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TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS The UK’s Strategic Science Investment Agency Mars Express :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Who, What? Why? Mars Express is a space probe carrying instruments, some of which remain in orbit to survey the planet and its atmosphere, while others are carried on The Beagle 2 lander and examine the surface more directly. The mission is coordinated by the European Space Agency, with funding and participation from several different countries, including the United Kingdom. There is UK input in the instruments carried by the Mars orbiter and Beagle 2 was designed and built in the UK. Like the earlier craft of that name, HMS Beagle, on which Charles Darwin sailed around the world, its role is to send back information on what it finds. Beagle 2 will be making a close examination of the surface, soil and atmosphere of its immediate surroundings, using a highly innovative set of instruments. The development and miniaturisation of these instruments has been a triumph of British engineering. The high profile involvement of British science in this mission, together with the American and Japanese missions, ensures that Mars will be a regular news item through 2003 and 2004. The interest this engenders can be used to enhance your teaching by linking it to the progress of these missions. Up to date information on the progress of Mars Express and Beagle 2 can be found at :: sci.esa.int/marsexpress :: www.beagle2.com :: www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/portals/beagle.shtml Mars Express is just one of a number of missions in which "UK Goes to the Planets" with our European partners. To find out more about the UK's exploration of the planets see the PPARC broadsheet "UK Goes to the Planets" or visit www.uk2planets.org.uk. By examining other planets we see the world afresh, and develop new insights about our wider environment, about the whole Earth as a ball spinning with others through space. This is not only a motivation for planetary research and missions such as Mars Express, but provides powerful teaching contexts. Mars Express will create maps of Mars in new detail. Specific questions asked by the scientists who have developed the instruments sent to Mars include: When? :: Is there, or has there ever been, life on Mars? If there was, what could it tell us about life on Earth? :: What made Mars go rusty? Chemical action on iron in Mars’ rocks have made it ‘the red planet’. What are the details of the chemical reactions? What do they tell us about the history of Mars? How active is its present surface chemistry? :: Did Mars once have a different atmosphere? Are there signs of any earlier atmosphere in rocks beneath the surface? Could there, even, be fossil remains of living things in Martian rock? Was the solar wind responsible for stripping Mars of a denser atmosphere? What prevents the same thing happening on Earth? :: Where did all the water go? The surface of Mars has many features which seem to have been made by running liquid. If it was water, where did it go? Is there still water under the surface? :: What is the Martian climate like? Why the dust storms? How much ultraviolet reaches the surface? The mission planners have taken advantage of the closest approach of Mars to Earth in recorded history, occurring in August 2003. Mars Express reaches Mars late in 2003 and goes into orbit around the red planet while Beagle 2 lands on Mars in late December 2003. Information from Mars Express and Beagle 2 will be sent back by radio signals and findings will emerge during the following months and years. 1 TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS Classroom Activities This pack contains a selection of learning activities based around the theme of Mars, Mars Express and Beagle2. They link to national curricula and are suitable for the following age groups: 7-11, 11-14, 14-16 and 16+. Activity Leaflet 1: Age Group 7-11 These are very varying activities which use Mars Express and its coverage in the Media to address ideas about Earth, Sun and Moon, about how we see things and about motion in space. Page 1. Be an expert on Mars :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: Earth, Sun and Moon / Earth in space Forces in action (weight as force, motion with and without resistance) How we see things (reflection by moons and planets) :: Types of activity :: :: :: Complete picture showing reflection of light by the Moon internet research information presentation, verbally or by poster :: Other resources and activity :: Mars Express broadsheet for images and information on the surface of Mars and on the scientific research of Mars Express :: Notes :: Introduction to study of space. Children can develop ideas by comparing Mars, Earth and the Moon, for example. This can be, first of all, in terms of size, and hence gravitational pull or local weight, allowing the point to be made that weight changes from place to place. The three bodies have different atmospheres, largely due to their different gravitational pulls and therefore their different abilities to hold on to layers of gas. The Earth’s atmosphere not only supports life but protects us from bombardment from space by meteors and by radiation, while the Mars