Fifty-three public schools in Catalonia have already received the CatMart box, an educational kit that introduces 6- to 12-year-old students to Mars exploration. These schools are ready to analyze “Martian” sand samples collected by the crews of the Hypatia I and II analogue missions in the Utah desert. The challenge is to find out whether there is life on the Red Planet by conducting a scientific experiment in their classroom and applying critical thinking.
The kits include the sand and all the materials needed to carry out the analyses, as well as student booklets and teacher guides. Explanatory videos have also been produced, with subtitles and in Catalan Sign Language, since one of CatMart’s goals is to promote diversity and inclusivity in science.
This project, created by Hypatia I crew member Dr Laia Ribas, has been carried out in collaboration with the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), and with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and funding from the European Union-Next Generation EU en el marc del Pla de Recuperació, Transformació i Resiliència.