Day 3

Colors of Mars ~ Sustainable Community on Mars ~ Space Samples

AC Colors of Mars Images.pdf

Colors of Mars

Mars is often referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its predominantly rusty, red color. It is a mostly dry and dusty place. While it doesn't have an atmosphere like here on Earth, there is wind that works to move the rigolith dust across the planet along with causing patterns of erosion. The rusty red color we see on Mars is iron oxide. This is just like the rust that forms here on Earth when iron oxidizes...often in the presence of water. Some places on Mars are bright white in color due to ice or silica deposits and other areas are any of a wide variety of colors between white and rusty red. This array of colors seen on Mars is the result of its mineral diversity. Each mineral has a different distinct color - just like on Earth. Minerals are a solid chemical compound that occurs naturally in its pure form, mostly associated with rocks due to presence of minerals within rocks.

In images, some regions on Mars appear to have colors because of shadows cast by tall ridges on the landscape and craters. Some colors in the images we see appear to be sunlight reflected or even some seasonal changes, such as the appearance of permafrost and flow features.

ACTIVITY: COLORS OF MARS

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Crayons in Earth-tones

Glue

Spoons—1 per "mineral"

Various powdered mineral samples representing colors found on Mars or appropriately colored sand

Print out of the Mars Mineral Sheet

AC Mars Color Sheet.pdf

Activity Sheet

How will we live on Mars?

The search to find evidence of life has always been a top priority in our exploration of Mars. The more we learn about Mars, the more we will uncover to help us design the best way to live there. We are now coming closer to uncovering what it will take to establish a basic habitat to sustain life.

To do so, we must first explore what the characteristics of life are: 1. to store and use energy; 2. to reproduce or grow; 3. to respond to the environment; and 4. to change, adapt, and evolve over time.

Now we must answer: What does life need? To exist, there are four main requirements of life.

Life needs an energy source,
Something to consume or eat,
Protection from the elements
Liquid water

Our existence on the Moon as well as Mars will depend on being able to provide those four basic requirements. In this activity, you will focus on designing and creating the protection or habitat you think we will need to live life on the Moon or Mars.

ACTIVITY: Build a Sustainable Mars Habitat

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Recyclable materials

Craft supplies: tape, scissors, markers, foam, glue, etc

Land plot: paper, cardboard– 1 per habitat

Index card– 1 per builder

NASA's Human Space Flight Program

A spacecraft is not only a home, it’s also a machine. NASA understands that the ecosystem inside a vehicle plays a big role in everyday astronaut life. Important habitability factors include temperature, pressure, lighting, noise, and quantity of space. It’s essential that astronauts are getting the requisite food, sleep and exercise needed to stay healthy and happy.

Technology, as often is the case with out-of-this-world exploration, comes to the rescue in creating a habitable home in a harsh environment. Everything is monitored, from air quality to possible microbial inhabitants. Microorganisms that naturally live on your body are transferred more easily from one person to another in a closed environment. Astronauts, too, contribute data points via urine and blood samples, and can reveal valuable information about possible stressors. The occupants are also asked to provide feedback about their living environment, including physical impressions and sensations so that the evolution of spacecraft can continue addressing the needs of humans in space. Extensive recycling of resources we take for granted is also imperative: oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, even our waste.

What's your Asteroid Made of?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets. Asteroids are left over from the formation of our solar system. Our solar system began about 4.6 billion years ago when a big cloud of gas and dust collapsed. When this happened, most of the material fell to the center of the cloud and formed the sun.

Some of the condensing dust in the cloud became planets. The objects in the asteroid belt never had the chance to be incorporated into planets. They are leftovers from that time long ago when planets formed.

Since asteroids formed at the same time as other objects in our solar system, these space rocks can give scientists lots of information about the history of planets and the sun. Scientists can learn about asteroids by studying meteorites: tiny bits of asteroids that have flown through our atmosphere and landed on Earth’s surface.

Several NASA space missions have also flown by and observed asteroids. The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on Eros, an asteroid near Earth, in 2001. Then, the Dawn spacecraft traveled to the asteroid belt in 2011 to orbit and study the second largest object there, Vesta. Vesta is so large it's like a small planet. In 2012 Dawn left Vesta and went into orbit around the largest object in the asteroid belt, dwarf planet Ceres.

In 2016, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to study an asteroid near Earth named Bennu and bring a sample of the asteroid back to Earth! In 2018, OSIRIS-REx went into orbit around Bennu. Bennu is the smallest world ever to be orbited by spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx will spend two years studying Bennu’s surface, looking for the best place to take a sample.

ACTIVITY: What's your Asteroid Made of?

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Beads of Different Colors: Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Brown, Gray, Black, White, Blue

Play Dough

What's your Asteroid Made of? Data sheet

What's your Asteroid Made of?.pdf

Page updated

Report abuse