environment has much less defence and the Moon has none at all. The bodies also have different motions and thus different daily and annual cycles of illumination. Awareness of their positions relative to the Sun provides an important introduction to ideas about distances in the Solar System. Pages 2 and 3. Sun, Earth, Moon and Mars 2 :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: Types of activity :: :: :: Earth, Sun and Moon / Earth in space How we see things (reflection by moons and planets) Picture completion on reflection of light by the Moon to make it visible. Practical simple ‘model’ making. Practical application of the model to essential consideration of ideas about sunlight and Earth, relative positions and sizes of Sun, Earth and Mars, daily cycles (day and night) and annual cycles (seasons). Earth's orbit around the Sun is very close to circular, so that it is always about the same distance from the Sun. By contrast, the orbit of Mars is more elliptical, so that the distance from the Sun changes significantly. :: The agree/disagree can be used to stimulate class discussion. TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS :: Other resources and activity :: Pictures of various planets. Excellent resources can be found at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ www.solarviews.com/cap :: Notes :: Few of us will ever escape from the Earth. Yet we have seen pictures of it from ‘outside’, taken by astronauts or by satellite. These remain very local pictures compared to distances to the Sun or other planets, but they do at least give us a start in imagining the entire Solar System as if seen from outside. This is, inevitably, a voyage of imagination, and children’s own models are intended as aids. Page 4. Making history in space :: Curriculum coverage :: Earth, Sun and Moon / Earth in space :: Types of activity :: :: :: :: Internet information gathering. Image and article collection. Scrapbook creation. Discussion of space travel and the possibilities of extra-terrestrial life. :: Other resources and activity :: :: Notes :: The Mars Express broadsheet provides taster information on the work of scientists. :: Visits to centres such as Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, the National Space Science Centre in Leicester or other science centres and museums offer enriching learning experiences. :: Film on space travel and space science in general. Teachers could consider the NASA ‘Liftoff to Learning’ video series. People have travelled just as far as the Moon, the Earth’s dancing partner in space. Those who can remember the first Moon landing in 1969 will remember the feeling that history was being made. History has been being made rather more quietly, by an army of unsung scientists, for all the intervening years. They have gathered information from robotic landings on Mars and even Venus, fly-by missions to other planets and their moons, and projects like the Hubble Space Telescope. Activity Leaflet 2: Age Group 11-14 The activities take advantage of pupils’ awareness of Mars Express, through media coverage, to deal with topics from ‘biology’, ‘chemistry’ and ‘physics’. Page 1. Earth Rocks, Mars Rocks :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: Weathering and erosion Driving the rock cycle The Solar System / Earth in space :: Types of activity :: :: :: Initial word activity on features of the surface of Mars. Image gathering and presentation from the internet. Discussion based on statements about rocks of Earth and Mars. 3 TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS :: Other resources and activity :: The Mars Express Broadsheet provides imagery of the surface of Mars, with a wide range of information including some relating to the possible action of water. :: Notes :: Examining the morphology of Mars and speculating on its development allows useful and instructive comparison with processes on Earth. Recent images of Mars appear to show sedimentary rocks and a number of surface features seem to indicate the previous presence of water on the surface of Mars. Also, results from the Mars Odyssey mission suggest large quantities of ice beneath the surface. Page 2. Beagle 1 and Beagle 2 :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: Variation and classification Inheritance and selection The Solar system / Earth in space :: Types of activity :: Literacy activity based on information about HMS Beagle and Beagle 2. :: Other resources and activity :: Cuttings and internet reports on Beagle 2 could be collected for display. :: Notes :: The original Beagle sent information back to Europe from what were then faraway places. The impact of the process of collecting the information and then considering its significance was the greatest cultural shift since the Copernican revolution. Whether Beagle 2 can have anything like the same long-term influence remains to be seen, but it also sends information from a faraway, and even stranger, place. Environment and feeding relationships Ecological relationships Plants and photosynthesis The Solar System / Earth in space Page 3. Looking for life 4 :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: :: :: Types of activity :: :: Other resources and activity :: The Mars Express broadsheet provides essential background on Mars and Beagle 