Spaceward Bound

 

Spaceward Bound is a Field Expedition for Pre-Service Teachers and Undergraduate Science Majors interested in teaching K-12, in partnership with the The California State University Chancellor's Office and San Francisco State University and the California State University Desert Research Station at Zzyzx, California.

During Spring of 2008-2015 (SF State Spring Break), pre-service teachers and undergraduate science or math majors from San Francisco State University studied side-by-side with world-renowned planetary NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments.

Why the Mojave - an inhospitable, parched, sun-drenched, spot in southern California? This natural setting present scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers, students and scientists peform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radation. See pictures from past Spaceward Bound expeditions on our Flickr Page. Click Here to read about our pasr participants!

ABOUT THE 2016 EXPEDITION

• The Spaceward Bound expedition will be held in the Mojave National Preserve from March 19-23, 2016, and will be based out of the CSU Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, CA.
• Spaceward Bound will cover expenses, such as accommodation for each student.
• The goal of this program is to provide future science teachers real time experiences in field research and the exploration of extreme environments on Earth, which serve as analogs for the Moon, Mars, and Europa.

SPACEWARD BOUND IS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS