Get Moving And Challenge Your Friends To #TrainLikeAMartian

By Leave a Comment

Train Like A Martian AstronautSo you have decided to join us for the Train Like A Martian challenge April 18-24 and now what?

Turn it into a party! Invite your friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances, favorite movie stars, politician and even your favorite dentist to join in the fun! This is going to be a fun way to get social with people and be a bit silly while also raising awareness about the importance of STEM education, space and fitness and also support the work of The Mars Generation.

It’s a win-win! And why keep the good feelings to yourself? The more people to join in the more fun we will have!

Here are some pre-written messages for you to use for challenging others – don’t be shy…Astronaut Abby has challenged the President of the United States to join in! It doesn’t hurt to dream big!

Tips for messages:

  • Make sure to use the #TrainLikeAMartian hashtag
  • Include the dates April 18-24
  • Include the link for the event information
  • Use Photos – You are free to use photos from any TMG channels or grab some from our event dropbox here.

Twitter Messages:

Twitter tip: Don’t start your tweet with the @ symbol because that limits who can see the tweet to only people who follow both you and the person you are tweeting to. For challenging people we want everyone who follows you to see your tweet so they can learn about the event too!

 

Facebook / LinkedIn / Google+ / Email

I challenge (Tag your friends here) to join me to #TrainLikeAMartian April 18-24! It’s easy just click the link below to sign up and follow @TheMarsGen on Twitter or Facebook for the daily fitness challenges. Share photos of yourself completing the challenge or any physical activity each day for chances to win cool space prizes!

By participating you are helping to raise awareness about the importance of STEM education, space and fitness! You are also helping to advance the mission of The Mars Generation and inspire students around the world to dream big!

Together we can change the world! Join me next week and let’s do this! 

Place Event Link Here

 

How Do I Become Part of the Astronaut Corps?

By Leave a Comment

Dorothy Metcalf-LindenburgerBy now, many space enthusiasts have heard that NASA had a record number of applicants during its most recent astronaut application period with more than 18,300 potential candidates. Several news outlets have explained the basic eligibility requirements, but what does it take to actually become one of the select few to join the Astronaut Candidate class? 

Before we jump into a bunch of statistics, please note that the information in this post only applies to US citizens. Every space agency has different methods for selecting astronauts, so if you’re outside of the US, you should follow one of the links below to find more information about the astronaut application process relevant to your geographic region:

The path to becoming an astronaut is not only highly competitive; it is also quite lengthy. According to NASA’s website, the timeframe for selecting the newest astronaut class will take more than a year.

NASA’s 2017 Astronaut Candidate Selection Calendar

December 14, 2015 Application opens
February 18, 2016 Application closes
February-September 2016 Qualified applicants reviewed to determine Highly Qualified applicants
October-December 2016 Highly Qualified applicants reviewed to determine interviewees
February-April 2017 Interviewees report to JSC for interviews, medical evaluations, and orientation
May 2017 Finalists determined
June 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 announced
August 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 reports to JSC

 

In the last round of applications, only 79% of applicants fulfilled the basic requirements; if this statistic remains steady, about 3,800 people in this round will be cut immediately. From there, NASA expects to cut the pool to 400-600 “highly qualified” applicants, out of which approximately 120 people will be invited to Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston for interviews and medical evaluations.

Physical Fitness Test for Astronaut Candidates

 

Astronaut Corps InfographicRecently, WIRED went to JSC to experience the astronaut physical fitness test. This test includes running, weightlifting, passing a medical exam, and spacesuit maneuvering. All of the candidates invited for interviews will have to complete the astronaut physical. After all of that, the applicants will have to wait a little longer to know their fate. By May of next year, NASA will announce the final 7 to 14 people selected to become part of the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017. You can do the math…but I’ll do it for you: of the original 18,300 applicants, only about 0.05% will become Astronaut Candidates.

