MARS DAY 2022
The next mission to explore Mars with ESA, the UK Space Agency,
UK STEM Ambassadors and international guests is on the horizon!
Mars Day 2022 is an exciting free virtual event adventure for everyone, presented by the UK Space Education Office (ESERO-UK), STEM Learning and in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
The first mission to Mars (Day) last year celebrated NASA Perseverance rover’s first month on Mars; unveiled the role of the UK space industry in this mission and beyond; showcased UK STEM Ambassador and school sessions; hosted live streamed talks with national and international space VIPs.
Thousands joined in the mission and zoomed in for an awesome array of live link-ups, talks and fireside chats from national and international space VIPs.
This first mission was such a success it would seem like an awful waste of space if the adventure stopped here so…
Mars Day 2022 will land on Monday 14 March
For one starry (Mars) day this next mission will…
*host more virtual speaker stars than before from ESA, NASA’s Perseverance team and the UK Space Agency, plus new space VIPs from the ExoMars and Rosalind Franklin rover mission teams;
*run a Mars Hour @11am full of activities and resources for schools,
*then explore Mars over the week with nationwide partners in the space industry, science centres and universities offering out-of-this-world events and sessions during Mars Week.
This date celebrates a few milestones – the 6th anniversary of the launch of the first ExoMars mission, the Trace Gas Orbiter; NASA’s Perseverance rover exploring Mars for just over a year; and a year since the first Mars Day 2021. Mars Day and Mars Week will also run in parallel to British Science Week 2022.
With a real Mars mission late in 2022 – the launch of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover – the next Mars Day mission provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate this awesome event on the horizon.
Register with us in advance, get regular updates of new sessions and stars, a sneak peak of space VIPs joining us on the mission, what to visit in Mars Week and a galaxy full of Mars Hour activities.
Mars Day 2022 will host more virtual speaker stars than before…
The countdown has begun and the full speaker crew will be launched shortly.
Here’s a sneak peak of the a-Mars-ing line-up already on board for the next Mars Day mission…more will be added this month.
Make sure you are registered here to get mission bulletins of new space VIPs as they come onboard. And, once the times and session details are released in February, you’ll be able to book for an awesome array of live link-ups, talks and fireside chats. Choose a session or two, land on your favorite Mars topic, or join for the whole day!
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TIM PEAKE – EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT AND THE FIRST BRITISH ASTRONAUT TO VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
His Principia mission was an eventful and busy six months in space with Tim being the first Briton to walk in space.
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY GUESTS FROM THE EXOMARS ROSALIND FRANKLIN TEAM
Space VIPs involved in this incredible mission are already in the crew room getting suited up…
TWO LEGENDS OF MARS EXPLORATION, DR JIM GREEN AND PROFESSOR DAVID SOUTHWOOD CBE WILL COVER THE HISTORY AND ACHIEVEMENTS RIGHT UP TO THE CURRENT MISSIONS.
Dr Green, NASA Senior Advisor, former NASA Chief Scientist and Director of the agency’s Planetary Science Division, has had his hands in every significant NASA space mission since 1980 including the Perseverance mission. Professor Southwood, former chair of the UK Space Agency, Director of Science & Robotic Exploration ESA and various NASA projects is now Senior Research Investigator at the Dept.of Physics, Imperial College London.
ANNIVERSARY UPDATE FROM TOP UK SCIENTISTS INVOLVED IN NASA’S MARS 2020 MISSION
For the first time ever they will come together and give an update on the mission, discoveries over the last year with Perseverance and the search for evidence of life on Mars.
Our four speakers and members of the NASA Mars team are Sanjeev Gupta, Professor of Earth Sciences at Imperial College London; Dr Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Earth Scientist at the Natural History Museum; Professor Mark Sephton, Department Head of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London; Professor Caroline Smith, Head of Earth Sciences Collections at the Natural History Museum. All work in close collaboration with international partners such as the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
NASA MARS 2020 PERSEVERANCE TEAM GUESTS
From NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they include Sophia Mitchell, Lead Systems Engineer and driver of the Mars Curiosity rover. Over the last year Sophia’s mission has been to help drive the Perseverance rover. There is also a chance we may get a pilot of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter too.
HEADING UP MISSION CONTROL FOR MARS DAY WILL BE DALLAS CAMPBELL AND DR SUZIE IMBER
They have a galaxy full of experience in space discussions, exploration and interviewing space stars!
Space & STEM panel sessions for schools
Mars Day 2022 will star hidden heroes of the UK space industry revealing their missions and adventures.
Whilst these sessions are open to everyone, they just might launch your students into their own space career missions of all kinds.
Four specific sessions will be set up – Science in Space, Technology in Space, Engineering in Space and – yep you’ve guessed it – Maths in Space. Each session will feature a lead speaker as a subject ‘Patron’, with a panel of STEM Ambassadors working in space projects across the vast UK space industry.
Patrons already on board include Dr Becky Smethhurst – Astrophysicist. science communicator. YouTuber, author and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and John Chinner – Principal Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, the largest aerospace company in Europe.
Students will discover the variety of ways to participate in space missions here on Earth; hear about the panellists journeys from studying STEM subjects to becoming a member of a thriving UK space industry; be inspired by the contribution being made to international space exploration.
Full details and heroes will be announced in February so make sure you are registered here to get mission bulletins of Patrons and Panelists as they come onboard.
We can’t wait to explore Mars with you!
COUNTDOWN TO MARS DAY 2022
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to Mars Day 2022…
Flight plans are being drawn up for Monday 14 March – including a whole hour of activities in Mars Hour @ 11am plus a week of exploration with Mars Week.
Sign up for your mission place, follow ESERO-UK on Twitter (@ESERO_UK) and Facebook (@ESEROUK) for the latest; check out #MarsDay22, #MarsWeek22; #MarsHour22; register for Mars Day 22 and follow us on Eventbrite for updates.
We can’t wait to explore Mars with you!
From the Mission Control team at ESERO-UK: over and out
Mars Day is an official event run by the UK Space Education Office (ESERO-UK),
funded by the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
Images courtesy of: ESA –Stephane Corvaja – 2015, NASA-Bill Ingalls, NASA-Carla Cioffi, NASA-Joel Kowsky, NASA – JPL-Caltech, NASA-JPL-Caltech-USGS