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Goddard Interns at Mars on Earth Student Trip
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The interns of the 2012 Lunar and Planetary Science Academy overseen by the Goddard Space Flight Center prepare to explore the Grand Canyon, one of the best places to study Mars without leaving Earth.
This image was taken June 27, 2012 during NASA's annual trip. See more photos from the "Martian" look at the Grand Canyon in this gallery.
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The Grand Canyon's Layers
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The Grand Canyon's sculpted layers reveal two billion years of natural history, a result of long-term etching by the Colorado River and its tributaries. This image was taken June 27, 2012.
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The Grand Canyon
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Intern Allison Duh takes in the canyon on June 27, 2012.
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The Ooh Aah Point
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Though not the longest or deepest canyon on Earth, the Grand Canyon stretches an impressive 277 miles (446 kilometers) long and is up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) wide and more than a mile (1.8 kilometers) deep. This image was taken June 27, 2012.
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Jump for Joy
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The fun begins for intern Jillian Votava. This image was taken June 27, 2012.
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Colored Rock Layers at the Grand Canyon
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The colored rock layers, buttes and mesas at the base of Mars' Mount Sharp look like they belong in the Grand Canyon. The image was taken Nov. 14, 2012.
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About the Grand Canyon Rocks
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
For Avinash Misra, it's all about the rocks. This image was taken Jan. 3, 2009.
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Resting at the Grand Canyon
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The Grand Canyon's layers provide the perfect resting place for weary intern Nicole Thom. This image was taken Jan. 3, 2012.
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Break Time
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Break time for Adam and April Frake, Aaron Silver and Chet Gnegy (in back). This image was taken in Jan. 4, 2009.
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Grand Canyon Landscape Under Water
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Near Sedona, Rachel Kronyak studies the wave patterns preserved in a flat, Mars-colored landscape that was once under water. This image was taken June 25, 2012.
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A 50,000 Year-old Crater
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
A 50,000-year-old Meteor Crater, near Winslow, Arizona. Although it was long thought to have been formed by volcanic activity, it is actually the result of a meteorite impact that had the force of 20 million tons of dynamite. This image was taken Nov. 14, 2012.
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Almost Mars
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Sebastian Fischer crouches in front of Meteor Crater. Scientists come here to get a close-up view of what an impact crater on Mars or another planet or moon might look like. This image was taken June 26
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Apollo Test Capsule
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Meteor Crater is an analog site for the moon. This Apollo command module (a "boilerplate," meaning it did not fly) serves as a reminder that Apollo astronauts trained here in the 1960s to prepare for their missions. This image was taken June 26, 2012.
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Volcanic Crater Colton
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Unlike Meteor Crater, Colton is a volcanic crater. Called a maar, it was formed by a "giant steam bomb," in the words of intern Ryan Jackson, of hot lava mixed with ground water. This image was taken June 25, 2012.
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At Colton Crater
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Kyle Leaf checks out Colton Crater from the bottom.
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Interns Relax at Colton Crater
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Interns Rachel Kronyak, Antonio Aguirre and Alisa Bochnowski (front row, left to right) and Amber Keske and John Gemperline (back row) relax at Colton Crater. This image was taken June 25, 2012.
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A Cinder Cone Volcano
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
When seen from above, it's easy to see why SP Crater, with its nearly perfect symmetry, is considered a textbook example of a cinder cone volcano. Also prominent is SP's distinctive tongue of black lava. This image was taken Nov. 14, 2012.
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SP Crater in Arizona
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
SP Crater is one of about 600 small volcanoes in Arizona's San Francisco Volcanic Field. Scientists think these volcanoes, like the ones on Mars, are hotspots—places where excessive heat below the surface melts the crust. This image was taken Jan. 1, 2012.
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SP Crater's Black Lava
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Melissa Gaddy gets a closer look at SP Crater's black lava. This image was taken June 24, 2012.
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Arizona's Painted Desert
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
Arizona's Painted Desert, located between the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest National Park, is a good model for the badlands terrain found on Mars. The image was taken on June 25, 2012.
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Fossils in the Petrified Forest
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The petrified logs scattered around Petrified Forest aren't the park's only fossils. Other fossils include dinosaurs, reptiles, fish and amphibians. The oldest fossils date back more than 200 million years. This image was taken June 25, 2012.
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Goddard Interns and Trip Leaders
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Elizabeth Zubritsky and Claire Saravia
The 2012 Lunar and Planetary Science Academy (LPSA) interns and trip leaders in a group photo taken July 9, 2012.
