Mars Day 2022 will host more virtual speaker stars than before…

from ESA, NASA/JPL, UKSA and new space VIPs from the ExoMars mission team!

New sessions will be launched over the next few months so make sure you are registered here to get a sneak peak of these as they come onboard.

Check out the sky full of guest speakers and stars we had for Mars Day 2021 below, full details are here.

 

9.30 – 9.55 

PERSEVERANCE, INGENUITY AND SCIENCE UNDER PRESSURE

Tim Peake, the first British ESA astronaut, talked to Dallas Campbell about missions to Mars, the challenges of flying helicopters on another planet and piloting a rover whilst in space.

10.30 – 11.00

UK SPACE AGENCY – MISSIONS AND PROGRAMMES

Everyone heard how the UK’s thriving space industry is involved in Mars missions, works with other spacefaring nations and has a unique STEM initiative to inspire young people – the One Million Interactions programme.

10.15 – 10.55

FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS – ROBOKIDS ACTIVITY 

RoboKids took schools on a fun and inspiring journey into the future of space, programming and robots. An educational show for children aged 4-11.

10.15 – 11.15

SCHOOL SESSION FOR AGES 15+ – OUR FUTURE ON MARS

What are we doing to prepare for a future on Mars? Schools learnt about missions to Mars that are pushing humans beyond the Moon.

11.30 – 12.10

SCIENCE IN SPACE 

This panel session of STEM Ambassadors featured hidden heroes working in (the) space (industry) whose adventures began by studying science subjects. Session Patron was Dr Suzie Imber, a space plasma physicist, a high altitude mountaineer, an explorer, and maybe one day, an astronaut! 

12.15 – 12.55

TECHNOLOGY IN SPACE 

Viewers discovered how this panel of STEM Ambassadors launched into the world of space technology! Dr Jackie Bell was this session’s Patron, a previous researcher in quantum chromodynamics, trainee astronaut and from Imperial College London’s Department of Computing. 

13.00 – 13.40

ENGINEERING IN SPACE 

This sessions’ Patron, John Chinner from Airbus, was joined by a panel of STEM Ambassadors who work in space exploration having studied engineering. Their missions include Rosetta, the Solar Orbiter and the ExoMars rover launching in 2022 to Mars.

13.45 – 14.25

MATHS IN SPACE

This panel of UK STEM Ambassadors covered how studying maths launches you into the space industry and beyond! Session Patron, Áine O’Brien, studies Planetary Science & Astrobiology and is part of the ExoMars outreach project, Roving with Rosalind.

13.45 – 14.45

SCHOOL SESSION FOR AGES 11-14 – VISIT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND!

The Royal Observatory took students on an amazing journey to explore the wonders of the night sky in their virtual planetarium show.

15.00 – 15.45

NASA’S MARS MISSIONS – THE PAST, PERSEVERANCE, THE FUTURE  

Dr Jim Green, NASA’s Chief Scientist, talked about his decades of experience at NASA; the incredible missions he has led as former Director of the agency’s Planetary Science Division; how Mars 2020 holds great promise for identifying evidence of past life on Mars.

16.15 – 17.00

FROM THE MOON TO MARS – YOUR PLACE IN SPACE

Humankind is ready to return to the Moon and go on to Mars. Dr Aldrin discusses how the democratization of space is making missions accessible to start-ups, independent companies and even schools! Plus, we heard about his experience of seeing Buzz Aldrin, his dad, on the Moon!

18.30 – 19.15

DRIVING ON MARS WITH CURIOSITY AND PERSEVERANCE 

The start of this session was Sophia Mitchell, Lead Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and driver of the Mars Curiosity rover since 2018. With NASA’s Perseverance rover at the Jezero Crater, Sophia’s mission now is to drive the Perseverance rover! How cool is that?

19.30 – 20.30

SPACE ROCKS PRESENTS: MARS OR BUST? 

SPACE ROCKS PRESENTS: MARS OR BUST. The concluding entry for Mars Day saw hosts Dr Suzie Imber and Dallas Campbell joined by the founders of Space Rocks for a deeper discussion on the challenges, opportunities, and motivations behind current focus on the Red Planet.

Heading up Mission Control for Mars Day were Dallas Campbell and Dr Suzie Imber. They have a galaxy full of experience in space discussions, exploration and interviewing space stars!