Voyage
to
Mars

Introduction to Mars

Research Tasks

The Process

Mission Teams

Participation

Pre-Mission Activities

Mission Overview

Post-Mission Activities

Team Reflection

Resources

Credits

Research Tasks

You must make a presentation to the United States Congress in Washington, DC, to explain why you believe that your voyage to Mars mission should take place. This mission will cost plenty, and you need to make your case that space travel - especially travel to Mars - is well worthwhile. If you can state your case well, your mission will be funded and you will soon be on your way to Mars. Remember, you are part of a team of teams. Each team must contribute a small part of the puzzle so that the Congressional leaders can get the "big picture." There are eight teams scheduled to go on this mission if it is funded. As a group and as individual’s teams, you must present information and then answer questions about the mission asked by the Congressional committee. (One representative from each team will be asked to make a general presentation.) Then, each team (including all team members) will make its own presentation dealing with its part of the mission.

GENERAL PRESENTATION OUTLINE:

  1. What do we know about Mars?
  2. What more do we need to learn about Mars?
  3. Why is it important to study Mars?
  4. Why is this Voyage to Mars mission important?

TEAM PRESENTATIONS OUTLINE:

  1. What is your team?
  2. What are your team responsibilities during the mission?
  3. How will you accomplish those responsibilities during the mission?
  4. What equipment will you use?
  5. How will you work as a team?
  6. What knowledge/skills do you now have that shows you are ready for your part of the mission?
  7. Why is your team so important to the success of the overall mission?
  8. Why do you need to go on the mission with the rest of the crew?
  9. What will happen if nobody is on the mission to do the work of your team?

PREPARATION:

To prepare for your presentation before Congress, all teams are require to work together as a single group to find answers to the following background questions based on different degrees of difficulty and the work of different teams. Basic questions are designed for all students in grades 5-8; intermediate questions are designed primarily for students in grades 6-8; advanced questions are designed primarily for students in grades 7-8.

Basic Level: Find answers to all these questions:

  1. What is a planet?
  2. What is the difference between a star and a planet?
  3. What is a solar system?
  4. What is inner and outer solar system?
  5. What is retrograde motion?
  6. What two types of planets can be found in our solar system?
  7. Do all planets orbit the sun in the same direction in our solar system?
  8. Do all planets rotate on their axis in the same direction as the earth does?
  9. Do all planets orbit in the same plane around the sun?
  10. What is an astronomical unit?
  11. How far is earth from the sun in astronomical unit?
  12. How far is earth from the sun in miles and kilometers?
  13. Do all planets in our solar system have the same size?
  14. What is a moon or a satellite of a planet?
  15. Do all planets have moons or satellite?
  16. What is an atmosphere of a planet?
  17. Do all planets in our solar system have atmosphere?
  18. What is meant by the term “geologically dead” body of the solar system?
  19. How far is Mars from the sun in our solar system in astronomical unit?
  20. How long is the year on Mars?
  21. How long is the day on Mars?
  22. What is magnitude?
  23. What is the brightness of Mars as seen from earth?
  24. What is the average day time and night time temperature on Mars?
  25. What is UV radiation?
  26. What are the harmful effects of UV radiation?
  27. What is the chemical composition of Mars atmosphere?
  28. What is the average surface gravity on Mars?
  29. What are polar ice caps of mars?
  30. How many moons are known for Mars? What are their names?
  31. What is atmospheric pressure?
  32. What happens to water at very low (less than 4 degrees Celsius) and at very high (lager than 100 degrees Celsius)?
  33. What is pulse?
  34. What is blood pressure?
  35. What is humidity?
  36. What is pH?
  37. What is an electrical circuit?
  38. How are probes used during space missions?
  39. What is meant by “density"?
  40. What is the mathematical formula for finding density?
  41. What is chlorophyll?
  42. What is radiation?

Intermediate Level: Answer all questions above plus the following:

  1. Why was retrograde motion important in astronomy?
  2. How does the surface gravity on Mars compare with that on earth?
  3. What factors determine the surface gravity of a planet or a satellite?
  4. How does the atmospheric pressure on Mars compare with than on earth?
  5. How does atmospheric pressure affect the state of water?
  6. How does atmospheric pressure affect blood pressure?
  7. How is UV radiation different on March as compared to earth?
  8. What do we need to do to protect ourselves from UV radiation on Mars?
  9. How does the chemical composition of Mars compare with that on earth?
  10. How do the pulse and blood pressure of astronauts change when they are in space?
  11. What happens when humidity gets too low?
  12. What could happen when humidity gets too high?
  13. Why is air pressure very important to astronauts in space?
  14. How could you find the volume of an irregularly-shaped object?
  15. List 3 sources of good radiation and 3 sources of harmful radiation.
  16. List 3 insects that would be beneficial to plants in a greenhouse. Then, list 3 insects that would be harmful to plants in a greenhouse.

Advanced Level: Answer all questions above plus the following:

  1. Where should a manned mission land on Mars to search for signs ancient or otherwise existing life. Provide scientific justification of your choice of location.
  2. How would you use a telescope to determine the rotation rate of Mars?
  3. How can we explain retrograde motion today?
  4. Astronomers have not found any traces of liquid water on the surface of Mars, Why?
  5. How can we determine the surface gravity of Mars from earth? Show some mathematical work and calculate the value for Mars. Remember you must state or describe how you will obtain the necessary data by making observations from earth.
  6. Why is it important for astronauts to have acceptable visual and auditory reaction times while in space?
  7. Why is it extremely important to test the drinking water of the astronauts aboard the Space Station to make sure it is clean? (Hint: Where does their water come from? What happens if they run out of water?)

Support for program number HST-ED-90285.01-A was provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

Copyright (c) 2007 Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum and Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana. Staff of Challenger Learning Centers and instructors of classes involved with Challenger Learning Center missions may reproduce this WebQuest guide for classroom and educational purposes. Otherwise this work may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

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Last updated 7/16/2007