MARS THROUGH MOTIONS: EXPLORING MARS THROUGH THE EYES OF A ROVER BY APPLYING INNOVATIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING IN PLANETARY SCIENCES

Many misconceptions about Planetary Sciences and exploration still exist today despite the progress that scientists and engineers have made over the last 50 years. Much of these advancements have occurred on Mars, especially with rovers such as Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. These rovers represent the perfect opportunity to introduce planetary science in an innovative and playful way to undergraduate teaching. At Rutgers University, an activity was developed that simulates a real-world planetary science scenario that engages students through motion and encourages critical thinking. In this activity non-science major students engage in an interactive scenario in which they independently operate a rover on Mars. Students are initially given a brief introduction about the history of Mars exploration and rovers. Then they are divided into three smaller groups: 1 group of three blindfolded students who represent the “rover”, a second group of 2-4 students who represent mission control, and the third group composed of one student who represents the “telecommunication system” that communicates between mission control and the rover. The goal of this activity is for mission control (who is located in a different part of the building) to navigate the “rover” through an obstacle course with minimum damage and within a specific time frame that simulates the engineering challenges of the martian landscape and the limited time of a mission. The “rover” is being navigated blindly by mission control through a series of commands created from the interpretation and analysis of the “data set” (a picture of the rover and part of the obstacle course) provided by the telecommunication system. By allowing students to figure out how to “drive” a rover on Mars themselves, they connect to Planetary Science in a more meaningful way. This motion-based learning technique not only provides students with a hands-on experience on how Mars exploration is done, but it also gives them an opportunity to analyze data, work together, and compromise in order to find the best solution for their mission, which has instilled the fun of science into our undergraduate classroom and ultimately our next generation.