Perseverance to Mars - Fall 2020 Episodes
The Mystery & The History - September 16 at 1pm
Mars has been and continues to be the most well-studied planet aside from the Earth. Why do we care about Mars so much? What have we learned about Mars, and what does that mean for our future of exploration?
NGSS Standards
- MS-ESS1-3
Activity Links
- Mars 2020 Mission - General Resource
- Mars Trek - General Resource
- Mission to Mars Unit Activity - Resource Kit
- Mars Math Educator Guide - Resource Kit
The Search for Life - September 23 at 1pm
One of Perseverance's main goals is to help answer the question: Did Mars ever support life? What could ancient martian life look like? We can compare to life on Earth and see why Mars is such a good place to look.
NGSS Standards
- MS-LS1-1
Activity Links
- Looking for Life - Grades 4-8
- Stories in Rock - Grades 6-8
- Earliest Stories - Grades 6-8
Water in the Rocks - September 30 at 1pm
Water is a crucial ingredient for life, and stories of water on Mars are visible in the rocks, at scales big and small. Where do we find evidence for water, and how can we compare the geology of Earth and Mars to learn more?
NGSS Standards
- 4-ESS2-1
- 5-PS1-3
Activity Links
- Did Water Create Features on Mars? - Grades 3-6
- Wind, Water or Crater Impacts? - Grades 3-8
- A Matter of Perspective - Grades 3-6
- Mars Match Game - Grades 2-7
Planning the Mission - October 7 at 1pm
What did it take to plan the Mars 2020 mission? Many scientists and engineers worked together to imagine and build this mission over years, using their knowledge of the conditions on Mars. Learn why the team picked Jezero Crater as the landing destination!
NGSS Standards
- 4-ESS1-1
- 3-5-ETS1-1
Activity Links
- Trip to Mars - Grades K-7
- Remote Sensing - Grades 6-8
How the Planet Formed and Changed - October 14 at 1pm
To understand water on Mars more completely, we need to learn how the planet formed in the first place and how it changed geologically over time. Where did the water initially come from, and where did it go?
NGSS Standards
- MS-ESS2-2 (extension)
- 4-ESS2-2 (extension)
Activity Links
- Radioactive Dating Game - Interactive Simulation
- Art and the Cosmic Connection - Grades K-12
Where Did the Air Go? - October 21 at 1pm
What happened to the ancient oceans on Mars? If only some of it went down into the ground, the rest of it must have gone up! What is Mars's air like? What can we learn from it? How does it affect prospects for bringing humans to Mars, to make it a habitable planet?
We'll take a deep dive into these topics with our special guests, Dr. Robin Ramstad and Dr. Laura Peticolas, both Co-Investigators on a new NASA-funded Center to learn whether habitable worlds require magnetic fields, called the MACH Drive Science Center. Dr. Ramstad is an expert in analysis of planetary ion escape observations. Dr. Peticolas is an expert in aurora and how people learn physics, earth & space science.
NGSS Standards
- 4-ESS2-1
- MS-PS1-4
Activity Links
- Build a Satellite Activity - Grades 5-8
- PhET Interactive Simulation: Gas Properties - Grades 6-12
Understanding Martian Seasons & Climate - October 28 at 1pm
One of Perseverance's goals is to learn more about the climate on Mars today and in the past. Does Mars have seasons, and how is the Martian climate similar to or different from Earth's climate?
NGSS Standards
- MS-ESS1-1 (extension)
- 5-ESS1-2
Activity Links
- The Reasons for the Seasons - Grades 3-5
- Seasons on Earth - Grades 6-12
Launch! - November 4 at 1pm
After years of planning, Perseverance was launched in July 2020 aboard an Atlas V rocket. Learn more about rockets, what to look for during a launch, and how engineers have made clever design choices to overcome gravity.
NGSS Standards
- 3-5-ETS1-1
- MS-PS2-4
Activity Links
- Soda-Straw Rockets - Grades 4-8
- Rocket Activity: Heavy Lifting - Grades 3-8
A Space Voyage - November 11 at 1pm
Once launched, Perseverance has months to fly through interplanetary space before reaching Mars. What is space like, and why is it so hard for humans to make a similar journey?
NGSS Standards
- MS-ESS1-2
- MS-LS3-1
Activity Links
- PhET Interactive Simulation: Gravity and Orbits - Grades 5-12
- Health in Space - Resource Kit for Grades 2-6
- Train Like an Astronaut - Video Series
- Space Hazards - Grades 3-5
Carrying out the Mission - November 18 at 1pm
Did you know that Perseverance will have a sidekick helicopter named Ingenuity? Learn about the challenges and solutions to operating a rover that's 50 million miles away and how Perseverance will collect and analyze samples of Martian ground.
NGSS Standards
- 4-PS4-3
- 3-5-ETS1-3
Activity Links
- Mars Rovers - Grades K-12
- Planetary Pasta Rovers - Grades 3-8
- Roving on the Moon (or Mars) - Grades 6-12
- Robotic Arm Challenge - Grades K-8
- Make a Paper Mars Helicopter - Grades 3-6
A Soft Landing - December 2 at 1pm
Flying over 24,000 mph to Mars will get Perseverance there in about 7 months, but how will it land softly? We'll explore the variety of ways in which rovers have landed on Mars and how Perseverance's landing will compare.
NGSS Standards
- 3-5-ETS1-3
Activity Links
- Lunar Lander - Interactive Simulation
- Touchdown - Grades 3-8
- Soft Landing Challenge - Grades 3-8
Preparing for Humans on Mars - December 9 at 1pm
Perseverance, like many robots before it, will help us learn even more about the Red Planet. What steps are needed in order for, not robots, but humans to travel to Mars? What will it look like to bring people to Mars?
NGSS Standards
- 3-5-ETS1-1
- 5-LS1-1
Activity Links
- Solar Oven - Grades 6-8
- Manned Mission to Mars - Grades 6-8
- Build a Space Colony - Grades K-8
- Build a Moon Habitat - Grades 3-8
- Pioneering Mars - Grades 10-12
