February 23, 2006 Source: University of New Brunswick - Saint John:
http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=970 UNBF Student Leads Canadian Team in Mars Exploration Study February 23, 2006
UNB Fredericton News Release: D603
Brad Janes, Public Relations Officer (506) 458-7969 Melissa Battler is visiting Mars. How cool is that? Well, actually the master of science (geology) candidate at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton is at a place that’s really like the Red Planet only it’s located in Southern Utah. It’s all for the purpose of understanding conditions, formation and the evolution of Mars. Ms. Battler is the commander and co-instructor of a mission named Expedition beta (ExBeta) deep in the Utah desert where international crews set up shop at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). She is leading an eight member all-Canadian crew at the site. "The mission to the simulated mars research station is about training our crew on how to perform in every aspect of a potential Mars mission," said Ms. Battler. "My duties as commander will be to focus on presenting talks and lectures, provide presentations and lead hands on labs in the field to teach my crew field biology and geology. There’s a ton of information that will go into two weeks." Ms. Battler led her Canadian crew into the barren region Feb. 11 and will emerge Feb. 27. This is her third trip to Utah and the Mars Desert Research Station. Ms. Battler is finding she’s been better prepared this time around and has come a long way from what she called a "bottom rung geologist crew member," two short years ago. As the president of the Mars Society of Canada, her skill and techniques have grown in leaps and bounds as she studies at UNBF’s Planetary and Space Science Centre. "I guess I’m ambitious, but I’ve been working on this since I was 10-years-old," she said. "This is what I’m most passionate about, being a part of human exploration of other planets. It’s been a lot of hard work and it’s all volunteer, but it’s all worth it." The similarities between Mars and the Utah location is almost eerie, said Ms. Battler. Outside of Mars, it’s the perfect location. There is the similar geography, the similar reddish colour and a completely barren landscape almost totally void of vegetation. The temperature in the Utah desert during the winter season is also similar to a Martian summer if you were wearing a heated spacesuit. "You can climb one of the hills and look out forever and it’s all barren without any signs of life," she said. "There are so many similarities. I’ve been involved in some heavy dust storms that can blow you over. It feels like you could be on Mars. The whole time you’re there, you get lost in the feeling you’re on Mars. It’s an amazing experience." Ms. Battler was drawn to UNBF because of it’s planetary geology program, the only one of its kind in Canada. She works closely with John Spray, the director of UNBF’s Planetary and Space Science Centre. Dr. Spray recently became the first Canadian to be invited to join a European-led ExoMars robotic mission as part of its anticipated 2011 launch. The Ms. Battler-led Canadian crew joined an international crew for some overlapping work when they arrived. When they prepare to leave, another crew will join the Canadians for instruction and update. Anywhere from eight to 10 crews will visit the Mars Desert Research Station through the winter. Summer heat conditions in Utah make it impossible to study during that time frame. "We want to ensure we’re doing proper field science in order to carry out thorough geological and biological exploration in the most efficient way possible," Ms. Battler said. "We must operate that way in order to prepare for exploration of the Martian surface." - 30 -
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