OUT OF THIS WORLD
MARS — Cheyenne Smith cut her brown string into three pieces and knotted them to the ends of her red, black and white parachute.
“It's at a medium level,” said Cheyenne, 11, about making her own rocket as she waved to a person dressed like Abraham Lincoln, who donned a NASA sticker on his top hat.
Rocketry was just one of the displays at the Mars Exploration Celebration.
Residents of Mars and surrounding towns turned out for the out-of-this-world event that aims to inspire youth through fun and interactive activities to pursue an education and career in a science, technology, engineering, art or math (STEAM) discipline while also providing the community with fun activities.
A NASA presentation, interactive exhibits and demonstrations filled the main stage Saturday.There were also robotics competitions, drone races, an escape room, makers build, 3D printing, rocket launch and hands-on STEAM activities.The celebration, which concluded Sunday, is related to the Mars New Year that is celebrated in the borough every 687 days and amounts to one year on the planet Mars. This year, the Martian new year fell on March 23. The next one will be Feb. 7, 2021.Tim Mitchell and his daughter traveled from Pittsburgh to Mars.“It's good for the community to get out and come together and mingle,” Mitchell said.Beaver resident Anne Cordes and her two daughters made their first real rockets.The family attended the celebration because they are “space buffs,” Cordes said.Usually they make rockets out of baking soda and vinegar, she said, adding that science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — is important.
Cordes' father was a science teacher who encouraged her and her siblings to pursue the disciplines, she said.“We need more girls in science,” Cordes said.The celebration offers learning opportunities of galactic proportions, Cordes said.“We love everything,” she said. “You can't go too far without learning something new.”