Next August, the new Astronaut Candidates will report to JSC to begin two years of training, and only after completing training will they be considered part of the astronaut corps. And the waiting doesn’t end there; it may take years for a member of the astronaut corps to be selected for a flight. Since a standard mission to the International Space Station lasts six months, flight participants must be carefully selected for compatibility with their counterparts and with specific mission goals. With responsibilities ranging from experimentation to medical examination and flight safety assurance, astronauts are chosen to ensure mission success. While they wait to be selected for a mission, astronauts will serve in various positions in the NASA team, including jobs like CAPCOM or acting as a delegate to foreign space agencies.

Regardless of the odds, we encourage everyone who thinks they might have what it takes to apply! At the very least, you could get a cool rejection letter to frame and add to your space enthusiast collection. And who knows? Maybe you could be on the first mission to Mars.

Don’t forget our annual #TrainLikeAMartian Challenge runs April 18-24, 2016. You can get details and sign up here.

 

White House Science Fair 2016 to Feature Rocket Contest Team

By Leave a Comment

Team Rock-It TARC White HouseEarlier this week, we covered a team from Virginia participating in the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket contest.

Students from this year’s TARC continue to do remarkable things, with veteran Team Rock-It from Durham, NC participating in The White House Science Fair, being held this Wednesday April 13, 2016.

The Science Fair is meant to showcase student innovation. Any student or group of students can participate and show their work in anything from software engineering, to the next sustainable energy source.

Team Rock-It has not only previously participated in the TARC, but also NASA’s Student Launch Initiative, at which they won many significant awards.

We are excited to see organizations like TARC inspiring so many young people to pursue their STEM dreams. We are sure each member of the Team Rock-It, Samantha, Judy,  Ryan, Emma, and Evan will have a remarkable time at the White House. We look forward to other leaders following in President Obama’s footsteps of encouraging innovation from the rising Mars generation.

For more information on Wednesday’s event, including other projects, click here. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter with the #WHScienceFair.

Rebecca MooreAuthor:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

Rocket Contest National Finalists Announced

By Leave a Comment

TARC Rocket Contest

Team Dunuh: Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

Drumroll please…

We are pleased to congratulate Team Dunuh from Thomas Jefferson High School on qualifying for this year’s Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) finals! The team, which we featured here, has received a qualifying score high enough to move on to the next round of the competition.

The top 101 teams from all across the country were announced this weekend, and those on the list will be participating in the finals on May 14th to compete for the grand prize of more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships. In addition, the winning team will go to the United Kingdom to complete in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

The finals will be held in Plains, VA after they are received at the “Rockets on The Hill” event the day prior in Washington, D.C. The Mars Generation plans to attend the event with representatives, including its founder, Abigail Harrison, who will be speaking at the event.

Team Dunuh is very excited to be moving forward. They are one of the few all girls teams in this year’s contest, with seven members including Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

To see the full list of finalists, and other updates, you can go to the TARC website, as well as following their Twitter. Also, check back here for more posts following the events!

Rebecca MooreAuthor:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

We Have Liftoff! Rocketry Team’s Qualifying Launch

By Leave a Comment

TARC1“Check the egg! Check the egg!”

Seven girls scramble around a tube as they pull out a small ball of green and blue tape. Inside is a single egg, in perfect condition.

“Be careful!” a few cry as they hand it to the judge for inspection.

That egg has just flown 855 feet in the air on a small rocket, so high that it wasn’t even visible at it’s apex, and then came crashing back down with nothing but a parachute no larger than a piece of printer paper. But the egg cracking wasn’t even what the excited team was worried about.

Meet Team Dunuh from Thomas Jefferson High School, one of 43 all-girl teams in this year’s Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). Their team is made up of seven students, including five sophomores: Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li; one freshman: Neha Chinthapatla; and one junior: their team captain, Diana Zavela. Last Saturday, they participated in their qualifying rocket launch, an event to determine if they will move on to Nationals, where they would compete with the top 100 out of 789 teams.

TARC2TARC, the world’s largest student rocket contest, is a competition designed to give middle and high school students a chance to pursue and study careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It has also become a critical piece of the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger workforce development pipeline, hence its sponsorship from industry giants like Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.

