Pamela Greyer is a teacher in Chicago. I first met Pam in June 2011; before that, I knew her on twitter as @TheNasaLady. We met at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, where I attended my first NASA tweetup. I will describe that life-changing event in a future post. This one is dedicated to Pamela and her students’ remarkable achievements.
The previous summer, Pam had worked with some of her teenage students on the “Imagine Mars” project. Students were challenged to think about and imagine the requirements and realities of establishing a Mars colony and maintaining a human presence on Mars. Pamela’s students worked on all the aspects of a Mars colony, from the basics of survival, sustainability, habitats, oxygen, food / water supply and waste disposal to a deeper understanding of conservation of resources, recycling and green technology. At the end of the project, something amazing happened: Students took the initiative; they wrote and performed a rap song entitled "Bye, Bye Earth" about Mars colonization and made this video:
About half way through the NASA JPL tweetup last June, tweetup organizers played this video for the attendees. The reaction was a joy to behold: Spontaneous cheering and applause that culminated in a standing ovation.
For anyone who has any doubts that we WILL go to Mars and establish colonies there, watch this video and you will reconsider.
For those of us who have no doubt, the questions isn’t if we will go, but when.
For those of us who have no doubt, the questions isn’t if we will go, but when.
No comments:
Post a Comment