Daily Archives: January 11, 2012

The Spaceward Bound Australia One Expedition (SBA1) departed Adelaide this morning for a week long journey through the South Australian outback. Participants include international guests Dr Liza Coe of NASA, and Artemis Westenberg, President of the Mars Society Netherlands and Director of the Mars Society (US). The expedition follows the successful conclusion of the 8th Australian Mars Exloration Conference at the University of South Australia over the weekend.
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The full program and details of speakers for AMEC2008 have been released, and can be seen on the AMEC homepage. The exciting weekend of events begin with a public lecture by Professor Russell Boyce titled ‘Australian Hypersonic Research and the Road to Mars’ at 7.30pm next Friday evening, followed by drinks at the Federal Bar and Café at the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel.
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This year’s AMEC will commence with a public lecture at 7.30pm on the evening of Friday 4th of July by Professor Russell Boyce, titled ‘Australian Hypersonic Research and the Road to Mars’. The lecture will provide a stimulating overview of hypersonics in general and Australian hypersonics in particular, including its heritage, hot topics, and future directions. There will be special reference to entry into the Martian atmosphere, and Space Tourism. Entry will be by gold coin donation, and tea and coffee will be served afterwards.
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You now have an extra reason to register for this year’s AMEC. The Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary has generously donated a door prize for which all registrants will be eligible.

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The logo for the upcoming Spaceward Bound Australia expedition has now been released. It was designed by Adriana Spadaccini, an MSA member and Year 10 student at St Joseph’s School at Northam in Western Australia as part of her digital media elective.

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MSA members and others are invited to attend this year’s Australian Earth Sciences Convention. To be held in Perth from 20-24 July 2008, the Convention is Australia’s premier geoscience conference and a major event on the international geosciences calendar. It is expected to attract more than 1000 Australian and international delegates and will feature more than 135 presenters and 450 papers.
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The pioneering Phoenix Mars Lander continues to send the first ever surface images from the plains of Vastitas Borealis. So far, its cameras have panned the local surroundings, checked the condition of the lander, and recorded the first excavations with the robotic arm.

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Mark Gargano, Science Coordinator from St Joseph’s School in Northam (WA) and Education Officer of Mars Society Australia, Inc and John Mitsinikos, Mathematics Coordinator from Strathmore Secondary College (Vic) have returned home as the first Australian high school teachers to participate in the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) Spaceward Bound (SB) program in the Mojave Desert.
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A signal has been received from the Phoenix Lander from the surface of Mars, indicating the lander has survived the rought entry and descent phases, and is now standing on the frozen plains of Vastitas Borealis, in the Martian Arctic. Phoenix will investigate subsurface ice to see if past surface conditions have been favourable for microbial life. Further signals and the first surface images are expected over the coming days.

Read the latest news as the mission unfolds at the Phoenix Homepage.
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