This activity is about the discovery of water ice on Mars. Learners will record and graph temperature data and use a model of an ice-rich and ice-free surface on Mars to examine how ice content in the martian soil would impact the temperature of a... (View More) Mars microbe after impact. A student information sheet introducing the subject of ice and the search for water on Mars is provided. The activity requires access to a freezer the night before the activity. Note: Find the latest information and updates on Mars missions at the NASA Mars Exploration website (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right). (View Less)

This is a lesson about the search for life on Mars. Learners will participate in three activities. In the first activity (Imaginary Martians) learners will compare a fictional organism with what they know about life on Mars today. In the second... (View More) activity (Looking for Life), learners will define important features of a living organism and use them to analyze three different soil samples. In the third activity (Mars Critters), learners will design a plant or animal life form that might survive on Mars. This is lesson 6 of 24 in a collection, titled Mars Activities. Note: Find the latest information and updates on Mars missions at the NASA Mars Exploration website (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right). (View Less)

Learners will build a biosphere that is a balanced, self-enclosed living system able to run efficiently over a long period of time. This activity is in Unit 3 of the Exploring the Moon teachers guide, which is designed for use especially, but not... (View More) exclusively, with the Lunar Sample Disk program. (View Less)