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Journey to Mars

META
Science›Space Exploration|Ages 13—14|ID: mt_EIbltgXRWR

Evaluate the engineering and human challenges of long-duration spaceflight to Mars — radiation exposure, muscle and bone loss, psychological isolation, communication delays — and assess the current state of the SETI programme: what methods are used, what has been detected so far, and what the Fermi Paradox is

Mastery Evidence

  • Identifies and explains at least three major challenges of a Mars mission: radiation (no magnetosphere), bone/muscle loss from low gravity, psychological isolation, and delayed communications
  • Describes how SETI searches for intelligent life (radio signals, laser pulses, technosignatures) and explains why the lack of detection so far is not proof of absence
  • States the Fermi Paradox ('Where is everybody?') and discusses two contrasting proposed resolutions

Assessment Prompt

“If [child] was asked whether they'd volunteer for a 3-year mission to Mars, could they describe at least three serious scientific or engineering challenges that would need to be solved first — and explain why the 20-minute communication delay alone changes almost everything about how the mission would operate?”

Prerequisites2

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  • Space Exploration Milestones hard

    Evaluating Mars mission challenges depends on knowing key milestones in human space exploration

    • Space Robots & Rovers soft

      Knowledge of Mars rovers contextualises current exploration programmes

      • What Astronauts Do hard

        Must know about space exploration and astronauts before learning about robotic exploration

        • Our Solar System soft

          Knowing about space and planets provides context for understanding astronauts

          • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

            Must know the Sun and stars before learning about planets and the solar system

            • Why seasons change soft

              Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

              • Naming the Planets soft

                Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

              • Seasonal changes soft

                Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

      • Planet Features soft

        Knowing Mars features provides context for understanding what rovers are exploring

        • The Eight Planets hard

          Must know the planet names before learning features of each

          • The Sun is a star hard

            Must know the Sun is the centre before naming planets in order from it

            • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

              Must know the Sun is a sky object before learning it is a star

              • Why seasons change soft

                Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

                • Naming the Planets soft

                  Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

                • Seasonal changes soft

                  Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

            • Our Solar System hard

              Must know about the solar system before learning the Sun is at its centre

              • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

                Must know the Sun and stars before learning about planets and the solar system

                • Why seasons change soft

                  Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

                  • Naming the Planets soft

                    Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

                  • Seasonal changes soft

                    Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

          • Our Solar System hard

            Must know planets exist before listing them in order

            • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

              Must know the Sun and stars before learning about planets and the solar system

              • Why seasons change soft

                Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

                • Naming the Planets soft

                  Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

                • Seasonal changes soft

                  Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

    • What Astronauts Do hard

      Must know about astronauts and Moon landings before learning detailed space exploration history

      • Our Solar System soft

        Knowing about space and planets provides context for understanding astronauts

        • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

          Must know the Sun and stars before learning about planets and the solar system

          • Why seasons change soft

            Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

            • Naming the Planets soft

              Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

            • Seasonal changes soft

              Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

  • Galaxies and the universe soft

    Mars/SETI/Fermi paradox analysis depends on understanding the scale of the universe

    • Earth & Space Vocabulary soft

      Describing the scale of the universe using light years and galaxies draws on this vocabulary

    • Universal Gravitation soft

      Gravity as a universal force provides context for why galaxies hold together and for the orbital dynamics at galactic scale

      • The solar system (age 11+) hard

        Explaining orbital motion as gravity-driven centripetal force requires knowing what is in orbit (planets, moons) from the solar system topic

        • The solar system hard

          Detailed solar system structure (moons, asteroids, comets, orbital periods) extends KS2 overview of planets orbiting the Sun

          • Naming the Planets hard

            Describing sun, Earth, and moon as spherical bodies and planets orbiting the sun requires solar system vocabulary

          • Sun, Moon, and stars hard

            Must observe sun/moon patterns before learning about the solar system model

            • Naming the Planets hard

              Describing predictable patterns of sun, moon, and stars requires planet, star, moon, orbit vocabulary

            • Why seasons change hard

              Must observe sun/moon/star patterns before relating daylight to time of year

              • Naming the Planets soft

                Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

              • Seasonal changes soft

                Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

        • Naming the Planets hard

          Describing the detailed solar system structure including moons, asteroids, and comets requires all this vocabulary

      • Mass vs Weight hard

        Universal gravity and orbital mechanics build directly on mass vs weight and the concept that gravitational field strength varies between planets

        • Gravity & Falling Objects hard

          KS3 weight = mass × g extends KS2 introduction to gravity as the force pulling objects toward Earth

          • Balanced & Unbalanced Forces soft

            Balanced/unbalanced forces supports understanding gravity as an unbalanced force on unsupported objects

            • Pushes & Pulls hard

              Must understand pushes/pulls before investigating balanced vs unbalanced forces

              • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

                Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

            • Drawing Force Diagrams hard

              Investigating balanced and unbalanced forces requires drawing force diagrams to record and analyse experimental findings

            • Friction & Surfaces hard

              Must understand friction affects motion before investigating balanced/unbalanced forces

              • Pushes & Pulls hard

                Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces

                • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

                  Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

              • Forces Vocabulary hard

                Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

          • Forces Vocabulary hard

            Explaining gravity requires the force vocabulary: gravity, weight, non-contact force

          • Drawing Force Diagrams hard

            Explaining gravity as a downward force requires representing it as a downward arrow in a force diagram

          • Contact & Non-Contact Forces hard

            Must know about non-contact forces before learning gravity as a non-contact force

            • Forces Vocabulary hard

              Distinguishing contact from non-contact forces requires these exact terms

            • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

              Distinguishing contact and non-contact forces is clarified by drawing force diagrams showing where arrows originate

            • Friction & Surfaces hard

              Must experience contact forces like friction before distinguishing contact vs non-contact forces

              • Pushes & Pulls hard

                Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces

                • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

                  Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

              • Forces Vocabulary hard

                Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

    • Star Brightness & Distance hard

      Understanding the wider universe (galaxies, light years) extends the KS2 concept that the Sun is a nearby star and brightness varies with distance

      • The solar system hard

        Must know the sun is a star and planets orbit it before arguing about star brightness and distance

        • Naming the Planets hard

          Describing sun, Earth, and moon as spherical bodies and planets orbiting the sun requires solar system vocabulary

        • Sun, Moon, and stars hard

          Must observe sun/moon patterns before learning about the solar system model

          • Naming the Planets hard

            Describing predictable patterns of sun, moon, and stars requires planet, star, moon, orbit vocabulary

          • Why seasons change hard

            Must observe sun/moon/star patterns before relating daylight to time of year

            • Naming the Planets soft

              Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

            • Seasonal changes soft

              Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

      • Why the Sun Looks Brightest soft

        Enrichment knowledge of star brightness vs distance supports formal argument about apparent brightness

        • The Sun is a star hard

          Must know the Sun is a star before understanding why it appears brighter than other stars

          • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

            Must know the Sun is a sky object before learning it is a star

            • Why seasons change soft

              Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

              • Naming the Planets soft

                Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

              • Seasonal changes soft

                Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

          • Our Solar System hard

            Must know about the solar system before learning the Sun is at its centre

            • Sun, Moon & Stars hard

              Must know the Sun and stars before learning about planets and the solar system

              • Why seasons change soft

                Curriculum daylight/seasons observation supports exploratory Sun/Moon/stars identification

                • Naming the Planets soft

                  Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

                • Seasonal changes soft

                  Seasonal changes observation supports daylight pattern recognition

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