For this launch, the team needed to send their rocket 850 feet in the air within 44-46 seconds. For each quarter of a second they were outside of that window, a point was added to their score. Each foot over or under the target also adds extra points.

“Last year the cutoff was 40 points, but we think it will be more competitive this year,” says Rachel. “The teams are getting better.”

TARC4Team Dunuh is optimistic. As they wait, each of them talks about life outside of rocketry. Most of them are involved in sports and a few play in their school’s orchestra. Some shy away from thinking about the future beyond just finishing this year’s challenge, but not all.

“I want to be an aerospace engineer,” declares Neha, the freshman of the group. She is confident and well spoken, taking time to explain the details of their rocket’s motor.

Team captain Diana has her career narrowed down to one of three options. “It’s either going to be astronaut, president, or teacher. I’m not sure.”

When asked about which teams they are most competitive with, they shrug. “We’re just trying to do our best. It’s not so much about beating another team,” says Arpitha. But that’s not to say the challenge is completely drama-free.

“The other teams don’t like us,” Renee laughs.

“They’re just salty,” says Arpitha. “We have the most experience between all of us and we wouldn’t join any of their groups.”

They lament that they may not be able to stick all together again next year, since the school may force them to spread out their expertise with less practiced students. As much as they want to help others, they also want to do their very best and make a team to go all the way. But perhaps that may be a possibility this year.

A team’s final score is the total of their two lowest launches out of three. With last year’s highest qualifying score at 40, Team Dunuh was aiming for something below that. Fortunately they comfortably cleared that, with their final score coming in at 33.

Now they just have to wait until April 8 to find out if it’s good enough to get them to Nationals. Until then, we here at The Mars Generation will be keeping our fingers crossed for this remarkable team of students. We wish them, and all the other TARC teams, the best of luck moving forward.TARC5

Rebecca MooreAuthor:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

Train Like A Martian And Get Rewards Too!

By Leave a Comment

Train like a martian astronautOur first annual signature event, Train Like A Martian, is sure to be a great success and while we have opportunities for everyone to win prizes without any donations or fundraising, we also have special rewards for donors and fundraisers, too!

It’s easy to earn rewards; either make a donation or setup a fundraising page and raise funds to reach your goal! We also have several special rewards for schools and teams – scroll down for more information on rewards! To setup a team page you can go here (make sure you share the team page link once created with team members so they can join in and setup their pages to link with your pages so all donations are recorded for team).

The Train Like A Martian Donation/Fundraising Individual Rewards Include:

  • Ground Control: Raise or donate $25 or more to receive Love to Mars art print.
  • Launch Pad: Raise or donate $50 or more to receive the newly released Astronaut Abby patch and be entered in the donor prize drawing for a TMG patch jacket. You will also receive all lower rewards.
  • Rocket Fuel: Raise or donate $75 or more to receive a newly released TMG logo pin. You will also receive all lower rewards.
  • Blast OFF: Raise or donate $100 or more to receive the newly released TMG logo keychain and receive all lower rewards.
  • Lower Orbit: Raise or donate $150 or more to receive a TMG logo t-shirt and all lower rewards.
  • Deep Space: Raise or donate $250 or more to receive a TMG logo sweatshirt and all lower rewards.
  • Asteroid Visit: Raise or donate $500 or more to receive a TMG logo coffee mug and two pounds TMG Get Your Roast To Mars Coffee and receive all lower rewards.
  • Moon Travel: Raise or donate $1000 or more to receive a private Google+ Hangout Session with Astronaut Abby! Also receive all lower rewards.
  • Mars Or Bust: Raise or donate $5000 or more to have Astronaut Abby speak at your corporate, school or community event. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.

