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Mission to Mars Expedition
How would you protect a rover in order to make a safe landing on Mars?
This module is appropriate for video conference AND web conferencing.
Travel to the Red Planet and discover what it takes to land robotic missions on the uninviting terrain of the Martian soil. Be aware of intense dust storms, huge craters, enormous canyons and staggering volcanoes. Imagine trying to slow down delicate instrumentation from 12,000mph to 0 in a window of six minutes and, at the same time, to find a safe place to land. Think it can't be done? NASA has achieved these remarkable tasks with Spirit and Opportunity. Learn this and much more as we take you on a journey to the Red Planet!
Engage | TLW share prior knowledge about Mars, and NASA’s past, present, and future missions with the NASA Education Specialist |
Explore | TLW compare and contrast planets Earth and Mars in order to understand factors to consider in planning a mission to Mars |
Explain | TLW discover how trajectory, launch windows, and communication delays impact the planning process for a mission to Mars |
Elaborate | TLW examine the Mars Rovers missions from launch to landing in order to understand how future human missions to Mars may be planned and accomplished |
Evaluate | TLW demonstrate their understanding of planning a mission to Mars by completing a post-activity assessment, and compare their results from their pre-activity assessment |
"Mars Rover Egg Drop and Landing (EDL)" Activity:
Students will complete the activity where they will
learn how to successfully execute an EDL
For the complete module and event information, please see the Complete Educator Guide.
During the video conference, students will interact with a NASA Education Specialist as they explore Mars and recall facts from the pre-conference activities. Students will travel to the Red Planet and discover what it takes to land robotic missions on the un-inviting terrain of the Martian soil. They will learn how NASA accomplishes entry, descent, and landing of the Mars rovers during a six minute window.
Please see educator guide for any post conference activities
National Science Education Standards (NSES)
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
International Technology Education Association (ITEA)