Abstract

The communication needs for human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars are complex. The NASA-led Haughton-Mars project conducts field research in the Canadian High Arctic each year, in the Haughton impact crater, to study an important Mars analogue site. Communication issues involved in setting up regional communications networks to allow the exploration of the region, and eventually of Mars, are studied. This involve studying and constructing the technology for an Internet on Mars, and between Mars and Earth, reaching all the way to scientists in the field.

By amazing coincidence, certain aspects of the Haughton-Mars project will be discussed on the next episode of Canadian Geographic Presents (on the Discovery Channel).  

    Canadian Geographic Presents: Mars on Earth

        Friday, January 5, 2001 at  7:00 PM (PST) 
    Saturday, January 6, 2001 at 12:00 AM (PST)
    Saturday, January 6, 2001 at  7:00 AM (PST)
    Saturday, January 6, 2001 at  1:00 PM (PST) 

So, watch the show, then come to the IEEE ComSoc presentation to hear Steve's perspective and get the inside story.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Stephen Braham is the Director of the Simon Fraser University PolyLAB for Advanced Collaborative Networking, a Sun Microsystems Technology and Research Excellence Center. He is the Senior Researcher in the CSA-funded PlanetNet project, which is a NASA/SFU collaboration on planetary exploration communications. He spends significant time each year camped in the Arctic exploring the Haughton Crater with the NASA Haughton-Mars project.