What are seven NASA Explorer School teachers doing in the Atacama desert in Chile? They are studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Atacama -- an inhospitable, seemingly lifeless, sun drenched spot that is probably the driest place on Earth? This natural environment on Earth poses some of the same challenges for human explorers as would a seemingly lifeless planet. NASA scientists and engineers need this type of landscape to test technology that will hopefully be used in places like the Moon or Mars.

Join these seven teachers during their many adventures, as they experience authentic field research with world-renowned planetary scientists living and working in this remote Moon/Mars analog research site. At left you can see two comparative photos, one of Atacama and the other of Mars. Temperatures in the Atacama vary daily from 95^oF down to 32^oF.

The ultimate goal of this excursion is to leverage these field expedition experiences into classroom use and to spread the word throughout the nationwide Explorer School network and beyond.