Spaceward Bound
New Zealand 2015

In January 2015, the New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative (NZAI) organised a 6-day expedition for Kiwi educators and researchers, introducing them to the wonders of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Partnering with NASA and incorporating speakers from around the globe, Spaceward Bound New Zealand 2015 exposed its 50 participants to astrobiology research through hands-on field trips, and promoted New Zealand as a world-class site for astrobiology research. Mars Society Australia helped seed the expedition and contributed scientists, educators, students and analogue-rover technology to the field campaign.

What is Spaceward Bound?

Spaceward Bound is an inquiry-based astrobiology and educational Moon–Mars analogue science expedition. It originated at NASA Ames Research Center in 2006, and its primary mission is to train the next generation of space explorers by teaming teachers and scientists to explore scientifically interesting but remote and extreme environments on Earth as analogues for human exploration of the Moon, Mars and other planets.

Previous Spaceward Bound destinations have included the United States, Canada, Namibia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. The 2015 expedition was the first ever held in New Zealand, organised by NZAI — a group of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ) and the first organisation in New Zealand to recognise astrobiology as its own discipline.

New Zealand as an astrobiology field site

New Zealand features some of the best sites in the world to study astrobiology-related extreme environments. Its dynamic and active geological setting, combined with deep science capability, supports astrobiology research. Within the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand has unique extremophiles in its hot springs and recent, current explosive volcanism. Other regions offer access to the K–Pg boundary (Marlborough) and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

New Zealand is also a world-leader in biosecurity — essential to planetary protection — and has a rich cultural heritage derived from exploration, as Polynesians and Europeans arrived guided by the stars. Local scientists span most of the fields required in astrobiology: microbiology, ecology, biosecurity, physics, astronomy, radio astronomy and geology.

The programme

The home base was Te Takinga Marae at Mourea, Rotorua, hosted by Ngāti Pikiao. The expedition opened with a waka voyage in Auckland harbour with Polynesian navigators — a deliberate link between Māori celestial navigation and the challenges of space exploration — and ran six days of field trips, talks and practical work.

• Thu 15 Jan · Auckland
  Waka Hourua Haunui
  International participants sailed with Polynesian Māori navigators from the Maritime Museum of Auckland.
• Day 1 · Fri 16 Jan
  Pōwhiri & Kuirau Park
  Traditional welcome at Te Takinga Marae; first field trip to Kuirau Park to observe colours and temperatures in hot springs using probes.
• Day 2 · Sat 17 Jan
  Waimangu Volcanic Valley
  Walk and observation of geothermal environments, extremophiles and biomarkers.
• Day 3 · Sun 18 Jan
  Tongariro & Sulphur Point
  Plant succession on lava flows in the Mangatepopo Valley and a climb via the Red Crater; meanwhile the rover team supported a public open day at Sulphur Point.
• Day 4 · Mon 19 Jan
  Parariki Stream (Rotokawa)
  Detailed biomarker observations in a silica terrace; rover and DJI quadcopter operated to collect physical data and water samples.
• Day 5 · Tue 20 Jan
  Community Open Day
  Participant-run workstations, rocketry and microscope activities for children, plus TV and print interviews.
• Day 6 · Wed 21 Jan
  Conclusions
  Ending presentations and panel discussions on education and networking. (The planned 22 Jan trip to White Island was cancelled due to rough seas.)

Field sites & Mars analogues

Kuirau Park & Waimangu

The expedition examined the hydrothermal systems of the Kuirau Park / Waimangu geothermal fields and their extremophile habitats. Instructional staff focused on fossil hydrothermal systems as a possible target in the search for life on Mars, characterising the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks and the physical and chemical properties of the waters.

Mangatepopo & Tongariro

On the Tongariro Plateau — a landscape of basaltic and intermediate-composition eruption products — space exploration was used as a hook to investigate the tenacity of life in hostile environments, led by Julian Thomson (GNS Science) and Katy Hodgson.

Sulphur Point

A public open day at Sulphur Point, Rotorua — run by Professor Steve Pointing — drew about 200 visitors and members of the public, alongside a group from the KiwiSpace Foundation, who saw small science rovers and drones trialled at a present-day geothermal field.

Parariki Stream (Rotokawa)

Parariki Stream is an outstanding Mars analogue: an acid-sulphate-chloride spring in a river bed, uncommon on Earth. The silica hot springs here are similar to the Martian silica at the Home Plate site, and the team investigated which biomarkers are present that might hold clues to similar processes on Mars (investigation led by Professor Kathy Campbell).

Science & research

Samples collected during the expedition were successfully returned to NASA Ames and JPL. Under the guidance of Kathy Campbell (University of Auckland), Dr Rosalba Bonaccorsi (SETI Institute / NASA Ames) — with Dr Carol Stoker and David Willson — sampled the Parariki hot springs and sinter, assaying with the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test to quantify the “Lipid A” biomarker and map the distribution of gram-negative-like biomass.

David Willson and Carol Stoker also collected samples for the reference library of the SOLID immunoassay instrument, designed to search for evidence of life on Mars. At JPL, Dr Parag Vaishampayan’s group is conducting a next-generation sequencing study to inventory the microbial community — his PhD student’s topic, “Microbial community structure of acid-sulphate-chloride springs at Parariki Stream, New Zealand”, applies NGS, ATP and qPCR assays to these low-biomass, low-pH, high-temperature samples.

Outcomes

As New Zealand’s inaugural national astrobiology expedition, SBNZ 2015 raised awareness of the field domestically and promoted New Zealand internationally as a premier analogue field site. A high media profile before and during the expedition helped kick-start the New Zealand astrobiology community.

Two posters were accepted at the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2015: “NASA’s Spaceward Bound New Zealand: The Inaugural Expedition, in the Taupo Volcanic Zone” and “Advancing Astrobiology Curriculum via Teacher–Scientist Collaboration in the Taupo Volcanic Zone”. The expedition seeded the New Zealand Astrobiology Community Portal (astrobiology.kiwi), generated lesson elements for the secondary Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) curriculum, and prompted consideration of a collaborative tertiary-level astrobiology programme.

Putting the “astro” back into astrobiology

Evenings combined the inflatable Cosmodome planetarium, telescope observations and Māori starlore. The Dark Skies drawing project — designed by MSA’s Annalea Beattie — challenged participants to interpret the night sky qualitatively and to consider the role of light pollution, while award-winning astrophotographer Mark Gee (Astrophotographer of the Year 2013) gave a guest lecture.

Australian participants

Of the fifty participants from five countries (New Zealand, Australia, United States, Romania and Kazakhstan), the following came from Australia, several through Mars Society Australia:

David Willson, closely associated with MSA and credited among its members in the expedition’s conception, is listed in the report under his NASA Ames affiliation.

Adapted from the NASA Spaceward Bound New Zealand 2015 Final Report (New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative, May 2015; Director: Haritina Mogoșanu). Spaceward Bound originated at NASA Ames Research Center. Mars Society Australia was a partner organisation.