February 16, 2006 Source: Mount Allison University:
http://www.mta.ca/news/?id=923 Update from Mars — Mount Allison student serves on Expedition Beta SACKVILLE, NB — What’s a mission to Mars like? This week you can find out. Eight individuals from around the world, including Mount Allison’s John Thaler, are participating in Expedition Beta, a two-week training program at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, simulating the environment on the planet Mars. And they’re sharing their adventures with the public through daily reports, photos, and web cams, available online at www.marssociety.org/MDRS/fs05/. John Thaler, an honours biology student at Mount Allison and resident of New Hamburg, ON, is serving as the crew’s biologist. He joins fellow New Brunswick student Melissa Battler, a master’s student at UNB, who is serving as commander of the Mars mission. The crew is made up of four students, two mechanical engineers, one computer engineer, and a flight controller from the Canadian Space Agency. In an update from Utah, John says, "The mission here has been just awesome! We have arrived on Mars and moved into the Hab. We have already participated in two EVAs, one of which was performed completely in simulation, complete with space suits and radio protocols. Along with our assigned research, we have also been documenting the mission on HDV and will be producing a film that will be featured on SpaceChannel TV at the end of summer 2006. This experience has been beyond my wildest dreams." As the chief biologist, John is working in close contact with team members and professors Shannon Rupert-Robles of San Diego Miramar College and Vuong Nguyen at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. He has been busy collecting soil and water samples on site and checking for salinity, pH levels, and temperatures. He explains, "I’m exploring the Utah desert to see what kind of bacteria are out there. I’m specifically looking for salt-loving bacteria known as ‘halophiles.’ What’s unique about the research is that it is all being done in such a way as to simulate work done on Mars, complete with space suits." The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is located about four hours south of Salt Lake City, Utah and is one of three Mars Analog sites around the world being used to simulate the Martian environment to explore research methods for future missions to Mars. The MDRS facility is a two story, round cylindrical habitat that serves as the ‘home base’ for researchers working on geological or biological research projects in the surrounding area. The facility also has a greenhouse and an observatory with a 14-inch telescope. Expedition Beta is a two-week training program taking place this month. It is intended to introduce individuals to the procedures and protocols of working at the MDRS and to be an opportunity to work out problems in research methods for future, longer expeditions. Although the competition was open to applicants around the world, the Mars Society of Canada, in partnership with the American Station, is hosting the mission. For more information on the Mars Desert Research Station and Expedition Beta please visit www.marssociety.org/MDRS/. —30—
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