Solar System Exploration: Education: Fast Lesson Finder


	Change, Constancy, and Measurement - Planetary Surfaces and Processes Planets have all changed over time yet appear to us as constant. The ability to determine the similarities and differences between the planets can allow us to place Earth in its proper evolutionary path. The observation and measurement techniques of scientists are used in these activities. Math, Earth Science, geology and astronomy will find these activities informative and useful.

Activity Title:

Boiling Water Below Its Boiling Point

General Description:

Participants discuss the relationship between pressure and boiling point as they discover that water boils when its vapor pressure equals atmospheric pressure.

Content Standard:

Physical Science: Structures and properties of matter

General Topic:

Matter

Source:

Mars Exploration Program

Body:

Mars

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Background:

Missions to Mars

Activity Title:

Cake Batter Lava (Viscosity)

General Description:

Participants use cake batter to simulate surface lava flows with channels, levees, and ridges.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Understand the Origin and Evolution of the Earth System

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Exploring Planets in the Classroom

Body:

Earth

Grade Level:

5-8

Background:

Solar System Exploration Missions

Activity Title:

Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?

General Description:

Participants learn the basic principle of photosynthesis and explore the intensity of sunlight on Saturn and its affect on photosynthesis.

Content Standard:

Life Science: The Cell

General Topic:

Light/Energy

Source:

Cassini-Huygens

Body:

Saturn

Grade Level:

K-4

Mission:

Cassini

Background:

Missions to Saturn

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Gelatin Volcanoes

General Description:

Participants develop an awareness of how magma moves inside volcanoes, what dikes look like underground, and why Hawaiian volcanoes have rift zones by watching as red food coloring is injected into gelatin.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Understand Geochemical Cycles

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Exploring Planets in the Classroom

Body:

Solar System

Grade Level:

5-8

Activity Title:

Geologic Landforms of Mars

General Description:

Participants use aerial photos of the Martian surface to study landforms of Mars and interpret the geologic processes which formed them.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of Earth System

General Topic:

Landforms

Source:

Planetary Geology (Exercise 11)

Body:

Mars

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Background:

Missions to Mars

Activity Title:

Geologic Landforms of Venus

General Description:

Participants are introduced to the remote sensing technique of radar imaging using aerial photos to study the geologic features of Venus.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of Earth System

General Topic:

Landforms

Source:

Planetary Geology (Exercise 12)

Body:

Venus

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

MESSENGER

Background:

Missions to Mercury

Activity Title:

Geologic Landforms Seen on Aerial Photos

General Description:

Participants examine how landforms are produced by the four major geologic processes through the photographs from above.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of Earth System

General Topic:

Landforms

Source:

Planetary Geology (Exercise 2)

Body:

Sun

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

Dawn

Background:

Solar System Exploration Missions

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Impact Cratering

General Description:

Model and examine the impact cratering process.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of the Earth System

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Exploring the Moon (Unit 2, Activity 6)

Body:

Neptune

Grade Level:

K-4

Mission:

Mars Express

Background:

Missions to the Moon

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground

General Description:

Participants model and examine the impact cratering process.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Origin and Evolution of the Earth System

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Exploring Meteorite Mysteries

Body:

Neptune

Grade Level:

5-8, 9-12

Mission:

Dawn

Background:

Missions to Asteroids

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Introduction to Photogeologic Mapping

General Description:

Participants observe how a planet can be used to produce geologic maps while identifying rock units and placement of units in a time sequence.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: The Origin and Evolution of the Earth System

General Topic:

Landforms

Source:

NASA Spacelink

Body:

Moon

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

LUNAR-A

Background:

Missions to the Moon

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Is There Liquid Water on Mars?

General Description:

Participants consider the likelihood of liquid water on Mars while analyzing actual data and images of the Martian surface.

Content Standard:

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Understand Natural Resources

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Mars Exploration Program

Body:

Mars

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Background:

Missions to Mars

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Looking Inside Planets (Modeling Planet Interiors)

General Description:

Participants model the interior structures of the planets using a data sheet as a resource.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Understand the Origin and Evolution of the Earth System

General Topic:

Modeling

Source:

Modeling the Solar System

Body:

Solar System

Grade Level:

5-8

Activity Title:

Lunar Surface

General Description:

Participants study moon surface features as they make a model in play dough, clay or plaster of Paris using maps and images of the moon's surface.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Objects in the Sky

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Exploring the Moon

Body:

Moon

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

LUNAR-A

Background:

Missions to the Moon

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Photogeologic Mapping of the Moon

General Description:

Participants use photo geologic mapping to analyze images of the moon and understand the concept of superposition.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Origin and Evolution of the Earth System

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

NASA Education

Body:

Moon

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

LUNAR-A

Background:

Missions to the Moon

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Planetary Magnetics

General Description:

Participants demonstrate magnetism and its measurements and then apply these concepts to understanding the structure of surrogate planets.

Content Standard:

Physical Science: Interactions of Energy and Matter

General Topic:

Electro-magnetism

Source:

Cassini-Huygens

Body:

Asteroids

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

Cassini

Background:

Solar System Exploration Missions

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Probing Below the Surface of Mars

General Description:

Participants model the process used to test for water ice on Mars and examine how the ice content of the Martian soil will affect the rate at which a warm probe will cool.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of the Earth System

General Topic:

Rocks & Minerals/
Water Cycle

Source:

Mars Activities (Activity 15)

Body:

Mars

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

Mars Global Surveyor

Background:

Missions to Mars

Activity Title:

Regolith Formation

General Description:

Participants model and observe the formation of regolith on the lunar surface.

General Topic:

Earth and Space Science

Source:

NASA JSC ARES

Body:

Moon

Grade Level:

5-8, 9-12

Activity Title:

Sand or Rock

General Description:

Participants understand how scientists remotely determine the composition of an object in outer space and observe the differences in thermal behavior making a series of temperature measurements and plotting the results.

Content Standard:

Science and Technology: Understanding About Science and Technology

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Cassini-Huygens

Body:

Saturn

Grade Level:

9-12

Mission:

Cassini

Background:

Missions to Saturn

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Tricky Terrain

General Description:

Participants analyze unknown soil samples as clues to identify the planets through given descriptions.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of the Earth System

General Topic:

Sample Collection & Examination

Source:

Destination: Mars (Lesson 2)

Body:

Mars

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Background:

Missions to Mars

View Teacher's Notes

Activity Title:

Unveiling Titan's Surface

General Description:

Participants learn how Cassini is viewing Titan's surface and draw maps based on the data.

Content Standard:

Earth and Space Science: Structure of the Earth System

General Topic:

Planetary Surfaces

Source:

Cassini-Huygens

Body:

Saturn

Grade Level:

5-8

Mission:

Cassini

Background:

Missions to Saturn

Activity Title:

Venus: Global Greenhouse

General Description:

Participants model the greenhouse effect on Venus by taking temperature measurements in closed systems overtime to demonstrate greenhouse warming observed in planetary atmospheres.

Content Standard:

Physical Science: Conservation of Energy and the Increase of Disorder

General Topic:

Light/Energy

Source:

Cassini-Huygens

Body:

Venus

Grade Level:

5-8, 9-12

Mission:

Venus Express

Background:

Missions to Venus
Missions to Saturn