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NASA Public and Media day at Craters of the Moon, Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Arco, Id. – Two NASA field programs, the Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration (FINESSE) and Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) teams will conduct a field campaign in Idaho from August 1-14, 2015. The campaign will include a public and media opportunity hosted by the teams on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, at the Robert Limbert Visitor Center at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho. Special activities for the public and news media will include lectures, demonstrations and one-on-one interviews with selected team members. The FINESSE and BASALT teams, led by NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, are focused on a science and exploration field-based research program to generate strategic knowledge in preparation for human and robotic exploration of other planetary bodies including our moon, Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos, Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. World-class researchers, planetary scientists, and experts in robotics and exploration will study the formation of volcanoes, evolution of magma chambers and the formation of multiple lava flow types, as well as the evolution and entrapment of volatile chemicals and habitability. The team will utilize samples on Earth to study the geology, chemistry, and biology of features associated with volcanic processes. Additionally, NASA is collaborating with the Idaho Space Grant Consortium to bring teachers into the field to work side-by-side with NASA scientists. Public and Media day at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve will be Wednesday, August 5, 2015 and will proceed as follows: 9 am – 11 am: Interested media are invited to observe fieldwork occurring near the Visitor Center/Overlook near the North Crater flows. All interested media should meet at the Visitor Center at 9 a.m. Science Lead Shannon Kobs (Idaho State University) will meet all media at the Visitor Center and lead them to the nearby field sites. 1 pm: 45-minute talk and presentation by FINESSE and BASALT researchers to the media and public. FINESSE Principal Investigator Jennifer Heldmann (NASA Ames Research Center), BASALT Principal Investigatior Darlene Lim (NASA Ames Research Center), Volcanics Research Leads Shannon Kobs (Idaho State University) and Brent Garry (NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center) plus the FINESSE Human Factors Lead Barrett Caldwell (Purdue University) will give presentations. The FINESSE researchers will also take questions from the audience for 15 minutes. 2 pm: FINESSE researchers and teachers will be available to the media for follow-up interviews. Park Rangers will also be available at the visitor center for additional information and interviews regarding Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. 3 pm: Media personnel are again invited to observe field work. Shannon Kobs will lead interested media parties from the Visitor Center to the field sites. Directions All media are invited to meet with the FINESSE team at the Robert Limbert Visitor Center at Craters of the Moon. The visitor center is located off U.S. Highway 20/26/93 mid-way between Arco and Carey, Idaho. More information can be found at https://www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm.
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Last updated: August 5, 2015