club leader notes
Foreword
Among science’s intriguing unanswered questions, one stands out: is Earth the
only place where life exists? And if there is alien life out there, where exactly
should we search for it? Mars is often thought of as the best place in our own
Solar System to look; its surface is cold, dry and inhospitable today, although
evidence from previous space missions shows that it hasn’t always been like
this. But is the search for life on other planets really worth the amount of
money that we’ve already spent, and will probably still spend in the future?
Chris Lee from SciSys, a company developing the software for space missions,
says we’re going to Mars not just for the science and exploration of the Red
Planet itself, but also for the inspiration and new ideas that companies get
from overcoming the challenges of such projects. In the past, space scientists
have developed many things for space missions that are now used on Earth.
For instance, features of software developed for use in space cameras can
now find their way into software systems for security webcams (such as
facial recognition). Talking about SciSys’s involvement in the European Space
Agency’s ExoMars project, Chris considers the biggest challenge from a
software point of view is the development of reliable software for the rover that
can be squeezed into very small and light computers.
‘If we could shrink that sort of technology we can then find a way to
use that technology here on Earth again in different environments:
in medicine, or in transport, or in communications.’
Chris Lee, Sales and Marketing Manager, SciSys, 2009
We trust that this brief introduction has made you and your students hungry
to start your own mission to Mars, just like scientists involved in real space
projects. Hopefully, you will feel inspired and may even discover something that
you’ve never thought of before. Don’t forget, these activities and extension ideas
can be used to help your students gain a Bronze CREST award (for more details
go to sciencemuseum.org.uk/scienceboxes).
Have fun with the activities in this box and enjoy your mission!
Yours,
Science Museum, London
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Contents (click on the page number to go straight to that section)
Activities
Page
Activity 1: Mars rover
Aim of this activity
5
Materials 5
What to prepare before your club session 6
Health and safety information for your risk assessment 6
How to run the activity 7
Top tips 10
Ideas for discussion with students 11
The science behind the activity 12
Links to everyday life 14
Links to the Science Museum 18
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum 18
Extension ideas 21
Activity 2: UV detector
Aim of this activity 22
Materials 22
What to prepare before your club session 23
Health and safety information for your risk assessment 23
How to run the activity 24
Top tips 27
Ideas for discussion with students 27
The science behind the activity 29
Links to everyday life 30
Links to the Science Museum 33
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum 33
Extension ideas 35
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Activity 3: Bidome
Aim of this activity 36
Materials 36
What to prepare before your club session 37
Health and safety information for your risk assessment 40
How to run the activity 41
Top tips 44
Ideas for discussion with students 45
The science behind the activity 46
Links to everyday life 48
Links to the Science Museum 51
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum 51
Extension ideas 54
Competition score sheet 57
What’s on the website?
Posters 58
Film 58
PowerPoint presentations 58
Student logbook 59
Reorder sheet 60
Links to websites for further research 61
Thank you! 63
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Mars rover
Materials
In this activity students have to design
and build a vehicle that will travel across
a surface chosen by you in the fastest
time possible. It allows students to
discover that choosing particular wheels
and propellers has a direct effect on the
success of their vehicles as well as to
develop their teamwork and scientific
recording skills by designing the fastest
rover for a race.
This box provides enough materials for 5
groups, each consisting of 3–4 students.
Each group will have the following
materials:
A
1 x Corriflute 250 mm x 130 mm
B
3 x Corriflute 130 mm x 20 mm
C
2 x set of Corriflute joiners
D
1 x motor and battery box
E
1 x motor clip
F
2 x batteries
G
2 x foam stickers
H
4 x 75 mm wheels
I
8 x 39 mm wheels
J
4 x spiked tyres
K
2 x 190 mm axles
L
4 x axle spacers in a tube with cap
M
1 x three-blade propeller
N
1 x two-blade miniature propeller
I
D
J
A
G
E
C
H
B
F
M
N
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L
K
Activity 1:
Mars rover
Aim of this activity
What to prepare before your club session
Health and safety information for your risk assessment
From our extensive testing in clubs around the UK, we recommend the following
elements are considered in your risk assessment for this activity. However, you
know the needs of your group and the environment you are working in, so we would
strongly advise you to consider if any additional elements apply in your particular
circumstances, before you run this activity. If in doubt contact CLEAPSS
(cleapss.org.uk) for further information. All resources should only be used under
adult supervision.
