For many years, the planet Mars was nothing more than a little red dot in a sea of stars and a blur in many science classrooms. Recent focus on the planet, however, has led to incredible teaching opportunities, such as the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP) facilitated by Arizona State University's Mars Education Program. The MSIP curriculum serves as an excellent model for scientific inquiry, allowing students to design and carry out a research project. In this article, the authors describe the design and implementation of MSIP at Westview High School in Avondale, Arizona, where Earth science students studied a crater on the surface of Mars. Student learning during the implementation of MSIP was affected positively in several ways. Student engagement, focus, participation, motivation, and interest increased. This outcome may be attributed to a supportive environment where students were able to facilitate their own learning. (Contains 2 figures.)