The Field Team

Dr. Pascal Lee, Expedition Leader, Humvee Commander

Dr. Pascal Lee, 44, is chairman of the Mars Institute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute. He is based at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, where he is director of the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP). This international field research project is centered on planetary science and exploration studies at the Haughton meteorite impact crater site on Devon Island, High Arctic, viewed as an analogue for the Moon and Mars. The HMP has been active on Devon Island since 1997. Dr. Lee has extensive experience living and working in the Arctic and Antarctica. In 1988, he wintered over in Antarctica for 402 days.

On the Northwest Passage (NWP) Drive, Lee will be responsible for the expedition’s planning and implementation, and is the principal investigator (PI) of its research program.

John W. Schutt, Expedition Field Guide, Humvee Pilot

John Schutt, 60, is a geologist and world-renowned polar guide and mountaineer from Bellingham, Washington. A veteran of more than 42 field campaigns in the Arctic and Antarctica, he is the chief field guide of the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites program and also the chief field guide and base camp manager for the HMP on Devon Island, High Arctic.

On the NWP Drive, Schutt will be in charge of field gear preparation, navigation, and field resource management.

Joe Amarualik, Expedition Scout, Snowmobile Pilot

Joe Amarualik, 42, is a highly experienced field guide and Arctic land and sea-ice expert from Resolute Bay, Nunavut. The Canadian Ranger has successfully guided the Mars Institute’s previous Mars-1 Humvee Rover over 20 km of sea-ice from Cornwallis Island to Devon Island in May 2003.

On the NWP Drive Expedition, Amarualik will be responsible for assessing sea-ice conditions, route finding, and wildlife encounter management.

Jesse Weaver, Expedition Technician, Snowmobile Pilot

Jesse Weaver, 18, is an ace ATV and Humvee mechanic from Seymour, Tennessee. He is a field technician and the lead field assistant on the HMP on Devon Island. The NWP drive will be his fourth Arctic campaign.

On the NWP Drive, Weaver will be responsible for preparing, maintaining and repairing all vehicles on the expedition.

The Science Team

In addition to Dr. Pascal Lee, the science team behind the expedition includes Dr. Christian Haas of the University of Alberta (PI of the Sea-Ice Thickness Measurement Experiment), Dr. Andrew Schuerger of the University of Florida (PI of the Astrobiology Experiment), Dr. Marcelo Vasquez of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (PI of the Space Radiation Experiment), Dr. Peter Thomas of Cornell University (Co-Investigator in the Planetary Geology Analogues Experiment), Dr. Andrew Abercromby and Dr. Michael Gernhardt of NASA Johnson Space Center, Dr. Chris McKay and Dr. Terry Fong of NASA Ames Research Center, and Dr. Stephen Braham of the Mars Institute and Simon Fraser University (Co-PIs in the Human Exploration Studies Experiment).

The Support Team

Field operations will be supported remotely from Mars Institute headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. Support Team members include: Dr. Stephen Braham, associate director and chief engineer of the HMP; Marc Boucher, CEO of Mars Institute and Expedition Management Software developer; and Kira Lorber, logistics manager for the HMP. In addition, Elaine Walker, HMP education and public outreach officer, will support the expedition’s web activities.

Posted by Marc Boucher at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)

The purpose is to study climate change and advance human exploration of the Moon and Mars by studying long-range rover traverses.

Will be the first time:

• the Northwest Passage (NWP) is driven in a road vehicle
• a unique data set on the thickness of sea-ice along the length of the NWP is gathered
• a long-range planetary rover exploration study is conducted on sea-ice

- Will involve travelling more than 2,000 kilometres on sea-ice.

- Will travel in the unique, state-of-the-art, all-terrain exploration vehicle, the Moon-1 Humvee Rover

- Begins in Kugluktuk, Western Nunavut, ends at the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) Research Station on Devon Island, Eastern Nunavut.

- Expected to last just over 2 weeks in April 2009, although the team is prepared for up to 4 weeks

- Research at Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) is supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Scientific Study Highlights Include:

- Climate Change – Technology mounted behind the Moon-1 Humvee will gather a continuous log of the thickness of sea-ice along the entire length of the NWP.

- Astrobiology – The interior and exterior of the Humvee, as well as surrounding ice/snow, will be sampled periodically to test for any human associated microbe contamination.

- Planetary Sciences – Ice hummocks, ridges, free-thaw features, snow dunes, etc, will be inventoried, documented and quantitatively assessed because they may have counterparts on other planets.

- Space Radiation – Technology installed inside the Humvee will record doses of radiation received throughout the expedition to establish a baseline for future traverses in the Arctic.

- Exploration – Procedures and strategies for planning, implementing, and assessing the productivity of long-range pressurized rover traverses on the Moon or Mars will be evaluated.

Moon-1 Humvee

- A modified ambulance version of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)

- Built by US manufacturer AM General LLC of Mishawaka, IN

- In comparison to the Mars-1 Humvee Rover already deployed at the HMP site on Devon Island, the Moon-1 has a number of improvements and new capabilities:

• Rear winch in addition to front winch.
  
