Mars Explorer Visits Namesake Subcamp

Dr. Steven Squyres, a professor and researcher at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and NASA in California, talked with the Scouts and Scouters in Subcamp 3 on Saturday.

Dr. Squyres, the namesake explorer of our Subcamp and a former Scout himself, researches the large bodies of our solar system, particularly Mars. He is the scientific Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, involved in exploring Mars with NASA's two Mars rovers, Opportunity and Spirit.

Arriving at 3:15 PM, Dr. Squyres first visited with the Troops of Baden-Powell Council, the council home to Ithaca, where Dr. Squyres lives and teaches. Following this, he was introduced to the Subcamp at a ceremony below the Subcamp gateway and was presented with the Subcamp flag, a 2005 Jamboree Staff hat, Northeast Region Subcamp 3 Staff polo shirt, and other mementos.

Dr. Squyres spent the rest of the afternoon in a question and answer session with Scouts and Scouters in the dining tent. He began by describing his research with Mars, his self-proclaimed "first love." He is "very happy to spend almost all day driving a rover on Mars," referring to the two Mars Rovers that landed on the red planet on January 4, 2004 (Spirit Rover) and January 25, 2004 (Opportunity Rover).

The rovers are there primarily to answer the question "What did Mars use to be like?" This includes searching for signs of water or ice and possibly life on Mars. One of the early surprises was a soil analysis conducted by the rovers, determining that the martial soil was composed of a lot of salt, such as the residue remaining when saltwater evaporates.

The rovers were only expected to last 90 days, but the mission team just planned activities for the 568th day of operation, a phenomenal accomplishment.

In remembrance of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107, the seven Martian hills making up the Columbia Summits located near the landing sites of the rovers were named for each member of the lost crew. Now, the Spirit rover is climbing Husband Hill, the largest of the range, and is approximately 20 feet from the summit. Squyres predicted, "This is the first time I've said this in public, but we're going to get to the top of this mountain and we're going to do it in the next month. And we're going to have a heck of a view!"

As Scouts asked questions, Dr. Squyres talked about how the engineering team solved problems that arose on Mars, such as when the rover got stuck in a sand dune, where the water on Mars might have gone, and how the rovers were powered with large solar panels.

Dr. Squyres ended his visit to the Subcamp by signing patches and cards for the audience.