During the 1970’s, astronauts training for Apollo moon missions prepared for lunar geological surveys by examining the impact craters around the Sudbury area. Six students from Western and twenty American students recently followed in the footsteps of the famed lunar explorers by participating in a field school funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI). The program was organized by Dr. Gordon “Oz” Osinski on behalf of Western and the Canadian Lunar Research Network. The school was also a stepping stone for future collaborative work between Canada and America to enhance lunar science and exploration programs.
For the first five days of October students in the fied school went through the same training and classroom preparation as Apollo astronauts did decades ago at the Sudbury Impact Structure. The field school prepares future planetary scientists with the skills necessary to carry out studies of impact crater terrains no matter if they are on earth, the moon, Mars or other planetary surfaces. The immersive event introduced students to impact cratering processes while field observations demonstrated attributes of an immense impact basin.