Published on March 4, 2016 by Sean Flynt  

Samford University’s Christenberry Planetarium will offer a unique new summer program June 27–30 [2016]. The Martian Frontier will allow a select group of rising high school juniors and seniors to spend four days at Alabama’s top private university exploring cutting-edge science and the challenges of a human mission to Mars.

“With all the talk about Mars these days, the public is becoming more and more interested in taking a trip,” said David Weigel, camp organizer and planetarium director. “But what would that take?” Weigel said Martian Frontier participants will explore that question as they consider the details of planning a mission to Mars: from mission goals to planning spacecraft trajectories to assembling the spacecraft, building a Martian base and eventually surviving on Mars.

Camp highlights:

• Expert faculty and guest speakers, leading discussion of the technology, biology and philosophy of long-distance space travel and colonization
• Interactive exploration of Mars in Christenberry Planetarium
• Hands-on activities in physics, astronomy and computer science
• Guidance in academic preparation for careers in space exploration

The $395 tuition includes lodging, supplies and all meals.


 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.