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Projects: Red Rover Goes to MarsWhere Are They Now?The Red Rover Goes to Mars Student Astronauts, Student Navigators, and Student Scientists, 5 Years After the Rovers LandedAs part of the Red Rover Goes to Mars educational project, The Planetary Society worked with three groups of students, selected through international contests, who came to southern California to participate in Mars exploration activities. In 2001, the 9 Student Scientists became the first members of the public to direct a camera aboard a spacecraft orbiting another world, NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor. In 2002, the 8 Student Navigators trained for the Mars Exploration Rover mission through a two-day training program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with the FIDO prototype rover. And in 2004, the 16 Student Astronauts joined the science team at JPL to participate directly in the daily operations of Spirit and Opportunity. Through their online journals, the Student Astronauts served as Mars exploration ambassadors to the world at large. Planetary Society President and Mars Exploration Rover Pancam lead scientist Jim Bell said, "The Red Rover Goes to Mars student programs are a great example of the way The Planetary Society reaches out to help connect young people and their dreams and aspirations directly to the scientists, engineers, and others who are actively exploring space today." Following are updates, gathered in December 2008, from many of the students who participated in Red Rover Goes to Mars. Read updates from: Saatvik Agarwal - Shih-Han
Chen - Kimberly DeRose - Susini
de Silva - Courtney Dressing - Abigail
Fraeman - Shaleen Harlalka - Jacqueline
Hayes - Daniel
Hermanowicz - Maciej Hermanowicz - Tomas
Kogan - Bhushan Mahadik - Vignan
Pattamatta - Wei
Lin Tan - David Turczi
Saatvik Agarwal, IndiaStudent AstronautSaatvik's blog I am currently in my third year studying computer science at Stanford University in California, USA. I won a full scholarship to Stanford in 2006 which made it possible for me to attend Stanford. I am still undecided about my future career path. Right now, the options are wide open -- I am considering everything from pursuing a masters in computer science to research to starting my own technology company in India. I recently spent three months in Berlin, Germany as part of Stanford's Study Abroad program and plan to spend the next three months in Munich working with BMW on de-centralizing the in-car GPS navigation system. Despite all that, I still think that the time at JPL was the most exciting period of my life. I have simply been unable to recreate that atmosphere and feeling of working on the cutting edge of science. One of the direct outcomes of my participation in the Red Rover program was my subsequent involvement in the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) in my junior year of high school. After being selected as a Student Astronaut, I was invited to speak at an event organized by the American Embassy in Delhi. Since the theme of the event was space, the team that had won the ISSDC that year was also invited. Upon seeing their presentation, I was inspired to form my own team and take part in the contest. So with the help of 11 of my school-mates, I formed a team and we designed a space settlement completely on our own over the course of six months. We ultimately made it to the Asian Finals of the competition.
Shih-Han Chen, TaiwanStudent AstronautShih-Han's blog I have recently graduated with my degree in Pre-Clinical Medicine from Cambridge this June. At the moment I'm looking for a finance/business related job in London (which is pretty difficult at the moment given the current economic climate!) My fondest memories of JPL, I guess was the landing of Opportunity. It
was really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be witnesses to a live landing.
It was also a great test of physical (in terms of coping with 'Mars-lag')
and mental (under tense pressure waiting for the successful landing signal)
resilience. I also guess as one of the lucky 'landing group' Student Astronauts,
it also meant that extra time spent together was essential in building
teamwork and mutual understanding to make our part of the project a success.
I would also like to thank Emily Lakdawalla, for kindly organising the
project and also other members of The Planetary Society, for the hard work
and dedication put into making the project possible.
Kimberly DeRose, United StatesStudent Scientist and Student NavigatorI am in my fourth and final year at Harvard University and will be graduating in June of 2009 with a joint degree in Physics and Astronomy/Astrophysics. I have greatly enjoyed my time at Harvard and was able to take part in research endeavors ranging from observational astronomy to theoretical astrophysics. I have also enjoyed taking part in and leading science education outreach groups focused on providing much needed hands-on scientific instruction to local elementary and middle schools. This past summer I worked at the University of California, Los Angeles on an experimental plasma physics project that involved creating astrophysical plasmas similar to the solar wind. It was a great experience that has served to focus my interests on the practical applications of plasma technology. I am currently applying to a mix of physics, applied physics, and nuclear engineering graduate programs across the country. While I had always been interested in science when I was younger, I can confidently say that RRGTM really helped solidify and focus that interest. Being able to interact with scientists and engineers actively involved in planetary exploration is an experience I will never forget. It was during the Student Scientist and Student Navigator programs that I was able to understand what planetary exploration is really like and that my career path would definitely lead me towards some type of scientific research. One of my favorite moments from the Student Scientist program was when we were first able to view the three high-resolution images we took of Mars. Knowing that we were the first humans ever to see those particular close-up views of Mars was amazing! I remember that as we looked at one image specifically, Ken Edgett became excited about a small blotchy formation that upon closer examination appeared to be a mysterious cluster of massive boulders. Speculating about how those boulders could have been transported to the surrounding terrain of a much different composition was really fun, mostly because we were able to step into the shoes of planetary scientists for a while and puzzle over these things. Susini de Silva, Sri LankaStudent AstronautSusini's blog Apologies for the low audio levels on Susini's video update; you will probably need to turn the volume way up to hear the sound. Don't forget to turn the volume back down afterward!
