SPACE AGE SYNTH-POP
INDISTINCT VOICE OF MISSION CONTROL
ROCKET THUNDERING BY
SCI-FI SOUND EFFECTS
[STEVEN HOBBS] Welcome to the Mars Yard.
So, this is our idea of trying to inspire
the next generation of people to be interested in space.
Instead of us having to go to Mars, we brought Mars right here to our home.
[SABINA HOBBS] I’ll be happy to be a space engineer
or a pilot because I'd like to build robots as well
and run experiments.
[NADIA HOBBS] I like pretending I’m an astronaut
and balancing on rocks because
I wanna feel like I am on the planet.
[GABI HOBBS] If we have visitors, they have to know that we have a passion for outer space
and that’s our way to say, hey, that’s who we are.
SPACE AGE SYNTH-POP
[SABINA HOBBS] I’m pretty proud that we do have parents who are really passionate about Mars and space
but I don’t think it’s unique.
I’m sure other kids in our generation also like space...
[NADIA HOBBS] ...well, I don’t know anyone
who has a Mars backyard,
so... pretty unique.
AWKARD SILENCE AND MUTED GIGGLES
SLOW ELECTRONIC DRUM ROLL
SPACE AGE SYNTH-POP
[STEVEN HOBBS] What we do is, we bring our robots here and we develop sensors
and we test them in this environment to see if they’re good enough to work on Mars.
So, Little Blue roves around, has a look at rocks,
gets a bit of an idea of the weather around him,
takes some microscopic pictures.
CAMERA NOISES
[SABINA HOBBS] On Mars there are also different types of rocks, like, big ones and small ones
and on the Mars Yard, we can test him, like, riding over different rocks to see
if his wheels and sensors work properly.
We helped build it and program it and
yeah, it’s kind of fun to do, like, a trial and error.
[NADIA HOBBS] Mostly error for me.
[STEVEN HOBBS] Maybe three of four generations down the track, the lessons learnt from
all of those robots will actually teach us how to build something that’ll survive on Mars.
And that's the power of citizen science.
One of the papers that we published from here
was actually used in part to help land the Curiosity rover.
SPACE AGE SYNTH-POP FADES OUT
GENTLE PIANO MUSIC FADES IN
I took my passion for space and slowly infected the rest of the family.
[GABI HOBBS] I didn’t even know the planets before I married Steve, but I learn a bit
after almost 18 years of marriage and we do teach the girls since they were babies.
[SABINA HOBBS] Yeah, it’d be cool for more girls to get into coding and robot things,
‘cause we’re smarter than boys sometimes.
[NADIA HOBBS] Even if people bully you 'cause you like space,
don't listen to them because space is cool.
[SABINA HOBBS] Why would you want to be stuck here?
Why wouldn’t you, like, work hard and end up in other planets?
It's human's nature to be curious.
[SABINA HOBBS] Space is cool!
[NADIA HOBBS] Ehhhh.
WHOOSHING SOUND
[STEVEN HOBBS] Mars is the most Earth-like planet
that we know of in the known universe and it's also
one of half the planets you can actually stand on
and with Mars, six months, you're there.
[GABI HOBBS] Well, the more you study, the more you realise that
planet Earth is not going to last forever.
Humanity has to find a solution and they have to go out and explore,
even to discover how life is on Mars, that would be a good start.
[STEVEN HOBBS] Liking space went from being
something that you hid away from
to now really being kind of cool,
so we’re hoping to inspire our kids and the next generation to really bring Earth forward
and be the next Martian explorers.
[GABI HOBBS] That’s right.
[STEVE HOBBS] Uh-hmm.
[GABI HOBBS] We love space.
ROCKET BLASTING OFF
UPBEAT PIANO MUSIC
[JOHN BARRINGTON] Thanks for watching.
This series of Good Shout Stories has been made with the support of FSW Shoes.
It’s a family-run business in the ACT and New South Wales, that ships right around Australia.
So, check out FSWshoes.com.au and we’ll see you next #GoodShoutFriday.