Make the Most of Destination Mars - PRE-MISSION ASTRONAUT TRAINING ( 30 MIN) - Challenger Center
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Challenger Center® and NASA eClips™
Make the Most of Destination Mars
PRE-MISSION ASTRONAUT TRAINING (~30 MIN)
Prepare your class of Astronauts for a richer virtual mission experience by helping them learn more about rovers,
solar weather, and radiation before the mission.
Rover Experts Radiation Experts Solar Energy Experts
Divide the group into teams of three (3). Each person in the group will watch a different NASA eClips™ video to
become an expert on one of the three topics.
Solar Energy Experts
Rover Experts Radiation Experts
Real World: STS-119
Launchpad: Curiosity Real World: Space
Brings More Power to
Goes to Mars Weather
the Space Station
• What is a rover and why • What is space weather? • How is electricity
has NASA used rover • Why is space weather supplied in space?
Essential missions? important to predict? • What astronaut
questions • What kinds of data functions would require
guide experts would be helpful to electricity?
as they watch gather to answer
their video. questions about the
habitability of Mars?
• What instruments does • In what ways might • How is electricity
Curiosity have to collect space weather impact produced on the ISS and
AFTER data and what exploration and how will it likely be
viewing the information can they settlement? produced for habitats
video, experts provide? on the Moon and other
report • What other instruments planetary bodies?
might you want to • What might be some
findings to
consider for exploration variables that could
their team. with future rovers? affect the operation of
solar panels?
Destination Mars 1
THE MISSION: DESTINATION MARS (~60 MIN)
Researchers are ready to explore Mars, but there’s one glaring problem – more than 40 million miles separate
Earth from the Red Planet. The team needs to build a base on one of the Red Planet’s moons, Deimos or Phobos,
that will allow them to send a spacecraft to the surface of Mars and back in the fastest and safest way possible.
Student teams will select which moon is best to build a base by analyzing three sets of data collected by rovers
on Deimos and Phobos.
POST-MISSION CHALLENGE (~3-4 CLASS PERIODS)
Students complete activities and demonstrate their knowledge by producing a NASA Spotlite animated video
that will help others change what they think about one of two Mars misconceptions.
Working in teams, students:
• Identify criteria for the animated video.
• Select one of the two misconceptions.
• Increase their knowledge by completing activities.
• Develop an interesting storyline.
• Write a script for the animated video.
• Film. Edit. Produce.
• Submit completed video to NASA eClips™ for review.
Exemplary animated videos will be added to the NASA eClips website
under Student Productions.
Misconception – The distance between Earth and the Moon causes seasons.
Destination Mars 2
ANSWER KEY FOR PRE-MISSION ASTRONAUT TRAINING
Solar Energy Experts
Rover Experts
Radiation Experts Real World: STS-119 Brings
Launchpad: Curiosity Goes to
Real World: Space Weather More Power to the Space
Mars
Station
What is a rover and why has What is space weather? The How is electricity supplied in
NASA used rover missions? gases with charged particles space? Energy from the Sun is
NASA has used rovers, vehicles that are produced as a result captured by solar arrays. The
that can move through a wide of our Sun’s activity and sent photovoltaic cells on the arrays
variety of terrains, to explore into space. convert solar energy into
the surface of planets and the Why is space weather electrical current. Energy
Essential Moon. produced that is not used can
important to predict? Space
questions What kinds of data would be weather can damage orbiting be stored in rechargeable
guide helpful to gather to answer spacecraft (such as satellites), batteries.
experts questions about the expose astronauts to harmful What astronaut functions
as they habitability of Mars? radiation, and disrupt would require electricity?
watch Photographs, videos, data on communication systems and Electricity is needed for the life
their mineral composition of electrical grids. support systems such as
video. rocks/soil, oxygen, producing oxygen through
atmospheric composition, electrolysis; removing excess
temperature, presence of carbon dioxide, additional
water, pH. radiation. gases, and particulates from the
air; and to power the water
recovery system (water is
recovered from wastes).
What instruments does In what ways might space How is electricity produced on
Curiosity have to collect data weather impact exploration the ISS and how will it likely be
and what information can and settlement? Space produced for habitats on the
they provide? 10 different weather contains charged Moon and other planetary
instruments. Cameras, drill for particles that could be bodies? Electric current on the
taking rock/soil samples, laser extremely harmful to living ISS is produced by photovoltaic
for determining chemical things. It can cause electrical cells located on the solar arrays
AFTER composition of rock/soil, blackouts which could affect which capture energy from the
viewing radiation detector, etc. many different life-sustaining Sun. The conversion of solar
the What other instruments systems and disrupt energy to electricity is likely to
video, might you want to consider communication (such as radio power habitats on the Moon
experts for exploration with future and GPS signals) needed to and other planets.
report rovers? Answers will vary. effectively explore and What might be some
findings High definition cameras, ways develop a permanent variables that could affect the
to store and bring back settlement. operation of solar panels?
to their
team. rock/soil samples, etc. Damage to solar panels caused
by solar radiation, blockage of
Sun reaching solar panels by
dust or atmosphere, angle at
which sunlight strikes the solar
arrays, the distance from the
Sun to the solar arrays,
equipment failure.
Destination Mars 3
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