MARS Truck Transports Science to Louisiana Earth Day

The Mobile Astronomy Resource System (MARS), operated by The Louisiana

Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE) in partnership with the LSU Cain Center, the

Highland Road Park Observatory (HRPO), and the LSU Department of Physics and

Astronomy, is a light commercial box truck containing computer controlled telescopes, a

digital portable planetarium, and other equipment and materials to provide an astronomy

/ space science learning experience to audiences at remote sites. A MARS truck

program typically includes telescope sky viewing, a digital planetarium show, and

science activities and demonstrations, staffed by LSU faculty, LaSPACE staff, and LSU

students. The MARS vehicle can travel to sites such as parks, shopping malls, and

schools around the state to support public outreach events.

On Sunday, April 19, 2015, the MARS truck was stationed at the Old Governor’s

Mansion in the designated children’s area for Louisiana Earth Day. LaSPACE staff and

faculty, LSU LaACES students, and LSU Society of Physics Students (SPS) staffed

three major visitor stations, which featured solar telescopes, scientific near-space

ballooning experiments conducted by students, and demonstrations by the SPS

students, including a Geiger Counter Demo, Van de Graaff Generator, Angular

Momentum / Rotational Inertia Chair Demo, Spectrograph, Faraday's Law of Induction

Demo, and a Tube Race Demo. We estimate at least 1500 unique visitors of all ages

came by the MARS Truck stations.

For more information about booking the MARS truck for an event, contact Bethany

Broekhoven, LaSPACE Education Coordinator (bbroek1@tigers.lsu.edu).