I'm currently a third-year undergraduate following a Physics major at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.For the past year I worked as the Editor of the Mathematical and Astronomical Society at the University of Colombo, where we take the lead in promoting Astronomy within the university and the general public. I intend to complete my undergraduate degree successfully with the future ambition to study further in Physics/Astronomy in graduate school, and to pursue a career in a related field. My fondest memory of my experience at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is being there when the Spirit rover first rolled out from its lander onto the Martian soil. I was so captivated with everything that was happening around the mission control that day. I remember how anxiously we were waiting for the confirmation signal of successful egress and how the entire mission control burst into applause and cheers when the first image after egress arrived. Its so exciting when I now think that I actually witnessed behind the scenes such an eminent space mission. In fact, that moment was a childhood dream of mine. I never it would come true at such an early stage of my life, but thanks to The Planetary Society it did. I must say my experience at JPL was a major influence on my life. Being a
Planetary Society Student Astronaut, I saw how scientists actually
work on a space mission. And I really fell in love with the kind of work
they do and the work environment. Although I always liked science (especially
Physics) it was this experience that confirmed me what I aim for is really
the right thing for me. I even found out that some of the scientists who
work on space missions are actually Physicists. So at the moment, here
I am following my degree in Physics. The valuable opportunity brought to
me by The Planetary Society's Red
Rover Goes To Mars Student Astronaut program indeed helped me be where
I am today, and certainly will keep me inspired during the long way I will
have to take in future.
Courtney Dressing, USAStudent AstronautCourtney's blog I’m currently in my junior year at Princeton University in New Jersey. Although I’m majoring in astrophysical sciences, I’ve been taking plenty of geology courses on the side and plan to go on to graduate school in planetary science in the fall of 2010. Outside of class, I keep busy as the president of the Astrobiology Club, the vice president of the Club Fencing Team, and a member of the Wind Ensemble. Even now, five years later, I’m still incredibly glad to have been selected as a Student Astronaut. That wonderful experience in January of 2004 really inspired me to pursue a career in planetary science and opened doors to future opportunities. One of my fondest memories is standing in JPL with Rafael Morozowski, Emily Lakdawalla, and project scientists as we anxiously waited for news of Spirit’s successful landing. Since then, I’ve remained involved with NASA programs, and I hope to work in the space program again this summer and after I finish graduate school. In summer 2005, I interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center through the Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program and worked on a project to determine the “Colors of Earth” based on reflected light from the Moon. That information might later be used by the Terrestrial Planet Finder mission to identify Earth-like exoplanets. I’ve always been fascinated by Mars, however, and during my senior year of high school, I participated in an in-school mentorship to study transverse aeolian ridges in several different regions of the Red Planet. Two other students and I presented our results at the poster session of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, TX and received recognition in the school, regional, and state science fairs. I was thrilled to see Emily again at the conference! I took a brief break from scientific research to study Russian in Saint Petersburg, Russia during summer 2007, but I returned to Mars research again last summer when I interned at NASA Ames Research Center through the NASA Academy program. Under the guidance of Dr. Nathalie Cabrol, I characterized the morphology and size distributions of particles imaged by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity to investigate the formation history of Meridiani Planum. As a NASA Academy intern, I also traveled to numerous NASA centers and listened to presentations from influential scientists, engineers, and various members of management. At school, I’m currently studying the magnetic properties of very low-mass stars in binary systems with white dwarf companions and comparing their magnetic activity to that of very low-mass stars without companion stars. This research might seem completely unrelated to my previous work, but understanding stellar properties is a necessary step in searching for life in the universe. These low-mass stars are the most common type of star in the universe, so if they are capable of supporting life, then the potential number of habitable planets in the universe is much higher. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that five years have passed since the rovers first landed on Mars. It’s even harder to believe that they’re still operating today, nearly twenty times longer than their nominal 90-sol lifetimes. Congratulations to the Mars Exploration Rover team on their remarkable successes over the years and thanks once again to The Planetary Society for allowing 16 teenagers to share in the excitement of the mission.
