November 2001
"The Red Planet", Mars, has been the setting for numerous science fiction stories. Exploring Mars has been a dream of scientists, and increasingly sophisticated technologies are making such exploration possible from afar. With the capability to send satellites into orbit around Mars, and even to land remotely-operated vehicles on the planet's surface, the "science" part of the story has gotten a boost in recent years. Despite technical problems encountered along the way, NASA missions to Mars have sent back more and more information, including detailed photographs, that are giving a clearer picture of what Mars is really like - and how it may have been different in the past.
This month's brief article from the NASA Astrobiology Institute, about the Odyssey's mission to Mars, makes a great jumping-off point for setting Earth in context in the Solar System and in space. It could also be used as a lead-in to a spread of topics ranging from Earth's atmosphere or gravity and orbits to the rock cycle or how landscapes form. Within the article are hyperlinks to more information about topics such as water on Mars and the potential for life to have existed there.
Related Web Sites
2001 Mars Odyssey Home Page: Hosted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, this website has updates on the Odyssey's progress as well as background information on Mars research.
- NASA press releases, fact sheets, photographs, and information about other coverage related to the Mars Odyssey mission can be found in the Newsroom.
- "Missions" explains the process of getting to Mars and has details about past, present, and future missions to the Red Planet.
- "Science" summarizes the research that is being done to learn about the Martian environment as it is now and as it may have been in the past.
- Extreme Planet hosts a variety of information comparing Earth to Mars as well as an interactive tour of the Martian surface.
NASA Astrobiology Institute: This website contains information about the scientific search for life in the universe - including the origins of life on Earth. The site has several links of interest:
- Teaching Astrobiology allows teachers to find and post lesson plans, plan field trips, and communicate with other teachers and NASA scientists about the field of astrobiology. To access the lesson plans, you must register.
- Background Information has "Exhibit Panels" in PDF format on topics such as "Searching for Habitable Planets" and "Biosignatures" as well as a "Teacher's Resource Brochure".
Science @ NASA - a good site for space-related news current information on research findings. Soem articles of interest include:
- The Case of the Missing Mars Water- an article from January 2001 that has a great introduction to the evidence supporting the presence of liquid water on Mars in the past, along with some explanatory pictures.
- Making a Splash on Mars- discusses how liquid water may have existed on what is now a colder planet. A great article to accompany a chemistry lesson on phase changes in water. Good photos and diagrams.
- Unearthing Clues to Martian Fossils- Describes how analogs on Earth can be used to help scientists try to figure out whether and how life could have ever been supported on Mars. Uses Mono Lake as an example.
- Sedimentary Mars- Pictures from Mars seem to show sedimentary rocks. This article explains the implications of this finding. It would be a good, if not exactly terrestrial, introduction to types of rocks and the conditions under which they form.
Related Classroom Activities and Discussion Topics
Mars Classroom: This page is an overview to pages for students and teachers. The student section includes activities such as "Create a Colony on Mars" and "Build a [Paper Model of a] Mars Spacecraft". The teachers' section provides a variety of resources, including a poster comparing Earth to Mars, a wide range of classroom activities (in PDF files) tied to the National standards that require students to apply concepts of energy transfer, motion and forces, natural hazards, and scientific inquiry to understand and figure out questions related to Mars exploration. Most activities involve group work, and some could be adapted as demonstrations if time is short. Special curriculum modules list target age groups within the 4-12 grade range.
TERC Astrobiology Curriculum: Sample activities from a larger high-school-level curriculum with a focus on life in the universe, such as "Is the Moon Habitable?". Each activity has both a student guide and a teacher's guide.
Access to Space - Mission Design: An online module allowing students (and teachers) to design a mission to space. The activity is technology-oriented and fairly involved, but it gives a good idea of some of the considerations that need to be taken into account when planning a mission. Ironically, the site seems to have sporadic "technical difficulties" of its own and some of the links may not work consistently.
Martian Sun-Times: As Weather reporters for the Internet newspaper the Martian Sun-Times, students obtain current data on seasons, temperatures and clouds on Mars and compare to conditions on Earth. Meets the National Science Education Standards for grades 5-8.
Science News Write-Up: Write a report on this article for your class! Here is a suggested outline to help you organize the report.
News Archive
Earth Science News Archive: We are building an archive of these news features. Feel free to browse earlier articles and resources!