Team Fundraising Prizes and Rewards

  • Top fundraising team – 5 TMG t-shirts and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all team members registered.
  • 2nd place fundraising team – 5 TMG patches and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all team members registered.
  • Raise $1000 or more as a school team to schedule a private Google+ Hangout Session with your team and Astronaut Abby and perhaps a few more surprise guests!
  • Raise $5000 or more as a team and schedule Astronaut Abby to visit and speak at your corporate, school or community event. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.    **Any speaking requests outside continental U.S. will be subject to transportation and room and board fees for Abby and one guest and is subject to availability. Please contact groundsupport@TheMarsGeneration.org to discuss details. 

School Team Fundraising Rewards and Prizes

  • Top fundraising team – 5 TMG t-shirts and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all students registered in the school.
  • 2nd place fundraising team – 5 TMG patches and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all students registered in the school.
  • Raise $1000 or more as a school team to schedule a private Google+ Hangout Session with your school and Astronaut Abby and perhaps a few more surprise guests!
  • Raise $5000 or more as a team and schedule Astronaut Abby to visit and speak at your school. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.    **Any speaking requests outside continental U.S. will be subject to transportation and room and board fees for Abby and one guest and is subject to availability. Please contact groundsupport@TheMarsGeneration.org to discuss details.

For more information on rewards and prizes please go to our contest page here.

Astronaut Tim Peake To Run The London Marathon In Space While We #TrainLikeAMartian On Earth!

By Leave a Comment

astronaut tim peak brit in spaceSince British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake recently marked 100 days in space it seemed suitable to talk about his mission and legacy so far.

For those who may not know this, Britain has a terrible history in space; Britain uses Australia as a spaceport, Britain designs rocket, rocket flies, rocket fails, and Britain gives up… but what if I told you that we never really gave up?

In 1991, Helen Sharman became the first Brit in space. However, she went up as a citizen of Britain, not as an official British astronaut (it’s a bit complicated). Many other British people have been to space, including–most famously Michael Foale a British-American astrophysicists. However, they both had dual citizenship with the US and could never claim the title of ‘British astronaut.’

Tim Peake the First Official British Astronaut

Last year that changed. On December 15, 2015, Tim Peake became the first ever British astronaut. Tim is scheduled to stay on board the International Space Station for six months and is already three months in. Not only did he become the first official British astronaut, he became the seventh person born in the UK  to “step aboard” the orbiting laboratory. He has completed many video and radio calls with various schools and museums and has even made video messages for the London 2016 New Year celebration and opened the Big Bang Fair 2016.

Running the London Marathon in Space

astronaut tim peake training london marathonBut wait, there’s more! On the April 24, 2016 Astronaut Tim Peake will be running the London Marathon… from space! What’s more, The Mars Generation is organizing an event April 18-24, 2016 called the Train Like A Martian Challenge. This worldwide event (happening in schools, workplaces, online as well as many local events) will bring awareness to the importance of space, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and physical fitness. The event culminates on April 24, 2016 as a celebration of Tim Peake’s accomplishment of being the second astronaut to run a marathon in space. 

The event will also be a fundraiser for The Mars Generation to help support and build the Student Space Ambassador program in which I am an active participant.  This is an international event and we are looking for Student Space Ambassadors and others to host events in their local area and promote the event online (you can win prizes for helping to promote the event, click here to learn more).

Planet Earth, we need you! We need you to join the Mars Generation!

About the Author:

Astronaut Luke The Mars Generation ESAMy Name is Luke B. and I’m a 15 year old, aspiring British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. For a large amount of my childhood I was fascinated by history (and I still am!) but another thing I have always been fascinated in is aviation. Maybe it was because I am obsessed with owls and other birds, maybe it just came to me. The world may never know! But what we do know is that the fascination is there, always has been, always will be.

It is only recently that I have made the decision to go into the aerospace industry. I want to become an astronaut. Before wanting to become an astronaut I wanted to be the curator of the Natural History museum in London, but now I have set myself on a collision course with the stars and it’s gaining heat. In 2015, I joined forces with The Mars Generation by becoming a Student Space Ambassador and have been providing help wherever needed, including taking the lead of my country in the #TrainLikeAMartian Challenge April 18-24, 2016. I still have a long way to go on my journey to Mars, but the stars await with patience and it’ll be worth every second of my time, it’s gonna be one heck of a ride! 

