This is a poster about the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), an instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Learners can find out what it does and how it works. Then you can go online and start exploring the Red... (View More) Planet with real Mars data in your own classroom. (View Less)

This is an activity about spacecraft radio communications. Learners will explore spacecraft radio communications concepts, including the speed of light and the time-delay for signals sent to and from spacecraft. Learners measure the time it takes... (View More) for a radio signal to travel to a spacecraft using the speed of light, demonstrate the delay in radio communication signals to and from a spacecraft, and devise unique solutions to the radio-signal-delay problem. In an extension, learners are asked to calculate the distance the spacecraft traveled. All NASA spacecraft missions have a telecommunications system and use radio waves to transmit signals. The context for this activity is sending a command to the New Horizons spacecraft telling it to take a picture of Pluto. Includes teacher background, adaptations, and student data sheets. (View Less)

This is a lesson about using gravity to assist in spacecraft navigation. Learners will relate an elastic collision to the change in a satellite's or spacecraft's speed and direction resulting from a planetary fly-by, often called a "gravity assist"... (View More) maneuver. Both hands-on and online interactive methods are used to explore these topics. (View Less)

This lesson is about robotic exploration. After reading and discussing the book "Touchdown Mars!," learners will work individually or in pairs to create their own Mars ABC book based on their current level of Mars knowledge. This is lesson 7 of 16... (View More) in the MarsBots learning module. (View Less)

This lesson is about robotic programming. Learners will simulate the experience of operating a rover on Mars, by giving specific commands to construct a Lego model with their partners. This will introduce students to the fundamental communication... (View More) skills necessary for successful robotic programming. This is lesson 11 of 16 in the MarsBots learning module. This lesson is adapted from the Write It, Do It event, which is part of Science Olympiad. (View Less)

This is a lesson about robotic exploration of the solar system. Learners will explore the difference between natural and artificial satellites and use images taken by robotic spacecraft and telescopes to gain an understanding of the Earth's place in... (View More) space. Requires the books "Me on the Map" by Joan Sweeney and "My Place in Space" by Robin and Sally Hirst. This is lesson 1 of 16 in the MarsBots learning module. (View Less)