Mars Mission Logbooks

Students explore the aspects of Newton's First and Third Laws of Motion as they conduct controlled rocketry experiments and analyze the Mars Mission in terms of the principles of rocketry.

Students explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation is...

Students examine the various jobs of the Mars Mission Team, organize them into categories and write a formal application for a position on the Mars Mission. Entries are made into the logbook and on-line Field Journals read.

Students investigate Newton's Second Law of Motion as they predict the effect of a payload on the amount of energy needed to lift a rocket vertically. The constraints of the weight of the equipment carried to Mars is compared to the...

Students explore Newton's laws through the creation and launch of a rocket. They collect data about the launch and the effects of a payload on lift. Extensions offered, encourage students to make creative changes.

Students investigate the use of latitude and longitude to locate specific locations on Earth and evaluate that location as a potential landing site for researchers, terrestrial or alien space missions.

Students investigate the historical use of flags on Earth, debate ownership issues for interplanetary exploration, and design a flag for Mars. The implication of placing a flag at a location forms the focus of the lesson plan.

Students use light and shadow information to make inferences regarding the three dimensional shapes of specific objects photographed on the surface of Mars. Limitations of the of the data provided are discussed and entries made into the...

Students analyze an article written by an engineer at NASA proposing colonizing Mars with human explorers on the fastest track possible. They are invited to react to the article through several activities.

Students simulate some of the Pathfinder experiments by devising methods of collecting and measuring magnetic substances in pseudo-Martian soil. The efficiency of each of the methods used to collect materials is evaluated in this lesson.