**Tim Peake Photos Credit ESA/NASA

Scott Kelly A Space Pioneer Spends A Year In Space

By Leave a Comment

scott kelly year in spaceCongratulations for the safe return of NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko who just finished living for almost a full year in space! What an awe-inspiring journey, experience and adventure for these individuals. This mission took tremendous leaps in terms of research to support and propel the next generation of astronauts farther into space.

The main goal of this mission was to help determine what will come next in terms of space exploration. This research supports the dream of going to Mars: research conducted on this mission will help scientists understand the unique challenges of microgravity while living on a spacecraft and how it affects the human body. By understanding these unique circumstances, it helps us mitigate risks for future astronauts and what genetic changes may occur. Traveling to Mars and physically being on Mars will be harsh on the human body, and much of this gathered information will increase the chances of those going to the red planet to survive for a return journey home.

When I think of Astronaut Kelly and other astronauts before him, I see them as true space pioneers. Their commitment to increasing scientific knowledge, allowing scientists to study all aspects of their bodies and their years of training is something I don’t think I personally could do. But because these astronauts were willing to undertake such a huge responsibility in the space community, it is from them that we learn so much.

In terms of this latest mission, Kelly is the first American to complete a continuous year-long mission in space, although four other astronauts have spent more time in space, on the Russian Mir Space Station.

Much of the focus was on the one-year trip in space, but there was an astounding amount of work done before and after the trip, really making this mission three years in length. To truly understand the changes in the human body, numerous samples needed to be gathered before the actual trip to space. Now that Astronaut Kelly is back, new samples are needed to determine changes after the trip. Going through the information and research will take years to process and understand. But having this invaluable information will help future missions, especially when shared with international partners for collaborative work.

Other research was conducted while on this mission as well. In fact, more than 400 other experiments took place. This will help increase biomedical knowledge for human exploration, reduce costs, improve processes and procedures and improve efficiency on future space station missions. The research done up there also included many studies that will benefit all of humanity.

With so much information for scientists and researchers to go through, it may take up to six years to publish that information. That may seem like a long time, but it is just a blink of an eye in terms of time that will bring us that much closer to the possibility of going to Mars.

With with this phenomenal mission over, I think of future astronauts like Astronaut Abby. I wonder how she will benefit from research done from this mission, or how her chances of survival will have greatly increased. And when she returns to Earth from her own journey, I can only dream of what research and scientific discoveries she will endow on future astronauts.

Thank you to past, present and future astronauts – this dream of sending astronauts to Mars is now a reality before us.

Alice Higgs The Mars GenerationAbout The Author

Alice joined the TMG team because she believes in space exploration and loves all things related to STEM and space. Her work background is related to Canadian government and coordination of projects. Her free time is spent with her two daughters, traveling and learning whatever suits her interests! She is looking forward to connecting with the growing community!

Do Astronauts Use Yoga? #TrainLikeAMartian

By Leave a Comment

The Mars Generation AstronautMake sure you Sign Up Here for Updates for the Train Like A Martian Challenge

Do astronauts use yoga exercises to train for missions? That’s the question I asked myself as I was lesson planning for an upcoming unit on Flight and Space for my classes. Immediately, I found a large amount of information and determined that, yes, yoga is definitely used by astronauts and recommended by doctors to counteract the effects of low gravity and space-sickness.

With this answer I realized not only could I effectively learn and teach simple yoga to my middle school students and have them take it seriously, but I could also create resources for the upcoming TMG Train Like A Martian Challenge. This event is happening worldwide with classrooms and school participating along with people of all ages around the world.

3 Yoga Exercises that Would Work With Students

I interviewed our yearbook advisor, who is currently taking night classes to become certified in yoga instruction. She showed me some exercises that would work with students, including three key areas: breathing, twisting, and balancing.

