Mars
Activities
- Highs and Lows, floods and flows Facilitator Guide and Highs and Lows, floods and flows Investigator Guide (5th–8th grade)
Teams of students become familiar with the topography of Mars, its geologic features, and patterns of features using a color-coded topographic (MOLA) map. They discuss the geologic processes that have or are occurring and assign relative ages. Based on their observations and interests, they propose a landing site for their exploration team. - Next Stop: Mars! (3rd– 8th grade)
Next Stop: Mars is a 60 minute kick-off activity that sets the stage for further explorations and activities in Explore! Mars – Inside and Out. As a group, children discuss what they know about Mars. They read books to learn more, and may create a drawing or model of the landscape (optional). The children revisit what they have learned and prepare to explore further. - Scratching the Surface (3rd – 8th grade)
Geologic Scene Investigators: Part 1 - Scratching the Surface is a six part activity in which children explore the features of Mars and Earth, including volcanos, craters, and stream channels. The children perform experiments to determine how these features form, and discuss what the features suggest about the history of Mars. - Inside Mars (3rd–8th grade)
Geologic Scene Investigator: Part 2 - Inside Mars is a seven part activity in which children explore further the volcanos on Mars, in comparison with Earth, and learn what they tell us about what is happening inside Mars, and its history. The children create edible models of Mars, examine the patterns of volcanos, and discover why volcanos on Mars are soooooooo big. - Mind Over Mars (3rd–8th grade)
In this 30 to 45 minute game, teams of children use their knowledge of Mars to create question cards for a board game that will assess and reinforce their understanding of what they have learned. This activity can be used as a wrap-up for Geologic Scene Investigator: Part 1 or Part 2, or as a wrap-up for the entire investigation. - Old, Relatively (6th grade – adult)
Using a large landslide on Mars, learn how scientists determine the sequence of events in a planet’s geologic history. - Exploring Gangis Chasma (6th grade – adult)
An interactive exploration of landslides and other features in Valles Marineris. - Mapping Channels and Craters (6th grade – adult)
Make a simple map and interpret the geologic history of a part of the surface of Mars.
Information
- Mars: Inside and Out Background Information (high school to adult)
Information on Mars' properties, structure, formation, volcanic activity, geologic history, and more. - About the Mars Meteorite (high school–adult)
What is ALH 84001? Background information on this controversial meteorite is written at an adult level, but may be appropriate for high school students as well. - Anatomy of A Martian Meteorite Poster (adult)
Poster and information packet on meteorites from Mars. Explore what they are made of, where scientists hunt for them, and what we learn from them. - Meteorites from Mars (adult)
Several meteorites discovered on Earth are believed to be from Mars. One of these meteorites has been proposed to contain evidence for ancient life on Mars. This website contains some of the science background and thoughts on this evidence.
Other Resources
- Mars: Inside and Out Presentations, Books, and Websites (adult)
Includes a variety of recommended PowerPoints, books and audio files on Mars, and more. Created for librarians and after-school educators, these resources have a wide variety of applications. - Ancient Life on Mars??? (high school and educator)
An examination of martian meteorites retrieved from Antarctica and recent evidence pointing to possible life on ancient Mars. Images can be downloaded and used for free for educational purposes; also available as a slide set. Images are accompanied by detailed information written at a high school to college level. 40 slides. - Maps of Mars (high school and educator)
Mars Maps from “General Information” section: A compilation of different maps (in Hemisphere and Mercator projections) of general properties of Mars in consistent sizes and format. Clicking on the thumbnail image of each map will display it at ~ 2 pixels per degree, a fast download. Each description has links to any higher-resolution images that are currently available. - The Red Planet: A Survey of Mars, second edition (high school and educator)
An overview of Mars, including its volcanos, the Valles Marineris canyon system, features formed by running water, the SNC meteorites, and its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. This is the second edition, revised in 1997 to include recent images from Mars Pathfinder and the Hubble Space Telescope. Images can be downloaded and used for free for educational purposes; also available as a slide set. Images are accompanied by detailed information written at a high school to college level. 40 images. - Exploring Mars Image Center (high school and educator)
A list of Mars image sets from the Lunar and Planetary Institute; each set include explanatory captions, a locator map, a glossary, and suggested references for further study. Sets are available as free downloadable images; sets are also available for purchase as slide sets. - Exploring Mars: Resources for Further Study (adult)
Books and articles, maps, and Web sites with more information on Mars exploration and geology, primarily geared for educators and adults but also useful for high school students. - Dr. Walter Kiefer’s Planetary Science Web sites (all ages)
Useful Web sites about NASA and planetary science, and links to selected websites concerned with human space flight, astronomy, and science education. - Earth/Mars Analogies (6th grade – adult)
Compare the geology and weather of Mars and the Earth. These files, available in beginner or advanced levels, are in PDF format. - 3–D Mars Image Collection (3rd grade – adult)
A collection of 3–D images of Mars. These files, available in beginner or advanced versions, are in PDF format.