• State-of-the-art navigation equipment and vehicle systems.
  
• Thermal infrared imager.
  
• Interior refinements.
  
• Reinforced steering components to accommodate tracks.
  
• Rear windows made of new polymer.
  

Posted by Marc Boucher at 7:49 PM

After last weeks successful press conference to reveal the Moon-1 Rover and the 2009 Northwest Passage Drive we're getting ready to release more information about the expedition in the coming weeks. So stay tuned.

Below are just a few of the stories on the expedition.

• Scientists plan to drive the Northwest Passage, Scientific American (Via Reuters)
• Researchers plan trek across Northwest Passage, Toronto Star (Via Canadian Press)
• Researchers plan first drive across Northwest Passage, Vancouver Sun
• Humvee to tackle the Arctic, Globe and Mail

Posted by Marc Boucher at 1:34 PM

The Mars Institute today unveiled its new Moon-1 rover which be used on the upcoming 2009 Northwest Passage Drive Expedition. And while we do have several sponsors who've donated generously there are still sponsorship opportunities available. For more information please contact:

James Antifaev
Development Coordinator, Mars Institute
james.antifaev@marsinstitute.net
Vancouver, BC: +1 (604) 716-5629

Posted by Marc Boucher at 7:46 PM

An international team of scientists has launched an expedition to drive the Northwest Passage on sea-ice this spring, marking the first time the Passage has ever been travelled in a road vehicle. The team, led by Mars Institute scientist Dr. Pascal Lee, has a dual goal of studying climate change on Earth and advancing the human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

The mission is an integral part of the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) on Devon Island, High Arctic, where research in space science and exploration is being conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The 2,000 kilometre trek will be undertaken in the Mars Institute's new Moon-1 Humvee Rover, an all-terrain exploration rover derived from the vehicle commonly used in the military. The team will be measuring the thickness of sea-ice along the entire length of the Northwest Passage. The unique set of measurements will be key to understanding current and future effects of climate change throughout the Arctic.

"If we're successful, this will be the first, and possibly the last, time the Northwest Passage is driven in a road vehicle," says Lee. "Current trends in climate change on a planetary scale have resulted in thinner and less durable ice in the Arctic, possibly ending opportunities to do similar drives for much longer. We want to use this window in time to better understand the changes affecting the Arctic and Earth as a planet."

The Mars Institute team will be travelling west to east across the Arctic for two to three weeks, ending at their established research base, the HMP Research Station on Devon Island.

In addition to studying climate change, the team will use the traverse to look at how a variety of terrestrial ice and snow features, with potential counterparts on other planets, are formed. They will also research how to effectively plan and execute future long-range pressurized rover excursions on the Moon and Mars.

The Northwest Passage is an infamous, ice-choked seaway connecting the Atlantic to Asia. Finding the passage eluded explorers for centuries and was only achieved at a great cost in lives.

"This will be an exciting voyage," says Lee. "We hope the journey will help everyone understand Earth better and also provide guidance on how to explore other worlds together in the future. Although these are difficult economic times, exploration remains an essential part of what we need to do to create a stronger future for humanity and our planet."

The Mars Institute leads pioneering field research with NASA and the SETI Institute on the use of pressurized rovers for human planetary exploration. It has successfully operated the Mars-1 Humvee Rover at the Haughton-Mars Project research station since 2003. It is adding the Moon-1 Humvee Rover to its fleet to conduct dual-rover exploration studies on Devon Island in the future.

For more information, please visit www.marsinstitute.info or www.marsonearth.org or contact:

Sheila Calder / Lindsay Marett
Peak Communicators
scalder@peakco.com / lmarett@peakco.com
604-689-5559
604-802-2321 (Sheila cell)

Dr. Pascal Lee
Mars Institute
pascal.lee@marsinstitute.net
408-687-7103

All images copyright 2009 Mars Institute

Posted by Marc Boucher at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

Join Dr. Pascal Lee, Director of the Haughton-Mars Project, Mars Institute for this free lecture at the H.R. MacMillan Space Center in Vancouver. Dr. Lee's talk is titled: From the Earth to Mars - Steps Towards a First Human Mission to the Red Planet.

The first human mission to Mars will likely be humanity's greatest undertaking in space exploration in the 21st century. As with all expeditions, its success will depend critically on planning. The First steps towards a human journey to the Red Planet are already being taken, as we continue to explore extreme environments on Earth and prepare for our return to the Moon. Human journeys to near-Earth asteroids and to the moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, will also help pave the way.

Dr. Pascal Lee will discuss progress being made in the Canadian Arctic and around the world to achieve these milestones, and most importantly, he will explain why we should.

In addition to the lecture theme Dr. Lee will be available to discuss exciting news the Mars Institute is releasing earlier in the day.

Date & Time: Friday, march 13th, 8:15 PM PT
Location & Free Registration: H.R.MacMillan Space Center

Posted by Marc Boucher at 5:53 PM