A comprehensive field training curriculum was developed and tested during the 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Spaceward Bound missions at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). The curriculum was developed to train teachers and students in fundamentals of Moon and Mars analog station operations, logistics, field work, and scientific investigation. The curriculum is composed of background content, directions, lesson plans, suggestions, protocols, images, diagrams, figures, checklists, worksheets, experiments, field missions, and references. To date, 48 individuals have participated in Spaceward Bound missions at MDRS, and 18 have successfully tested the curriculum. Based on our analysis and student feedback, we conclude that the Spaceward Bound curriculum is highly useful in training teachers and students in aspects of astrobiology, field science, and Mars exploration, and that MDRS is an ideal location for its use.

After the high-radiation environment and the low gravity field on Mars, dust is arguably the next biggest environmental hazard facing a manned mission to Mars. The seriousness of this threat is still being studied with robotic missions. At its most benign, Martian dust the work undertaken were recorded to study their effects on dust contamination. We found that more than 50 g of dust and soil were transported into the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) during the 12 EVAs (extravehicular activities) that were measured. The largest amount of contamination from EVA activity was due to open-cockpit vehicle travel and depended strongly on the terrain over which the EVA was conducted. Based on first-order dust dynamics modeling, similar behaviors are expected on Mars.