Purdue alumni to help launch IMAX^® film about Mars

"Roving Mars," a Walt Disney Pictures film that opens today (Friday, Jan. 27) at select IMAX theaters nationwide, is presented as a public service by Lockheed Martin and supported locally by the Purdue-based Indiana Space Grant Consortium and in conjunction with NASA. The film will run through June 8.

"The mysterious 'Red Planet,' Mars, has inspired countless science fiction dreams and nightmares. Now, for the first time, experience the reality of the Mars surface as seen through the eyes of two intrepid, death-defying explorers — Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Rovers," reads the description of the film on the IMAX Web site.

Two Purdue alumni connected with the space program, Amy Ross and Guy Gardner, will be on hand for the first two showings of the film at the IMAX Theater at the Indiana State Museum today (Friday, Jan. 27). They will discuss their careers and answer questions from the public and several classes from Indianapolis-area schools at 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. showings.

Although the first two showings are sold out, the public can meet Ross and Gardner and attend a later showing of the film. Showings will be at 12:30 p.m., 3:55 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6:05 p.m.

Ross received bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue in mechanical engineering in 1994 and 1996, respectively. She works for NASA at Johnson Space Center in Houston as a spacesuit project engineer. She led the design of the gloves that her father, Jerry Ross, wore on his 1998 mission on space shuttle Endeavour, and is currently working on designing a spacesuit that would allow humans to endure the extreme temperatures of Mars for a future mission there. The average recorded temperature on Mars is minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit.

Jerry Ross received bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue in mechanical engineering in 1970 and 1972, respectively.

Guy Gardner received a master's degree from Purdue in 1970 in aeronautical and astronautical engineering and flew on two space shuttle missions. Last year he was named superprojects director for the e-Enterprise Center in Discovery Park, marking the first time Purdue has hired one of its astronaut alumni.

On Saturday (Jan. 28), Amy Ross also will be on hand for the "Ultimate Design Challenges" workshop from 10-11 a.m. in the Frank O'Bannon Great Hall of the Indiana State Museum. She will discuss the difficulties of constructing a spacesuit that would protect astronauts from the climate on Mars.

The public is invited to this discussion, as well as a 9 a.m. special screening of the film. Parts of the spacesuits Ross is currently working on will be on display. The workshop is free and the film prices are $9 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and $6 for children.

The Purdue connection to the film will continue later in the spring when alumnus David Wolf will answer questions from the public about the space program at film showings at 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. May 25 at the Indiana State Museum. Wolf received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1978. He was a mission specialist on the International Space Station and spent 119 days aboard the Russian space station Mir. He is currently a member of Ross's Mars spacesuit design team.

Barrett S. Caldwell, a Purdue associate professor of industrial engineering and director of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, said "Roving Mars" will help the public see how a mission to Mars would benefit more than just NASA.

"Mars has always been a focus of human imagination — the fact that there might have been life or might currently be life on the planet — so there will be a great interest in the film because of that," Caldwell said. "But also, what we would learn on a Mars mission would be relevant to us here on Earth. Just as in previous missions during the 40-plus years of the space program, areas such as search-and-rescue robot design, fuel cells and communication systems would undoubtedly be enhanced.

"'Roving Mars' is a great vehicle to reach out to young people to show them how math and engineering can make a big impact in their daily lives."

The Indiana Space Grant Consortium's mission is to spread the vision of NASA by inspiring and integrating NASA-related education, work force development, outreach and research activities across the state. It is part of Space Grant, a national network of 52 university-based Space Grant Consortia, and contributes to the nation's science enterprise by funding research, education and public service projects in the areas of research infrastructure, curriculum enhancement, faculty development, teacher training and public outreach.

Tickets are available at the IMAX Theater in Indianapolis, from its Web site or by calling (317) 233-IMAX.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Barrett S. Caldwell, (765) 494-5412, bscaldwell@purdue.edu

Dave Brown, IMAX Theater Indianapolis manager, (317) 233-4845, dbrown@imax.com

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page