Activity element
Information for your risk assessment
1. Propeller
The propellers can spin very fast, so eyes, fingers and other
body parts should be kept away while they are in motion
2. Battery pack
Batteries can cause a slight electric shock if handled
inappropriately, e.g. if touched against the tongue, and should
not be swallowed. Batteries are damaging to the environment,
so should be disposed of appropriately.
3. Wheels
Special care must be taken when pushing the wheels onto the
steel axles. Under no circumstances should a wheel be pushed
down onto an axle end with the palm of a hand.
4. Tyres
The tyres are made of rubber, which some people can be
allergic to. Before starting this activity find out if any of the
students have rubber or latex allergies. If so take appropriate
action to avoid contact with the tyres.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 1:
Mars rover
The Mars rover activity does not require any preparation apart from choosing the
surface on which the students will be racing their rovers. The race could take place
on the floor either inside or outside the school building. Alternatively you could
prepare a more challenging track by roughly laying down a red tablecloth and
sprinkling on some sand to better represent the surface of Mars.
How to run the activity
Instructions for the basic mechanism
1. Clip the motor into the motor clip and
stick the battery holder, including
the two batteries, to the top of the
Corriflute board. Stick the motor clip
directly onto the Corriflute board
or lift the motor up using the white
plastic joiners and additional pieces of
Corriflute.
int: If necessary, lift the motor
H
high enough up so that the propeller
doesn’t hit the base of the rover or
the ground.
2. Slide one axle through one of the
channels in the Corriflute board near
the front and slide in the other axle
somewhere near the back.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
This activity does not have a step-by-step instruction guide because the aim is
to provide your students with the opportunity to come up with their own ideas.
However, they need some instructions to make the basic mechanism before they
can investigate three criteria to find out what works best for their individual rovers.
(Look at the PowerPoint presentation that is specifically designed to introduce the
activity to your students.)
Options for students’ independent investigation
Students have the opportunity to choose
between:
a. Large or small wheels
b. Tyres or no tyres
c. Using either the same type of wheels
or a mix of different ones at the front
and the back of the rover
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
1. Wheels
2. Propellers
3. Design and decoration
If you have the time and resources
you can also provide your students
with the opportunity for further design
modification. It is up to you what
materials you choose and how much
time you want to give to your students for
this task. However, your students should
think carefully about whether adding
materials to their rover makes it better
or whether it has a negative impact on its
success. Nonetheless, giving the vehicles
an individual look provides an extra
dimension that further engages your
students in the process.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
Students can choose between two
propellers. Ask them to take into account
that the choice of wheels may have an
effect on the suitability of the propeller
for their rover. That’s why they should
test them all and decide what propeller
is the best for their individual rover. This
is a great way to remind your students
about fair testing processes.
Top tips
• Due to the lack of friction, using all four spiked tyres does not work (see
explanation on page 12); they need to be mixed with other wheels and tyres.
• Aluminium foil is a good material to provide for decorating the rovers. According
to students it makes the vehicles look more like ‘real’ Mars rovers.
• Try giving every student in each group a different task: one could be the wheel
specialist, one the propeller specialist, one the expert for the base of the motor,
one the coordinator of the team. If your school follows social and emotional
aspects of learning (SEAL), learning to learn (L2L) or a similar programme, this
aspect of the activity will support it.
• Depending on their choice of wheels and propeller your students may have to lift
the motor up high enough so that the propeller doesn’t hit the base of the rover
or the ground. This is why the strips of Corriflute and the white plastic joiners
have been provided.
• Make sure that your students give their rover a name, just like real scientists do
with their rovers (see web link on page 61), and that they attach a name badge to it.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
• Setting up a proper start and finish line makes it easier for students to observe
the rules of a race and to spot the winner easily. A competition increases many
students’ motivation to come up with the best design for their rover.
Ideas for discussion with students
IDEAS!
Some questions that came up from club students and leaders when testing the
prototypes are:
• Why did you choose these wheels for your rover?
• How did you test them out?
• What similarities does our track surface have with the surface of Mars?
• What differences does our track surface have with the surface of Mars?
• What features do wheels (on cars, bicycles, etc.) have that make them best suited for
our roads?
• How did you power your rover?
• What problems could you have using a battery-powered propeller on Mars?
• What other methods could you use to power your rover?
