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Is There Water on Mars ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page 1 National Aeronautics and Educational Product Space Administration Educators Grades 9–12 EG-2000-03-121-HQ large syringe 2-hole stopper Push In shelled, hard boiledard boiled egg egg burning paperaper ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page 2 Is There Water on Mars?—An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science is available in electronic format through NASA Spacelink—one of the Agency’s electronic resources specifically developed for use by the educational community. This guide and other NASA educational products may be accessed at the following address: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/products ITWOM-JV 04/05/2000 11:45 AM Page i Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science NASA Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Human Resources and Education Education Washington, DC Prepared by TERC, Inc. 2067 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140 This publication is in the Public Domain and is not protected by copyright. Permission is not required for duplication. EG-2000-03-121-HQ ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page ii Acknowledgments Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science Mars Exploration Education and Public Outreach Program These modules were prepared by the TERC Center for Earth and Space Science Education with assistance from person- nel of NASA’s Mars Exploration Education and Public Outreach Program. This Program is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology. These materials were developed for JPL’s Mars Exploration Education and Public Outreach Program, which is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. The work is funded by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which has overall responsibility for the Mars Exploration Program. The curriculum materials were developed through a subcontract to the Center for Earth and Space Science Education (CESSE) at TERC, Inc., a nonprofit educational research and development company. The materials have been reviewed by NASA scientists and field-tested by scores of teachers. Government Sponsorship is acknowledged under contract NASA7-1260. Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor are trademarks of the California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ii EG-2000-03-121-HQ ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page iii Welcome Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science Welcome to the Mars Education Program Between 1997 and 2007, NASA plans to send • Address student misconceptions 10 spacecraft to investigate Mars. To take advantage of • Prepare students for using live data and images from this historic set of explorations, NASA’s Mars Mars Exploration Program has created a series of curriculum modules to connect students to the excitement and The module series was developed and field tested by a learning potential of these missions. The Mars team of educators and scientists to make sure that it is Exploration Program will help you: both scientifically accurate and educationally powerful. Each module contains a set of activities that relate to an • Engage your students in hands-on, inquiry-based over-arching theme. The activities are sequenced so stu- learning dents can progress from introductory experiences to • Involve students in questions central to current Mars more advanced investigations and deeper understand- exploration ings. The educator handbook and correlated student • Teach engineering concepts and physical, life, and materials enable you and your students to do the activi- Earth and space science in a relevant way ties regardless of your previous knowledge about Mars • Provide a context for learning about both Mars and and planetary exploration. Earth EG-2000-03-121-HQ iii ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page iv Modules Modules Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science Modules Available in the Mars Exploration Series Getting Started in Mars Educational Product The Great Martian Floods Educational Product National Aeronautics and Teachers Grades 5-12 National Aeronautics and Teachers Grades 5-12 Space Administration Space Administration Exploration and Pathfinder Landing Site MARS EXPLORATION MARS EXPLORATION Getting Started in Mars Exploration The Great Martian Floods A Teacher’s Guide with Activities for Space Science Grades 4–10, 2 Weeks and Pathfinder Landing Site Grades 6–12, 3 Weeks A Teacher’s Guide with Activities for Space Science How can students study Mars and Is the landing site in a floodplain, Mars exploration in the classroom? and why would that be good news? This comprehensive introduction to Students learn how sediment, land- studying Mars in the classroom forms, and drainage patterns develops students’ understanding of provide clues about a planet’s geo- Mars, the solar system, and planetary exploration. The logic history. They use evidence from their work and module introduces many of the intriguing riddles posed by data and images from NASA’s missions to Mars to Mars and provides teachers a variety of ways to integrate the understand the advantages of landing at the end of a study of Mars into their classrooms. flood channel. National Aeronautics and Educational Product Space Administration Is There Water on Mars? An Overview of What the Educators Grades 9–12 EG-2000-03-121-HQ Grades 9–12, 3 Weeks Modules Provide Can water exist on Mars today? • Hands-on, inquiry-based activities written by educa- large syringe 2-hole stopper Push In tors, reviewed by NASA scientists, and field-tested by By experimenting with water as it students shelled, hard boiledard boiled egg egg burning paperaper changes state and investigating some • Engaging physical and Earth science activities that use effects of air pressure, students not experiments, models, analogs, and image and data only learn core ideas in physical interpretation to investigate questions central to Mars science but can deduce the water sit- research uation on Mars by applying those concepts. They use • Practical applications of the National Science evidence from their work as well as data and images from Standards NASA’s missions to Mars to take a position on whether • Educator’s guides with background information, pro- there was ever water on Mars. cedures, teaching strategies, student sheets, assess- ment recommendations, and a resource list Educational Product National Aeronautics and Teachers Grades 5-12 Space Administration The Grand Canyon of Mars MARS EXPLORATION and How It Formed The Grand Canyon of Mars and How it Formed A Teacher’s Guide with Activities for Space Science Grades 6–12, 3 Weeks What can a colossal fracture tell us about Mars? Students investigate the formation of Mars’ 3,000-mile-long rift valley. After investigating how a planet’s surface can be altered and analyzing data and images from NASA’s missions to Mars, students develop hypotheses to explain the rift valley’s formation and amass evidence to support their ideas. iv EG-2000-03-121-HQ ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page v Table of Contents Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science Module Overview . .vi An Overview of the Pedagogical Approach Used in the Module . .viii How Do I Get Started? . .ix How Is This Module Organized? . .x Which Science Standards Are Supported in This Module? . .xii Activity 1: How Hot Can You Make Water? . .1 Activity 2: How Fast Does Water Warm as Ice Melts? . .7 Activity 3: How Can We Increase the Height of the Plateau? . .13 Activity 4: Do Fish Believe in Water? Do Students Believe in Air? . .21 Activity 5: Testing Your Hypothesis by Boiling Water Below Its Boiling Temperature . .35 Activity 6: Is There Water on Mars? . .43 Activity 7: Where Would You Search for Water on Mars? . .49 Appendices A. Why Is Water a Priority for Mars Exploration? . .57 B. What Is So Special About Water? . .59 C. What Is Distinctive About the Module Series? . .61 D. The Scientific Research Techniques Used in the Modules . .63 E. Glossary . .65 F. Resources for Educators Interested in Mars . .67 G. Background Information on the Images in the Image Set . .69 H. Image Set A: 15 High-Contrast Images . .75 I. Image Set B: The Same 15 Images Processed So That, on a Photocopier, They Reproduce Better Than the High-Contrast Versions . .91 EG-2000-03-121-HQ v ITWOM-JV 04/04/2000 11:31 AM Page vi Module Overview Is There Water on Mars? An Educator’s Guide With Activities for Physical and Earth and Space Science Module Overview Is there liquid water on Mars? By experimenting with water as it changes state and investigating some effects of air pres- sure, students not only learn core ideas in physical science but can deduce the water situation on Mars by applying those concepts. In Activities 1 and 2, students discover the existence of two temperature Fig 1.2 plateaus as water changes state. Students have to make sense of these plateaus and come to grips with what changes of state mean at the molecular level. Once 80 cal/gm 100 cal/gm 540 cal/gm students understand the process of boiling and melting, they are ready to exam- 100 C) o ine another factor that significantly impacts the existence of liquid water and atmospheric pressure. Temperature ( Temperature 0 Key Concepts in Activities 1 and 2 Calories added to 1 gram of water Calories added to 1 gram of water • Water can only be heated to its boiling temperature. • The temperature of ice water can rise only after all the ice has melted.
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