Operating a vehicle remotely can be difficult, especially when the vehicle is on another planet. Young engineers get a feel for some of the real-world challenges as they work to program their rovers (blindfolded group members)...

In this Mars Rover Landing worksheet, students are given an image of Mars near the Bonneville Crater. Students determine the image scale in the diagram and use it to find the diameter of the Bonneville Crater, the width of the Rover's...

Help your class understand the importance of exploration using robots. with a resource that provides a short history of robotics as a lead into looking at Martian robotic exploration missions. The activity specifically looks at the...

Students investigate the equipment of Planetary Land Rovers. They construct one using various food products for construction materials. The lesson includes historical background for the teacher to introduce the information. The grading...

Learners decide whether or not there is or has even been water on Mars. They analyze temperature and pressure data from the Pathfinder mission to Mars, and then they analyze images of Mars, interpreting the landforms they see and...

Students examine core samples from Mars and discover what they can use it to tell the history of Mars.  In this core sample activity students create and analyze their own core samples then eat them at the end.

Students identify the challenges encountered by astronauts in operating a planetary rover. For this space science lesson, students create a rover using their team members. They follow a command sequence from the driver and navigate...

Middle schoolers examine the properties of metal that can be used on the surface of Mars. They research the Internet to determine the properties of Mars and determine which metals are compatible. They create a slide show presentation of...

Construct a maze in your classroom and have a blindfolded scientist act as a space rover, maneuvering unfamiliar terrain while another scientist plays commander. Classmates record the number of occurrences of the commander having to...

The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...

Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...

Students investigate various aspects of the planet Mars. They examine a core sample that is simulated to make observations. Then compare the known sample with one that is unknown and differentiate between the two. Students hypothesize...

Students create balloon and rubber band models of robotic rovers to investigate the concepts of mass, torque, and friction. Through research and planning, students construct a rover test-bed that simulates the Martian environment.

Groups sort through NASA data provided in a graphic to create a graph using uniform units and intervals. Individuals then make connections to the increasing, decreasing, and constant intervals of the graph and relate these...

Learners simulate different spacecraft missions using materials provided. In this space science lesson, students observe and record a planetary model's features from a distance. They relate this activity to scientists' space exploration...

Article describes how the Curiosity rover on Mars will soon attempt to drive over a sand dune, which may be risky for the vehicle.

This WebQuest lets you explore Mars through the missions sent there over the years. You can evaluate what you think about the benefits of space exploration.

Design and test your own all-terrain space rover with this app.