• Ideally, what other functions should your rover have?
• What makes a rover ‘the best’ for you?
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
Discussion is important as it allows students to explore and
discuss issues as well as listening to, respecting and challenging
other viewpoints in a safe and supportive environment. It can be further used
to engage students with applications and implications of science by exploring how
creative application of scientific ideas can bring about technological developments and
consequent changes in the way people think and behave. Discussion can also engage
your students to develop communication skills by using appropriate methods to
communicate scientific information and contributing to presentations and discussions
about scientific issues. Last but not least, discussion allows your students to express
informed opinions on scientific issues and technological developments.
The science behind the activity
The following principles will have an impact on the success of the students’ rovers.
Whether or not your students choose to add spiked tyres will
affect the traction of their vehicles. Traction is the friction
between wheels or tyres and the ground that allows a vehicle
to move. The more traction you have the more energy can be
harnessed by your vehicle; or in other words, the faster your
vehicle is. Racing cars are almost treadless as this allows their
wheels to get in touch with the smooth racing tracks as much
as possible. As a result, those cars get the best traction and
are consequently faster on such a surface than cars with treads. In contrast, when a
surface is bumpy, using wheels with treads is better than treadless wheels or tyres.
The latter can’t grip the bumpy surface very well, which leads to a loss of traction.
A special situation can happen when it’s raining so heavily that there is a layer of
water on the surface. This layer can act as a lubricant, greatly reducing the traction
and the ability to stop and avoid sliding sideways. This effect is called hydroplaning.
It is important to know that the major problem of hydroplaning is not so much the
loss of traction but the loss of control over the vehicle. In this specific case, treads
are used to move the water to the sides and increase the traction and stability of the
vehicle. The treads produce a gear-like effect to improve the traction on wet or
bumpy surfaces.
Hint: The limited battery power provided for the Mars rover activity is still not enough
to overcome the traction between four spiked wheels and a wet or bumpy surface.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
Wheels
Propellers
Design
The different choices made by each group on how the
rover looks will have an effect on its performance.
Adding more materials to the rover to make it
aesthetically more pleasing will add to its mass. The
greater the mass of the rover the more energy will be
required to make it move. This may have a negative
impact on its performance. As with all good designs
it will be a case of test it and see. Every group will
produce a different rover and through their testing
they will be able to make it the best it can be to meet
their own criteria. Real scientists have to go through
such processes as well.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
The propellers work by turning the energy from
the batteries into forward motion by pushing air
backwards. They illustrate Newton’s third law of
motion in which every action has an equal and
opposite reaction. Therefore, the amount of energy
that pushes the air backwards will be the same
amount of forward push the rover has. The more
effectively the propeller can push the air backward,
the more forward push it will have. This should make
the rover faster and better at overcoming bumps and
gradients (provided it has the right wheels).
Links to everyday life
Image: SSPL
Activity 1:
Mars rover
a. The surface of Mars
The southern hemisphere of Mars is heavily
cratered, but the Red Planet’s northern
hemisphere is much lower and less cratered.
That’s why it’s important to know where to
send your Mars rover. The huge Martian
deserts, however, are famously dusty and
covered with a reddish iron-based mineral
‘rust’, which makes the planet appear
red to us. In addition, enormous dust
storms sometimes rage over the entire
planet’s surface.
b. Prototype testing with the focus on wheels
You tend to get rocks all over the
place but the base surface is sand,
which makes driving around an
awful lot harder than it would be
on Earth. The reason is because
sand is not as grippy as tarmac,
the surface we’re driving around
here on Earth.
Paul Meacham, Operations Engineer
for the Locomotion Performance
Model on the ExoMars Rover Vehicle
Project, 2009
‘The whole point of the prototypes is that
we don’t have to test the real flight rover on
Earth because we’ve done all the testing.’
Paul Meacham, 2009
Paul works for Astrium UK, the prime
contractor for the Mars rover vehicle on
the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s)
ExoMars mission.
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In contrast to your students’ prototypes,
Bruno’s wheels can’t be made of rubber.
Image: Astrium
In the past, Paul and his team took one
of the earlier prototypes, Bridget, to
Tenerife for their testing. Tenerife has a
lot of characteristics that are very similar
to the Martian surface, such as the rock
distribution, the volcanic surface and the
extremely dry soil. Bruno, however, will be
tested in a ‘Mars yard’ in Stevenage. This is
a much more controlled environment than
Tenerife and allows the scientists to relandscape and control the light level better.
