The middle school students of Nawahiokalani'opu'u school tuned into a video conference with Mars Education Program Associate Director Brian Grigsby from Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. Brian presented a slide show describing the challenge NASA must face establishing a life supporting habitat on planet Mars. Students from Nawahi, the Yupik eskimo tribe in Quiggly, Alaska and from Phoenix, Arizona will work on designing a habitat located on the same latitude on Mars as they live on Earth. They used methods of cultural resource management in developing such a design, and share them with the other students groups in a three-way conference that took place today.

Kumu (teacher) Kalili, on the right oversees the students as they listen to the presentation

Handouts with graphical data from NASA spacecraft orbiting the red planet were issued

The students were very interested in the challenge and asked insightful questions.

Map showing geographic locations of the three student groups participating in program

Map of subsurface water found on Mars by Mars Oddysey Gamma Ray Spectrometer

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Thursday, September 15, 2007 • Introduction to Mars Habitat Challenge by Brian Grigsby