Overseas Exchange Programme

Youth Mission to Mars (13-17 June)

On 28 June 2016

The Youth Mission to Mars is a cross-cultural initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the American Alliance of Museums. The Project was jointly run by Science Centre Singapore, Space Center Houston and Cité de l’espace in their respective home communities of Singapore, Houston and Toulouse.

Programme Objectives

The Project aims to

1. raise awareness on the global challenges of living in an environment with finite resources.
2. promote cross-cultural exchange and collaboration
3. promote critical thinking and hone interpersonal and communication skills.

About the Project

Singapore students worked with other international students in teams of 5 on a mission to establish a new human base on an uninhabited Mars. The teams investigated scientific and cultural aspects constituting a human base and design products or processes in the areas of air, water, energy and nutrition, to support human life on Mars.

Students discussing their project with their teammates from United States and France.	Students listening to a sharing by a very experienced Engineer, Mr Jeff, who has worked on many space missions.
Students discussing their project with their teammates from United States and France.	Visit to Space Mockup Facility Centre at NASA.
Project briefing for all students taking part in the summit.	Outside Houston Space Centre.
Students learning Line Dancing.	Pei Ying learning to throw football.
Visiting a farm.	Visiting a farm.
Students working in teams going through hands-on STEM activities.	Students working in teams going through hands-on STEM activities.
Students working in teams going through hands-on STEM activities.	Students working in teams going through hands-on STEM activities.
Photoshoot	Students working in teams going through hands-on STEM activities.
Students with their award tokens - 3rd in the commercials category	Students with certificate of participation

Pei Ying doing a presentation for her group.

Reflections

Day 1

“In my opinion, the first day set the tone as to what we could expect in the subsequent days. Visiting Houston’s Space Centre was a dream come true. It was one of the most breath-taking places I have ever been to. If you are keen on space science and exploration, this is the place to go. We definitely had lots of fun, even though we did face some challenges during our discussion, especially in communicating with the US and French students. This is indeed an experience I will cherish forever. One of the important takeaways from this experience for me is that in order to complete the challenge we were tasked with, everyone’s effort, knowledge and cooperation were required to come up with ways to overcome problems. Without the cooperation of one another, we would not have been able to complete this challenge as efficiently.”  Kristian Lenardt, 3 Graciousness 

Day 2

“We visited Alvin High School in Alvin, Texas where we were introduced to American Football. Some of us even got the opportunity to try catching, throwing or kicking the ball. After lunch, we had a short tour of the school. It was interesting to discover the similarities and differences between their school and ours. We also had a dance class that involved line dancing and a bit of hip-hop. After visiting Alvin High School, we visited a farm that grows fruits and vegetables. We also visited a livestock farm which had pigs, cows, lambs and goats. We had our dinner there and then headed back to the hotel. It was nice experiencing how students from other countries study or how their school functions. They treated us just like their own friends and ensured that we had a fun time and that we understood their accent.”  Erlyn Nurviqa, 3 Integrity  

Day 3 & 4

“We learned more about living on Mars through enriching hands-on activities. These included creating a wastewater filtration system, building rovers to complete a given mission and creating heat and cold shields to live on Mars. We were required to build an efficient and strong structure for the rover so that it would be able to withstand the rigour of completing the obstacle course. While building the rover, my team faced many issues. We had to brainstorm, collaborate with our teammates and make decisions in creating a more reliable system. I enjoyed this activity the most as we had to challenge the process to come up with a solution.” Tan Yu Jie, 3 Graciousness 

Day 5

“Time really flies when we are having fun. It is already our last day at the Houston Space Centre. It was also our long-awaited final presentation day. Through the various group presentations, we learned about the various challenging aspects of living on Mars. Personally, I have learned a lot about Mars and the Houston Space Centre. It was a great experience and opportunity for all of us to understand the various cultural backgrounds of my teammates. I would like to thank everyone who made ‘Youth Mission To Mars’ an unforgettable experience, and the teachers for their guidance throughout our journey.” Nury Amily Bte Rosli, 3 Integrity