  1. For breathing, we used Ujayi (inhale) and Pranayama (exhale). It is important that students understand that astronauts are under a tremendous amount of physical and mental pressure and that breathing is something that should be given a lot of attention. That is where our class lesson on Train Like a Martian starts.
  2. Next, we attempted to twist our bodies in order to release toxins and expand our breathing abilities. Depending on the group of students, this can be done sitting or standing. Since my classroom is a cramped computer lab, we opted for the sitting version.
  3. Finally, we ended with balancing practice. I demonstrated the tree pose first, using my drishti (concentrated intention), and then had every other student stand, while their partner observed. Then we switched. This way students could see each other’s pose and provide positive reinforcement.

Students were very curious at first, but quickly came to realize how important it is to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. This focus is critical for astronauts as they train. There is no room for error and being able to breathe, twist, and balance are important aspects of what they need in order to have a successful mission.

I encourage teachers to try the breathing, twisting, and balancing exercises with their students. It makes for a great warm-up for the start of class and I will continue to use it even after our unit on Flight and Space.

Video Demonstration of Yoga In The Classroom

See the video below in which I demonstrates breathing, twisting, and balancing. It was my very first attempt at doing yoga and I offer you, my fellow classroom teachers, the opportunity to try for yourself these three exercises that are helpful for astronaut training as well as an easy physical activity for your students. If I can do it, so can you!

Yoga Basics: For Classroom Teachers

 

For more information on how yoga benefits astronauts and assist in your Train Like a Martian activities, please visit the following resources:

http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2013/dapr13/space.shtml

http://www.yogaforspacehealth.com/downloads/Yoga-For-Space-Health.pdf

https://prezi.com/libv9msfxu6n/yoga-for-astronauts/

Don’t Miss the Train Like A Martian Challenge!

Make sure to sign up for updates for the Train Like A Martian Challenge so you don’t miss a thing!

Jeff Herold NASA STEM TeacherAbout The Author

Jeff Herold is in his 16th year of teaching. He has taught everything from Kindergarten through 12th grade and community college. Currently, he teaches S.T.E.M. to 7th and 8th graders at Hillcrest Middle School in Glendale, Arizona. While not volunteering at local elementary schools at their science nights, he enjoys paragliding, attending professional development, and spending time with his family. His favorite student is his 5th grade son, Skyler. Jeff is the 2015 Arizona Air Force Association Teacher of the Year and 2015 Arizona Challenger Space Center Educator of the Year. Jeff is a member of The Mars Generation Student Space Ambassador Planning Committee and the Train Like a Martian Planning Committee. You can follow his S.T.E.M. adventures on Twitter @STEMJeff.

 

Mausonaut Joins TMG and Reports on ExoMars Launch

By Leave a Comment

mausonaut ESA mars moonWe are excited to announce a new and exciting partnership! We are pleased to have Mausonaut and his human scientist friend Holger, join The Mars Generation team. Mausonaut will serve as an honorary Student Space Ambassador as well as a spokesperson for The Mars Generation. And to kick things off he is reporting for us at the European Space Agency launch of ExoMars on March 14, 2016.

For the ExoMars launch the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the lander Schiaparelli will start their 6-month journey to Mars lifted by a Russian Proton launcher. Mausonaut has been selected as a social media reporter and allowed to follow the launch from a very special location. He will not be onboard (yet) and he will not be present at the launch base in Baikonur. But there is another interesting place to follow a launch – from the satellite control center. The center is called ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. All ESA satellites are controlled from there. And on March 14 TGO and Schiaparelli will be added to the list of satellites being controlled from there.

As always Mausonaut will report bilingual – in English and in German. He will be reporting mainly from his own Twitter account, @Mausonaut, but will also be tweeting from our Twitter account, @TheMarsGen. Finally you can find updates on our blog right here so make sure you sign up to get updates now.

Welcome Mausonaut – we have enjoyed getting to know you since we launched our organization last September and are so happy to have him join us officially.