Abigail Fraeman, USAStudent AstronautAbigail's blog Being a Student Astronaut during my junior year of high school definitely inspired me to continue to pursue my interest in space exploration, especially in planetary science! After being a Student Astronaut, I spent the summer after my junior year of high school doing research at the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and I was selected as a 2005 Intel Science Talent Search finalist in the space science category for this research. After graduating high school, I decided to attend Yale University where I am currently a senior double majoring in Geology & Geophysics and Physics. I am also in the process of applying to graduate schools to study planetary science next year. Outside of academics, I am still fencing as a member of Yale's varsity team and participate in science outreach programs with local elementary school students. I actually had the opportunity to "go back to Mars" the summer after my freshman year of college when I worked with Prof. Jim Bell [currently the President of The Planetary Society] at Cornell University. I had meet Prof. Bell during my time as a Student Astronaut and was excited about the possibility of continuing to work with rover data. Throughout the summer I analyzed soil spectra collected with Pancam, and Prof. Bell presented our work at the 2006 meeting of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. Last summer I also studied Mars with Prof. Jack Mustard at Brown University. I analyzed data from CRISM, one of the instruments onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. We are hoping to present our work at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference this spring. My interest in planetary science also inspired me to work as a summer intern in 2007 at the Space Studies Board (SSB) in Washington, D.C. The SSB is a board of the National Academy of Sciences, and their role is to provide independent analyses for NASA, congress, and a variety of other organizations. During my time at the SSB I learned a lot about space policy and how decisions are made regarding the future of American's space program. I can’t believe it’s been five years since the rovers landed because I remember my time as a Student Astronaut so clearly. One of my favorite memories from the experience was being in mission control the night that Opportunity landed. I remember all of the events from that evening so vividly-- from cheering with the EDL [Entry, Descent, and Landing] team after every milestone was reached, to meeting Bill Nye, and to going to a press conference that was so packed we had to stand outside in the hallway. My favorite part of the night however, was when the first images were returned and I saw a Mars that looked nothing like the pictures from Pathfinder and Spirit. I also remember all of the other amazing people I meet during my trip, including the other Student Astronauts (we still keep in touch!), the staff at The Planetary Society, and the scientists at JPL. I can definitely attribute much of my desire to study planetary science to my experience with the Mars Exploration Rovers five years ago. I can't wait until I get the opportunity to work on missions to other planets and to experience same sense of exploration I was able to have as a Student Astronaut!
Shaleen Harlalka, IndiaStudent Scientist and Student NavigatorI'm currently doing an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. I'm in my final year here, and have an offer to join Morgan Stanley in London once I'm done. *fingers crossed* I graduated with a B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. After the RRGTM program, some of the things I have done include: Gold Medal at the International Physics Olympiad; I was chosen 'Person of the Year' at IIT Bombay; and I interned at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I currently head the Photography and the Game Theory clubs at IIM Calcutta. My fondest memory as a Student Navigator (at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory): My fondest memory as a Student Scientist (at Malin Space Science Systems): Both these international experiences gave me a great opportunity for global interaction, building up my confidence immensely. Space Missions have always been close to my heart, now I got to live my dream. And the best part is, because of the regular news of my selection and experience, Udaipur, the town in which I live, all became keenly interested in space and astronomy.
Jacqueline Hayes, AustraliaStudent NavigatorFour years after visiting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I completed an undergraduate degree in science at the University of Sydney, with honors in physics. In my honors research project I looked at the tiny scales on the wings of butterflies and moths. These scales have microstructures that interact with light to produce stunning iridescence and other optical effects. I studied the optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the structures. After university, I ran away to join a circus! With 14 other young science graduates, I traveled around Australia performing science shows in schools, as part of the Shell Questacon Science Circus. We also set up local science fairs and developed workshops for students in remote Indigenous communities. Now I’m back in Sydney, working as assistant editor for an Australian science magazine, Cosmos. Visiting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and talking to the scientists and engineers there was a really exciting opportunity. I remember being so inspired (and I still am) by the huge ideas and ambitions of planetary scientists. I appreciate everything I learnt from RRGTM, but one memory from the JPL stands out most for me. On our second day, we ran a simulation of the FIDO rover on Mars (really it was in the Mars yard at JPL). At one point, the team was split between sending the rover to what looked liked a meteorite crater or to what looked like a collection of small rocks. (I absolutely thought we should send it to the small rocks.) There was an intense discussion before we finally reached a conclusion, and it was so interesting to hear everyone’s passionate views about what they thought we should do with the rover, and why. Daniel Hermanowicz, PolandStudent NavigatorDaniel sent in a video update:
