars Exploration" to the public.
The Informal Science Education Program of the National Science Foundation is
initially funding the development of MarsQuest. Paul Dusenbery, of the Space Science
Institute (SSI) in Boulder, CO, is project director. Steve Lee, of LASP, is the science
content coordinator. Scientific and educational advisors from many different universities
and government laboratories, most of whom are directly involved in the active and
planned Mars missions, will ensure the scientific accuracy, timeliness, and relevance of
the key concepts presented in the exhibition and the accompanying programs. In addition,
educators, planetary scientists, and engineers will play an active role in expanding
the educational impact of the exhibition through public programs, visits to schools, and
the dissemination of field-tested educational materials developed for MarsQuest.
MarsQuest will examine key concepts in planetary science: physical scales, how
physical systems interact, planetary formation, planetary climate, the possibility of life
on other planets, etc. Specific attention will be paid to new results from the suite of
NASA missions to Mars. The exhibition is designed according to the continuing progression
of our understanding of Mars, and will feature four interrelated themes:
An Historical Perspective of Mars: Visitors encounter the many religious, literary,
and mythical views of Mars that have been developed by societies over the centuries,
including cultural perspectives, science fiction, and early telescopic observations.
Modern Exploration of Mars: A broad suite of technologies, from telescopes to
spectrometers to surface samplers have been used to learn about our nearest planetary
neighbor. This area introduces the devices and strategies employed in the ongoing spacecraft
exploration of Mars. Included will be a large Mars globe, models of current mission
spacecraft, and displays of the latest data from active missions.
The World of Mars: Numerous interactive displays and photo-realistic dioramas
lead to a series of first-hand investigations of Martian weather, topography, geology,
and biology by the visitors. Centerpieces of the exhibit will be a full-scale recreation of
the Pathfinder lander and a portion of its surroundings, and dioramas of Valles Marineris,
Olympus Mons, and the North polar region. A series of issues will be addressed concerning
both the similarities and the striking differences between Earth and Mars. Interactive
displays will be updated frequently with the latest Mars observations.
The Future Mars: Where do we go from here? What outstanding scientific questions
should we focus on answering? Where should our national Q and global Q priorities lie with
respect to this kind of scientific exploration and research? Displays/
models/animations of planned missions (through the 2005 sample return), and a discussion
of possible human exploration will be featured.
