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.


 
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 is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 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 fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.