On Friday 4 August 5/6 Bennett went to Hamilton Secondary College to participate in a Mission to Mars experience.

Students were able to act as astronauts, mission controllers and research scientists during the full-day excursion. They worked in teams and used problem-solving skills to successfully complete a geological survey on the Mars surface. Dressed in spacesuits, they depressurised in a simulated airlock before stepping out onto the Mars surface. They collected real soil and rock samples, drilled an ice core, conducted a thermal survey, and took seismic measurements.

As Mission Control officers, students played an important role in the mission: they were responsible for the safety of the astronauts and the success of the scientific program. From Mission Control, students communicated with the astronauts via radio and directed their scientific investigations. Mission Control officers also monitored the environmental conditions on Mars and the systems of the space station, working together to solve problems as they arose. After returning to Earth, students analysed their samples and undertook further scientific investigations in the research laboratory.