The Infinite Wonders of Interdisciplinary Sciences & Technology Building 4

June 2021

If I had to list the top 5 coolest places on the ASU Tempe campus, the Interdisciplinary Sciences & Technology Building 4 (ISTB4) would definitely make the cut. ISTB4 is home to the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE), the 250-seat Marston Space Exploration theater, the Center for Meteorite Studies (including their incredible vault of thousands of meteorites), and several major labs—many with large windows so you can peek in and watch the scientists work. Located on the east side of campus, the ISTB4 is about a 20-minute walk from Mirabella, so we took our Mirabella shuttles to get there.

We learned about NASA space missions and instruments, including NASA’s most recent mission: the Perseverance Mars rover. It touched down on Mars in February of this year, and it is currently collecting soil and rock samples and investigating the environment for signs of past microbial life.

You can view raw and processed images from this mission here.

There is already a SESE fan club among Mirabella at ASU residents who have hosted several virtual screenings of the Night Sky Presentations that the School puts on every other Wednesday to explore various destinations in space. Soon these incredible 3D presentations will resume in person at the Marston Space Exploration theatre, where astronomy students navigate the night sky while narrating what’s on screen as they steer through space and zoom in on different galaxies.

Register for the next Night Sky Presentation

School of Earth and Space Exploration Video