Pine Ridge = "Martian" landscape

Mars expedition sets down in the Badlands

By Andrea J. CookIt turns out Mars wasn't as far away as some might think. In teams of two and three, 13 teens entering grades nine through 12 established simulated surface missions in the badlands terrain a few miles west of the Badlands National Park's south unit.

The warm winds stroking the "Martian" landscape of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on Thursday were similar to those that buffet the Red Planet, although the 93-degree temperature was significantly warmer than a summer day on Mars. On its warmest summer day, Mars' temperature can reach about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The similarities outweighed the contrasts for the teen scientists on a "Mission to Mars" as part of the NASA sponsored Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy at Oglala Lakota College.Below:  "Steven DeWolfe, 17, Cuny Table, and Jonni Lends His Horse, 11, Manderson, work with a remote controlled car to simulate a Mars Rover traveling over alien landscape while on a NASA SEMAA workshop near the White River Visitor Center on Thursday, July 1, 2010. Students simulated a trip to Mars, gathering information about the landscape and environment." (Kristina Barker/Journal staff)