NASA is sending two rovers to Mars this spring and you and your students can be part of the exciting mission from launch through landed operations! The Athena Student Interns Program (ASIP) is designed to give a creative, dedicated group of high school students from across the nation the chance to join the scientists of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission in exploring the Red Planet.

Teachers who become part of the Athena Student Interns Program will be asked to choose two students to be mentored by a member of the Athena Science Team. (Athena is the name given to the suite of instruments on the Mars Rovers.) Each teacher and their students will work with a mentor to experience first-hand the preparations for landed operations on Mars.

The year-long Athena Student Interns Program culminates with a week-long stay at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California where scientists will use the rovers to explore the surface of Mars. Teachers and interns will be immersed in activities surrounding the actual mission and will actively participate in analyzing data gathered by the rovers.

Examples of opportunities available to Athena Student Interns include assisting the Principal Investigator of the Science Team with issues pertaining to rover operations; working with digital models of the martian terrain and atmosphere; using Earth science to understand Mars data; helping to deduce the properties of martian sediments; and working with spectral data to search for clues of past water activity on Mars.

Athena Student Interns and their teachers will also have opportunities to convey their experiences to other students, teachers and members of the public by participating in many outreach activities and events.

The Mars Exploration Rover Mission offers the promise of exciting discoveries on Mars. The Athena Student Interns Program offers the promise of life changing events for you and your students. Playing an active role in the process of planetary exploration and discovery can ignite a passion for science, math, engineering and technology that is required of our next generation of scientists and engineers and will stay with your students for a lifetime.

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