One Small Step for Man...

Although most of us probably won’t step foot on Mars, one Facebook campaign utilised the red planet and the social network to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering, and math. 



Through Raytheon Company’s Mission to Mars, students were able to explore the planet virtually and interact with Facebook to earn grants. The campaign included a Clear 4 Takeoff Facebook game, where users could put themselves in the driver’s seat of a rover launching on a mission to Mars. Students had to navigate the final frontier, clearing “space junk,” before landing on the red planet. The game aimed to teach kids about the threat of space debris and how it affects space systems.

The campaign was a major success with Raytheon awarding the winner a 'Mars Hero' grant of $5,000. It was also great for the company's exposure as it invited parents and friends to share their child's 60-second video in order to compete. Exposure was also generated as the videos were also shared on the MathMovesU Facebook page, where users could vote for their favorite which generated another level of engagement.