Their fake Martian surface mainly consists
of builders’ sand, which represents Martian
sand best.
Activity 1:
Mars rover
Paul and his team will be using Bruno, the Earth-bound prototype, to test how the
flight rover will react when it’s driving across Martian-like terrain. They can’t test
the actual flight rover on Earth because of the difference in gravity. The wheels of the
Mars rover would deform more under the Earth’s gravity than under the lower gravity
of Mars. They overcome this problem by making Bruno weigh the same on Earth as
the flight rover will weigh when it’s on the surface of Mars, compensating for the
difference in gravity on Earth and Mars. This allows Bruno to react in the same way as
the real flight rover will do on the surface of Mars.
Bruno is the prototype of the European
Space Agency’s first Mars rover. This is
one of Bruno’s wheels.
Paul explains: ‘Rubber is an organic compound coming from tree sap. And as we’re
looking for life on Mars we can’t take any organic compounds with us.’
However, the wheels still have to be flexible. Bruno’s wheels and the wheels of the
real flight rover consist of aluminium plates that are connected to each other in a
special way that allows the entire wheel to deform if required.
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c. The difference between rovers and landers
Activity 1:
Mars rover
A Mars rover is a vehicle that propels itself across the surface of Mars after landing,
whilst a Mars lander is a spacecraft that descends to the surface of Mars, and then
remains in the same place. It’s a big challenge to send rovers and landers to Mars
because of the difficult landing, and there’s a high risk of failure. However, scientists are
still willing to take this risk, because landers and rovers provide interesting data from
the physical experiments they conduct on Mars. In contrast to stationary landers, rovers
can also examine more territory, are able to place themselves in sunny positions and
can advance the knowledge of how to perform very remote control of robotic vehicles.
d. NASA’s successful Mars rovers and
landers
Image: NASA
Viking 1 and 2, launched in 1975 by
NASA, were the first successful landers
on the Red Planet. Apart from these
landers, NASA has also successfully
sent four rovers to Mars so far; the first
was Sojourner, the rover from NASA’s
Pathfinder mission (1996), followed by the
twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity (2004).
Curiosity, NASA’s next Mars rover, is able
to carry its onboard chemistry laboratory
long distances.
Three of NASA’s successful Mars rovers (left to
right): the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity
and Sojourner.
e. ESA’s Mars missions
Image: ESA
NASA isn’t the only space agency to have
conducted successful Mars missions. The
European Space Agency (ESA), in which
the UK is a key partner, has got in on the
act too. In 2003, ESA had its first mission
to Mars, Mars Express. The lander from
this mission, Beagle 2, didn’t achieve its
aim at all. Instead of reaching the Martian
surface to search for life, Beagle 2 burned up
while entering the Martian atmosphere.
However, Mars Express also had an
orbiter, a space probe that orbits a planet
without landing on it. Six months after its
launch, the orbiter started successfully
surveying Mars from the topmost layer of
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The miniaturised technology developed
for the instruments on Beagle 2 will
be used for future missions such as
ExoMars, ESA’s current Mars mission
project. ExoMars is ESA’s first mission
specifically designed to search for life,
both past and present. It includes a rover
as well as a lander, and once the lander
The European Space Agency’s first Mars rover is
reaches the surface of Mars, the rover
due to launch in 2016.
will separate and travel across the planet,
moving at an average rate of about five
metres per hour. A drill will make it possible to transport rock samples from a depth
of two metres to the rover’s analytical laboratory, where a range of experiments will
be carried out. In addition, it is planned that the lander will monitor and characterise
the Martian surface and sub-surface environments, and investigate the planet’s
internal structure in order to better understand its evolution and habitability.
f. Special software for Mars missions
According to Lee Chris from SciSys, software is the only element of the spacecraft
that can be changed after it has been launched. This means that if a hardware failure
threatens a mission due to last several years, software scientists on Earth can rescue
it by upgrading the software. These ‘remote operations’ have found their way into
today’s TV broadcasting studios and elsewhere.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Image: ESA
Activity 1:
Mars rover
the atmosphere down to the surface and
below. Its achievements include detecting
methane in the Martian atmosphere,
finding water ice reserves under the
planet’s surface and discovering that
auroras occur in the upper Martian
atmosphere. So the Mars Express project
was successful despite the failure of
Beagle 2.
