Spaceward Bound Australia 2011: Expedition to the Pilbara Western Australia: The Dawn of Life

Spaceward Bound Australia (SBA) in collaboration with ‘NASA Spaceward Bound’ in July 2011 undertook a ‘Planetary and space science’ expedition, SBA 2011, to the Pilbara visiting locations at The “Dawn of Life” Nullagine, and Shark Bay. The theme of the expedition was to compare the recently discovered large conical stromatolites in Lake Untersee, Antarctica with the conical stromatolites in Shark Bay and the 3.45 billion year fossils in the Pilbara. The primary focus was on the 3.45 byr old fossils.

‘Spaceward Bound Australia’ is organized by the Mars Society Australia (MSA) with aims that are in alignment with NASA Spaceward Bound. NASA Spaceward Bound is an educational program organized at NASA Ames Research Centre in partnership with the Mars Society (US).

The focus of Spaceward Bound is to inspire and train the next generation of space explorers by having students and teachers participate with scientists in the exploration of scientifically interesting but remote and extreme environments on Earth as analogues for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. 2006 was the first year of the program, with the work expeditions in the United States.

Reports and Papers

• You can read a complete report on the expedition here.
• A Report by the Mars Society Australia on a joint activity with NASA Ames Research Centre’s Spaceward Bound Australia 2011 Pilbara Expedition for sponsors and supporters including the Geological Survey of Western Australia, the Pilbara Development Commission and the Space Sciences and Technology section of the CSIRO’s Astronomy and Space Science Division can be read here.
• Searching for stromatolites: The 3.4 Ga Strelley Pool Formation (Pilbara region, Western Australia) as a Mars analogue. Paper can read here
• The proposed Dawn of Life Geotourism Trail, Marble Bar, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia — geology and evidence for early life.  Paper can be read here