SNOOPY: Student nanoexperiments for outreach and observational planetary inquiry

Student nanoexperiments for outreach and observational planetary inquiry (SNOOPY) is an example of directly involving students and teachers in planetary science missions. The SNOOPY Project evolved from the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) Student Nanoexperiment Project, a partnership between MECA, The Planetary Society and Visionary Products, Inc. The MECA instrument suite, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was scheduled for launch aboard the canceled Mars Surveyor Lander 2001. Students 18 years of age and younger were invited to propose experiments that were consistent with MECA´s Mission: to help us better understand how humans will be able to live on Mars. Two nanoexperiments were chosen for flight, the Angle of Repose of Martian Dust and Contradistinctive Copper. These experiments addressed the behavior of windblown Martian dust on surfaces and the oxidation of copper. The SNOOPY paradigm for planetary science experiments could be used on a variety of future space exploration missions.