2. :: Notes :: Again, the comparison of Earth and Mars ‘habitats’ can provide new insights into the Earth’s ecology in general and the adaptations of living things to exploit available resources. Question and answer on comparison of needs of living things on Earth with the potential for life on Mars. :: Internet information gathering on Beagle 2 and the search for indicators of life. :: Discussion of possibility of extraterrestrial life. TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS Page 4. Earth and Mars in pictures :: Curriculum coverage :: The Solar System / Earth in space :: Types of activity :: Discussion and analysis of correct and incorrect statements on motions of Earth and Mars and the differences and similarities in their consequent daily and annual cycles – including day/night and the seasons. :: Other resources and activity :: Pictures of Mars and other planets. Excellent resources with informative text can be found at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ www.solarviews.com/cap http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ :: Notes :: The activity could be used by pupils individually, but it is a more powerful resource if the statements are used as stimuli for discussion. Both Earth and Mars spin around a tilted axis – accounting for the seasons on both planets. Earth's orbit around the Sun is very close to circular so that there is no significant difference between the northern and southern summers. Mars, on the other hand, has a much more elliptical orbit. It is significantly closer to the Sun in the southern summer and so the southern summer is hotter than the northern summer. Activity Leaflet 3: Age Group 14-16 The activities use the Mars Express context to provide support for work on Physical processes, including an introduction which compares Earth and Mars, an activity on detail of the electromagnetic spectrum, and an activity on motion in space. Page 1. Why go to Mars? :: Curriculum coverage :: The Earth and beyond :: Types of activity :: :: Information gathering from the internet and Mars Express broadsheet. Discussion, including critical assessment of statements. :: Other resources and activity :: Further discussion can continue to compare Earth and Mars, in terms of their size and gravitational pull and existence and nature of atmosphere, for example. :: Notes :: By examining other planets we not only better understand the Earth’s position in the Solar System but see the world afresh. This has yielded many important insights, and is not only a motivation for planetary research and missions such as Mars Express, but provides powerful teaching contexts. This exercise can be used as in introduction to the work on waves and motion that follows. 5 TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS Pages 2 and 3. Mars Express and the electromagnetic spectrum :: Curriculum coverage :: :: Types of activity :: :: Other resources and activity :: More detailed information about the instruments on the Mars Express mission, including their different relationships to the electromagnetic spectrum, can be found at: http://sci.esa.int :: Notes :: Different Mars Express instruments detect infra red, visible, ultra violet and X ray radiations. Information is sent back to Earth by radio waves. Waves. Information assessment and organisation on the electromagnetic spectrum. :: Question and answer on the electromagnetic spectrum. Page 4. Travelling to Mars :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: The Earth and beyond. Force and motion. Atomic Structure: the nucleus and isotopes. :: Types of activity :: :: :: :: Use of information from diagrams on orbits of Earth and Mars. Speed calculation. Use of information about the isotopes of carbon. Web research. :: Other resources and activity :: More information on journeys to Mars can be found at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ :: Notes :: Space travel, with its high speeds, provides a useful context for further practice at speed calculation and consideration of motion graphs. Activity Leaflet 4: Age Group 16+ Students could use the Mars Express mission to provide context for their work in post-16 physics, which could be particularly suitable for students beginning an AS or Higher course. Information gathered during an induction period could, for example, be referred to to provide meaningful context as the AS course proceeds. The post-16 printed activity sheets provide ‘synoptic’ practice, in that each one combines knowledge and skills from different parts of the post 16 courses, and would be particularly useful at A2-level. :: The European Space Agency provides a very large amount of information at a suitable level, at: http://sci.esa.int :: In addition, NASA provides information about Mars and the American missions at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov 6 The ESA information about Mars Express could be used, for example, to consider: :: how Mars Express experiments and communications make use of the electromagnetic spectrum. :: resistance-free motion. :: gravity (of Earth, Sun and Mars). :: charged and neutral particles and the solar wind, and the solar wind’s interactions with Earth and Mars. :: principles of data collection, transmission and interpretation. TEACHERS GUIDE EXPRESS TO MARS Page 2. Mars, magnetism