Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE!:EXPLORING MARS WITH NASA ENGINEER KOBIE BOYKINS
Check out the website here
ABOUT THE SPEAKERKobie Boykins is the chief engineer of the latest Mars rover, Opportunity. He designed the actuators that control all of its moving parts and lead a team of engineers and dreamers at NASA.
Read more about him here
VOCAB TO KNOWastronaut Noun person who takes part in space flights.
engineer Noun person who plans the building of things, such as structures (construction engineer) or substances (chemical engineer).
estimate Verb to guess based on knowledge of the situation or object.
gravity Noun physical force by which objects attract, or pull toward, each other.
Mars Noun fourth planet from the sun, between Earth and Jupiter.
planet Noun large, spherical celestial body that regularly rotates around a star.
scientist Noun person who studies a specific type of knowledge using the scientific method.
research Noun scientific observations and investigation into a subject, usually following the scientific method: observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation, analysis, and conclusion
KWL Chart(K) What I know
(W) What I want to know
(L) What I learned
Before seeing the show, but after seeing some of this information, as a class fill out this KWL Chart.
MARSWhere is Mars?
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun.
More facts about Mars here
Mars Resources and Activities
All about Mars quick facts here
Information and discoveries from Mars: click here
Mars versus the Earth: click here
Take a quiz to test your knowledge on Mars here
Play a game: Adventure to Mars
Download a coloring page of Mars here
HOW DO WE EXPLORE MARS?The Mars Exploration rovers gather data on Mars from the ground.
SPIRIT OPPORTUNITY CURIOSITY
SPIRIT
● Spirit was launched in 2003 to explore Mars and search for signs of past life for 90 days
● Spirit found evidence that Mars was once much wetter than it is today and helped scientists better understand the Martian wind
● In May 2009 Spirit got stuck in some soft soil. Despite engineers efforts to free the rover, the mission was ended in May 2011
OPPORTUNITY● Opportunity was also launched in 2003, sent to search
the Red Planet for signs of past life● Opportunity found evidence that long ago at least one
area of Mars stayed wet for a long time, and that conditions could have sustained life
● The Opportunity rover stopped communicating with Earth when a huge Mars-wide dust storm blanketed its location in June 2018
CURIOSITY
● Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars. It launched November 26, 2011 and landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012
● Curiosity set out to answer the question: Did Mars ever have the right environmental conditions to support small life forms called microbes?
● See Curiosity’s discoveries on Mars here● Participate in an interactive experience to learn about
Curiosity here● Send a postcard to the Opportunity rover here
Rover activities on MarsHow to make your own cardboard roverhere
Drive a rover on Mars: click here
How to find a landing site on Marshere
Search for water on Mars here
How do we know that the rover Curiosity has landed on Mars?click here
After the Show Q&AWhat did you learn?
What information did you find surprising?
What do you want to know more about?
What questions do you have?
What was your favorite part?
How do you feel about rovers on Mars?
What do you think about astronauts being sent to Mars in the future?
Thank you for experiencing a live performance with us at the Butler Arts Center! We want to make sure your visit is educational, engaging, and entertaining for you and your students.
For additional information about this matinee performance and upcoming events at the Butler Arts Center,
visit www.butlerartscenter.orgButler Arts Center
Education Department4602 Sunset Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46208
