Mars Exhibit Opening at the Museum of Natural History

 Exhibits: The Red Planet: Going to Mars: This new exhibit focused on the engineering challenges of a Martian mission and opened in the summer 2016. A crucial element of NASA's plans is the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), the spacecraft that will return the astronauts to Earth.  In the spring of 2016, RI School of Design's Design for Extreme Environments (Industrial Design Studio), worked with NASA-JSC to design two different concepts for the MAV.  The mock-up models resulting from the class became the centerpiece of the exhibit by providing visible evidence that we will be going to Mars. In conjunction with the exhibit, 3D models of future landing sites were produced.  The exhibit partnered with the Northeast Planetary Data Center.