and the solar wind :: Curriculum coverage :: :: :: :: Motion of charged particles in magnetic fields. Ionisation by collision. Escape velocity. Motivation for scientific research. :: Types of activity :: :: Gathering information from the internet. Question and answer on the above topics. :: Other resources and activity :: The Mars Express broadsheet provides a well presented overview with taster information on some of the scientific activity, including the ASPERA instrument and its purpose. :: Notes :: There are several theories which might explain how Mars was stripped of its atmosphere. One possibility is that the action of the solar wind played a significant part in this process. The activity explores this hypothesis and considers the purpose of the ASPERA instrument on Mars Express. Page 3. Doppler shift mapping of Mars :: Curriculum coverage :: :: Doppler effect Gravitational field :: Types of activity :: :: Creation and use of diagrams to understand observed Doppler effects. Combination of given formulae :: Other resources and activity :: The Doppler shift here can be related to other instances, including red shift of starlight. :: Notes :: The questions explore whether the Doppler effect resulting from small local variations in gravitational field strength is detectable from Earth, and thus whether it is possible to find out more about the Mars interior from global survey of gravitational variation. Page 4. Energy and the journey to Mars :: Curriculum coverage :: :: Gravitational potential and potential energy Energy conservation :: Types of activity :: Question and answer on gravitational potential, potential energy, kinetic energy and energy conservation 7 TEACHERS GUIDE Acknowledgements: Except where shown otherwise all photos supplied by: European Space Agency; NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab/Malin Space Science Systems :: illustrations by Aaron Easterbrook :: design by spaced > www.spaced-out.biz EXPRESS TO MARS :: Other resources and activity :: :: Notes :: In travelling to Mars, a spacecraft must not only escape from the Earth but must move further from the Sun. The motion of an interplanetary spacecraft takes place against a background of the Sun’s gravitational field, with the added influence of the gravitational potentials of the planets of origin and destination. Consideration of the graph of gravitational potential versus distance for the Sun’s field provides the starting point for question and answer activity. The questions explore the relative importance of the fields of Sun, Earth and Mars, and deal with issues of gravitational potential difference, complications due to kinetic energies of origin and destination, necessary energy sources, and conservation of energy in elliptical orbit. Resources ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) publishes a comprehensive Resources Guide for Teaching Astronomy and Space Science. This is on the web at www.pparc.ac.uk or can be ordered free of charge from PPARC. (See below for contact details) Posters Is There Life Out There? A cartoon-style poster suitable for 11-16 year olds examining the conditions necessary for life. It can be ordered free of charge from PPARC. It comes as a wall-size poster and can be ordered together with a set of A3 size copies and teacher notes for classroom use. Books :: :: :: :: The Smithsonian Book of Mars Joseph M. Boyce, Smithsonian Institution, 2003 Patrick Moore on Mars Patrick Moore, Cassell Illustrated, 1999 Mars: Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet Paul Raeburn, National Geographic Books, 1998 The Cambridge Photographic Guide to the Planets Fredric W. Taylor, Cambridge University Press :: :: :: :: www.bnsc.gov.uk Go to the Learning Zone for information about the Solar System and a series of curriculum linked activities on Beagle 2. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov Information about American Mars missions – Odyssey, Global Surveryor, Rover www.classroomspace.org.uk Space based activities on the web linked to the curriculum. www.marsnews.com and www.marsdaily.com Current news about Mars. PPARC contacts General enquiries and to order materials Science and Society team, PPARC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1SZ Tel: 01793 442123 (with answerphone) Fax 01793 442125 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.pparc.ac.uk PPARC Schools Liaison Officer Mr. Andrew Morrison Tel: 0115 9164691 E-mail: [email protected] Websites :: :: 8 The question, "If the Earth lost its atmosphere where would the gases go?" raises questions about escape velocity (and the fact that it refers to escape into solar orbit and not escape from the Solar System), about the independence of orbit radius at a given speed on mass, and about the behaviour of bodies (including planets and gas molecules) in gravitational potential wells. :: Another issue relates to meteorites found on Earth but believed to have come from Mars, having been thrown up following asteroid collisions. Students could consider the energy needed for this to happen. www.uk2planets.org.uk News of all UK planetary missions www.ex.ac.uk/mirrors/nineplanets/mars.html Useful information about Mars Acknowledgements Activities leaflets and teacher notes: David Brodie Design: Spaced <www.spaced-out.biz> PPARC: Andrew Morrison
