This quick activity will get you brainstorming about life on Mars and what you would need to survive there.

Have you ever thought about space travel? Would you want to do it? Why or why not? Would you ever want to leave Earth forever to live on another planet like Mars?

Now imagine that you have been selected to join a mission to Mars. It will take a year to travel there and you will live there for four years. What do you need to bring with you to the red planet? Write your ideas down on the Surviving on Mars (Part 1) Worksheet and be prepared to share them with the class.

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Both the US and the Soviet Union used the German technology behind the V-2, which was the first object launched into space and used by Germany to attack Allied cities at the end of WWII, to build their own space programs. The USSR led the space race initially, putting Sputnik into space in 1957 and Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961. President Kennedy had a vision for the US to put a human on the Moon, and that momentous goal was achieved in 1969. Six years later, the space race ended with astronauts from the United States and the Soviet Union docking and shaking hands in space. The space race advanced our technologies and systems that we depend on in our modern life. It also prompted scientists and civilians to think bigger and aim higher.

This video will give you an overview of the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States. You will also learn about how competition may have served to speed the pace of impressive development and advancements, but in the end, science was best served by international cooperation.

Preview

In this TED-Ed video, you will learn how the space race started with the launch of a Soviet satellite named Sputnik, and ended 18 years later with an astronaut party in space.

Key Ideas—Factual

Think about the following questions as you watch the video:

1. What was Sputnik?
2. What was the first thing launched by humans into space?
3. Why were people afraid instead of excited when they saw the launch of Sputnik?
4. Why was the US mocked for the Vanguard TV3?
5. What significant milestone in the space race occurred in April of 1961?
6. Who was John Glenn?
7. Why did President Kennedy make putting a man on the Moon a goal?
8. What year did the first person walk on the Moon?
9. How did the space race end?
10. How did the space race lead to advancements in society here on Earth?

Thinking Conceptually

The space race began with nations competing with each other in fear that one might become more powerful than the other, and ended in cooperation and collaboration. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the decision by the US and USSR to collaborate rather than compete?

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The childhood dreams of present-day millionaires are fueling New Space companies to aim for space. While many people have always wanted to fly to the Moon, it takes more than money to get there. The expertise of Old Space organizations combined with the innovation from New Space leadership just might be the collaboration needed to create a market for Moonwalking.

This Washington Post article will introduce you to some of the very real risks and exciting rewards of commercializing space travel.

Skimming for Gist

A handful of small, private companies want to sell you a ticket into space, but actually getting you there is no small feat. Besides building a spacecraft, configuring the technology to run it, and paying for the tons of fuel it would take to just get the thing off of the ground, commercial companies need something else before you’ll buy a round trip ticket out of orbit: a track record of safety and experience. That’s one of the reasons small companies with outer space-sized imaginations want to work with NASA and other Old Space veterans, so that they can practice with the experts how to safely and reliably put people into space, and get them home again.

Understanding Content

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. The article draws many comparisons between Old Space and New Space. What are some differences between the two types of organizations?
2. New Space claims that space tourism is right around the corner. What are some reasons that space travel is so expensive?
3. If New Space is so full of outrageous and risky ideas, why is NASA even considering working with some of these private companies?
4. What are some arguments for sticking with Old Space organizations?
5. How is Robert Bigelow, the hotel billionaire, using Cold War era scare tactics to try to acquire partial ownership of the Moon?
6. What is ironic about the Rotary Rocket Roton?

Thinking Conceptually

Mars One is looking for two volunteers to do a 501-day fly-by mission of Mars. Do you think they will launch the mission by 2018? Would you consider volunteering for a mission like this? Be prepared to share and explain your answers.

This activity will help you think more deeply about the information in the article and the video you just studied in this lesson. You will consider two opposing sides of a proposition regarding the future of space travel, and present your arguments to the class. 

This activity will give you a chance to think about the history of our space program and how different organizations today are entering the market of space travel.

We are entering an era of market competition for space travel. Do you think this a positive move away from over 40 years of international government collaboration? Don’t answer just yet because first your group is going to consider both sides of the question in this activity.

At this point in the course, you should be familiar with the debate process and the Debate Preparation Worksheet. Your teacher may choose to allow you to complete a fully structured debate with rebuttals and opening and closing statements, or you could participate in the research phase of the debate.

Since a real debate team needs to be prepared to argue either for or against any proposition, your group is going to research both sides of the proposition. The proposition is, “Private companies should be allowed to enter the market of space travel, letting competition drive the market, and thereby moving away from a government-controlled space program.” The debate proposition statement is also at the top of your Debate Preparation Worksheet.

Work with your group to come up with two arguments for each side of the proposition. Good research teams always know the source of their information, so make note of sources. You can revisit the previous video and article from this lesson to find evidence, and if there is time, you can also do some quick Internet research.

Be ready to share your team’s arguments, evidence, and sources with the class when you are done.

Mars and Earth have some important characteristics in common that would make life possible for humans on Mars. But the unbreathable atmosphere, cold temperatures, and high radiation levels are big barriers to living on the surface. Introducing chemicals and organisms to Mars could help raise the temperature and create the life-sustaining atmosphere needed to breathe easier on the red planet.

This article will give you more information about why Mars is considered a viable target for human colonization.

Skimming for Gist

Both science and the private sector are motivated to travel to Mars. It may not have an atmosphere yet, but scientists have ideas about how, over time, we could grow one that could support human life. Despite all of the challenges and unanswered questions, people all over the world are working right now on how to make life on Mars a possibility.

Understanding Content

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What are some similarities between Earth and Mars that make Mars a candidate for human colonization?
2. What are some things about Mars that make colonizing it a challenge?
3. What is terraforming and how would it work on Mars?
4. How many manned missions to Mars are currently planned?
5. Why are entrepreneurs and business people interested in Mars?

Thinking Conceptually

What do you think of the idea of purposefully changing the atmosphere of another planet to support human life?

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Humans could be headed to Mars sooner than we once thought. Until we get there, we have more questions than answers about what life could be like on the red planet.

In this video, you will learn about some of the environmental challenges to living on Mars. 

Preview

Imagine living under red skies by day, and through months of sandstorms and freezing cold temperatures; life on Mars would certainly be a challenge! If you were advertising life on Mars, this video could be one of your commercials. 

Key Ideas—Factual

Think about the following questions as you watch the video:

1. What are some items humans would need to bring with them in order to live on Mars?
2. What happened to the water supply on Mars?
3. What are some differences between Mars’ northern and southern hemispheres?
4. What is gravity on Mars like compared to Earth?
5. Why does Mars look red?
6. What does the Martian sky look like?

Thinking Conceptually

Besides the obvious environmental challenges, what do you think would be some other challenges to living on Mars?

Have your completed Surviving on Mars (Part 1) Worksheet handy for reference.

This activity will give you an opportunity to review what you have learned about space travel and what we know about life on Mars. 

Get into small groups and review the list you made in the opening activity for what you would need for a four-year stay on Mars. Based on what you learned in this lesson, work together with your group to come up with one list for the group. This time, you need to determine with your group the three most important things on your list. Be prepared to share out your group’s three top priorities with the class.