Sept. 13-19, 2012 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
After “flawlessly” completing a series of instrument tests this week, Curiosity, NASA’s newest Mars rover, was scheduled to resume its journey across the surface of the red planet to investigate whether Mars is, or ever has been, capable of supporting microbial life.
Objective:
The largest and most advanced robotic laboratory ever sent to another planet, Curiosity was designed to study the Martian surface for evidence of microbial life. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles will explain how scientists are hoping to get answers using this rover.
Words to Know:
- crater
- geology
- Mars
- Mars rovers
- microbial
- NASA
- planet
- robotic
- solar system
- spectrometer
Discussion Topics:
1. Curiosity is designed to answer one of the most important questions in planetary science–whether Mars is, or ever has been, capable of supporting microbial life. Ask your students to write out their theories on this question, citing specific evidence for their position. Encourage them to continue following Curiosity’s journey to find out if their theories end up being right.
2. The rover’s next target is Glenelg, a rocky spot in Gale Crater. The rover will study the area with a high-resolution camera and a spectrometer, which determines the level of chemical elements in rock and soil. Other types of “meters” are used to take measurements. How many can your students name? (They may say thermometer, barometer, hydrometer, bolometer, hygrometer, electric meter, water meter, light meter, or gas meter.) Do they know the difference between the ones they named?
3. The rover’s prime target is Mount Sharp (also known as Aeolis Mons), a mysterious 3-mile- (5-kilometer-) high mountain in Gale Crater. Mount Sharp consists of layers of rock that may have been laid down over billions of years. Although the mountain looks similar to layered mountains on Earth, scientists do not know exactly how it formed because, unlike Earth, Mars has not been shaped by plate tectonics. Ask your students to explain how plate tectonics has shaped Earth’s surface, and theorize how Mars’s surface features may have formed without tectonic processes.