Western University is teaming up with the Canadian Space Agency to send students to Mars, sort of.
Serving as mission control for a Mars Rover simulation exercise over the next two weeks, Western will welcome students from York University, Saint Mary's University, and the University of British Columbia.
The group of 35 next generation planetary space explorers will simulate various stages of a sample return mission currently underway at a field site in Utah. That will include mission planning, commanding the Mars Exploration Science Rover (MESR), and identifying, characterizing and collecting rock samples.
Western will share the data collected from the exercise with the Canadian Space Agency to aid in future missions.
The exercise comes as NASA actively seeks astronauts to head to the red planet, making a Mars sample return mission one of the top priorities of the international space community.
Anyone who would like to see mission control and take a look at the various instruments being used in the simulation can attend a public open house November 24 from 7pm to 9pm, in the lower level of Western's Physics and Astronomy Building.
Western Earth Sciences professor and Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration Director Gordon Osinski will also give a presentation.
