Name: Mini Missions: Mission to Mars
Brand: Estes Education
Availability: InStock

Overview

"Mini Missions: Mission to Mars" is a hands-on exploration of the physics of space travel, guiding students to discover the critical difference between mass and weight. After investigating NASA’s goals for Mars, students participate in a challenge where they experience how the same mass (a 1 kg object) can feel lighter or heavier depending on whether they are on the Earth, Moon, or Mars.

The lesson culminates in the building and launching of Mars Leaper rockets, where students use real flight data to calculate how their own rockets would perform in lower-gravity environments. By bridging hands-on learning with mathematical analysis, students gain a deep understanding of gravity, thrust, and the engineering careers that will make interplanetary travel possible.

Materials

Activity 1: Why Mars?

Mini Missions: Mission to Mars Slide Presentation (included)

Activity 2: Comparing Earth’s Gravity to Mars and the Moon

Mini Missions: Mission to Mars Slide Presentation (included)
Gallon jugs or gallon zip top bags
Scales (ones that measure in grams will be easier for the students to measure)
A filler (water, sand, or gravel)

Extension Activity (optional):

Tape measures (1 per group)
Calculators
Pencils
Jumping Station Data Collection sheet for each student (included)

Activity 3: Building, Launching and Comparing Data of Mars Leaper

Destination Mars Leaper Rockets (1 per group)
Estes Porta-Pad II Launch Pad and Electron Beam Launch Controller
Estes A10-0T Engines
Starters and Plugs (included with engines)
Recovery wadding
Four 1.5V high quality "AA" alkaline batteries (For Launch Controller)
AltiTrak
Calculators
Mission to Mars Data Collection sheet for each student or group (included)

For This Mission

Standards

3-PS2-1

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

5-PS2-1

Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

MS-PS2-2

Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

MS-PS2-4

Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.

MS-ESS1-3

Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

HS-PS2-1

Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Common Core Speaking & Listening Standards

Grades 3–5

SL.3.1 / SL.4.1 / SL.5.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.3.3 / SL.4.4 / SL.5.2

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Grades 6–8

SL.6.1 / SL.7.1 / SL.8.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Grade 9

SL.9.1

Common Core Mathematics Standards

Grades 3–5: Measurement & Data

3.MD.A.2

Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l). Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem.

4.MD.A.1

Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.

5.MD.A.1

Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

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