Maciej Hermanowicz, PolandStudent AstronautMaciej's blog Maciej sent in a video update:
Tomas Kogan, SpainStudent AstronautTomás's blog My experience in the Red Rover Goes to Mars program helped me shape what I wanted to do after school. At the time, I was 14 years old and had the idea of studying engineering at university, but I didn't really know what an engineer's job could be like. At JPL I saw some leading scientists and engineers working together in the exploration of a different planet, and this exciting and interesting experience helped me confirm that this was the path I wanted to follow. I am now 19 years old, and I'm in second year of the engineering course at the University of Cambridge, in the UK, and I will probably end up specialising in aeronautical engineering. The whole experience was mind blowing right from the start. I was quite nervous when I left my house in Madrid, and many hours, flights and miles of driving (done by my mother who was with me on the trip) after, we arrived at Pasadena. The first time I met the staff at the Planetary Society's site in Pasadena everyone was very friendly and welcoming, me and the other three student astronauts that were there felt comfortable it was clearly a relaxed and fun atmosphere to work in. After that we went to the Jet Propulsion Lab, and everything we saw there was amazing, I think it was all too quick to remember all the interesting facilities we visited! That was possibly the only time we were in JPL in the day time, after that we kept working night shifts due to the way the Mars “sols” time difference worked out during my stay in Pasadena! My most exciting moment was definitely Spirit's egress, which kept the whole team on their toes and made everyone cheer with excitement after it had happened. All in all, a great experience which I would love to repeat in the future,
it would be great to be involved in such a cutting edge project again,
even with the unsociable working hours!
Bhushan Mahadik, IndiaStudent NavigatorI have just started my PhD in Chemical Engineering (this fall) at University
of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Prior to that, I completed by undergraduate
at University of California, Berkeley, in Chem E as well. As far as my
PhD topic goes, I am looking towards stem cell research (yeah, a bit off
from astronomy or planetary science :) ). Vignan Pattamatta , IndiaStudent AstronautVignan's blog Vignan sent in this video update.
Wei Lin Tan, SingaporeStudent AstronautWei Lin's blog I’m currently in my freshman year at Brown University on a Materials Science research scholarship from Singapore, but am also enjoying the benefits of having an awesome Planetary Geosciences department to indulge my inner Mars fangirl ;-). I’ve more or less been a busybody sitting in the department research meetings and just generally hanging out in the common room looking at (and, oh woe, counting) craters in the Martian ice. Ailish, a geology major who just graduated in spring, is guiding two other undergrads and I in this endeavor. I’m also taking Prof. Head’s class on “Earth, Moon and Mars” and absolutely adore it for filling in so many gaps in my patchy knowledge of planetary science. It’s been a fruitful 5 years since StudAst, though probably nothing more exciting than your average high school kid. In summary:
Clearly the Student Astronaut Program has had a positive influence on my life! On a more serious note however, the Mars Exploration Rover experience was definitely a turning point in my life. I’d never known till then that research could be so exciting, and I’ve been peppering my school holidays with research attachments in Earth and materials science ever since. The international group of friends I’ve gained through the Student Astronaut Program have also been invaluable -- there are few other ways I could have gotten to know such a cool and varied bunch of people. Earlier this year I’d also had the pleasure of relief-teaching middle school science for four months, and it was immensely educational trying to figure out how to keep a bunch of 13-14 year olds interested in and excited about science! I’ve now signed on for a 6-year research stint after I graduate from college, and can’t wait to see what more is in store =).
David Turczi, HungaryStudent AstronautDavid's blog I am currently in my third year of Computer Studies, here in Budapest University of Technology, preparing to be a software engineer. I'm planning to take this year a bit lighter, in order to get some work out in the industry to get a little real life practice. This year -- just to get back the competing spirit -- I decided to participate in Microsoft Imagine Cup 2009, so right now I'm spending my winter holiday break writing a videogame for Xbox 360 about solving the world's problems! I'm still a member of the astronomy group I was learning at back in high school -- only this time I'm a teacher! I'm giving classes alongside my own mentor and now preparing others for scientific challenges -- or just teaching them while having a great time with them. It's tons of fun giving the knowledge I gathered over the years to other kids and see how fascinated they are by the wonders of space. Last year I was the mentor of the Hungarian champion in a national space science competition, this year I'm working with two other teams for an astronomy competition with huge hopes of success. My time at JPL is a constant reminder in the back of my mind that anybody -- in this case even me -- can reach to do and see great things with some hard work at the right time, and sometimes that reminder gives me the motivation to carry on, study harder, push farther. The memories will be with me forever, and it is still perhaps the most adventurous time I ever had. So I couldn't miss out this opportunity (pun intended) to thank again the wonderful people -- especially Emily Lakdawalla -- who made it possible for me to be there five years ago, and give me a special perception of the world lasting my whole life.
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