Links to the Science Museum
•E
xploring Space gallery: Have a look at the tiny HiRISE detector chip from NASA’s
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Viking biology experiment with a sample of
Martian soil.
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum
The activities in the box are designed to enrich and extend your classroom activities,
but they also have some strong links to the UK and Scottish curricula if you wish to
use them. We have listed the ones that we feel are most relevant, but you may find
others, particularly if they relate to other classroom activities that your students are
familiar with.
UK National Curriculum KS3
Science
1.1. Scientific thinking
a.Using scientific ideas and models to explain phenomena and developing them
creatively to generate and test theories.
1.2. Applications and implications of science
a. Exploring how the creative application of scientific ideas can bring about
technological developments and consequent changes in the way people think
and behave.
2.1. Practical and enquiry skills
Pupils should be able to:
a. use a range of scientific methods and techniques to develop and test ideas and
explanations.
c. plan and carry out practical and investigative activities, both individually and
in groups.
3.1. Energy, electricity and forces
b. Forces are interactions between objects and can affect their shape and motion.
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Activity 1:
Mars rover
• Making the Modern World gallery: Students can investigate how and why wheels on
cars and other vehicles have changed through time.
3.4. The environment, Earth and universe
Curriculum opportunities
Pupils should be able to:
c. use real-life examples as a basis for finding out about science.
Design and Technology
1.1. Designing and making
a. Understanding that designing and making has aesthetic, environmental, technical,
economic, ethical and social dimensions and impacts on the world.
b. Applying knowledge of materials and production processes to design products and
produce practical solutions that are relevant and fit for purpose.
c. Understanding that products and systems have an impact on quality of life.
d. Exploring how products have been designed and made in the past, how they are
currently designed and made, and how they may develop in the future.
1.3. Creativity
c. Exploring and experimenting with ideas, materials, technologies and techniques.
1.4. Critical evaluation
b. Evaluating the needs of users and the context in which products are used to inform
designing and making.
2. Key processes
Pupils should be able to:
b. respond creatively to briefs, developing their own proposals and producing
specifications for products.
c. apply their knowledge and understanding of a range of materials, ingredients and
technologies to design and make their products.
d. use their understanding of others’ designing to inform their own.
4. Curriculum opportunities
Pupils should be able to:
b. undertake focused tasks that develop knowledge, skills and understanding in
relation to design and make assignments.
d. work individually and in teams, taking on different roles and responsibilities.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 1:
Mars rover
b. Astronomy and space science provide insight into the nature and observed motions
of the Sun, Moon, stars, planets and other celestial bodies.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence
Planet Earth
By using my knowledge of our Solar System and the basic needs of living things,
I can produce a reasoned argument on the likelihood of life existing elsewhere
in the universe.
Forces, electricity and waves
Forces
SCN 3-07a
By contributing to investigations of energy loss due to friction, I can suggest ways of
improving the efficiency of moving systems.
Topical science
SCN 4-20a
I have researched new developments in science and can explain how their current or
future applications might impact on modern life.
SCN 2-20b
I can report and comment on current scientific news items to develop my knowledge
and understanding of topical science.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 1:
Mars rover
Space
SCN 3-06a
Extension ideas
a. Renewable energy resources
b. Egg protection activity
You can discuss with your students how important the method of a safe landing
is and what role parachutes and airbags play for the landing of a rover. In the egg
protection activity your students create a ‘shell’ that is able to protect a raw egg
when it is dropped from an appointed height you decide. Provide your students with
enough materials to experiment with, e.g. bubble wrap, foam packing chips, thin card,
balloons, shredded paper, different fabrics and materials to construct with such as
tape, string, twist ties, scissors.
You can use boiled eggs, but raw eggs are much more impressive – although you may
like to spread a plastic sheet over the area where eggs will land to make clearing up
after the activity easier.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 1:
Mars rover
You can investigate with your students if there are other energy sources such as solar
panels that are more suitable for a mission to Mars than a battery-powered propeller.
The base of your students’ Mars rovers provides enough space for a solar panel if you
wish to add one. In this context, you could discuss advantages and disadvantages of
different energy sources.
UV detector
Aim of this activity
In this activity students will paint a model hand with ultraviolet (UV) paint and
experiment with UV lights to discover what level of protection can be achieved using sun
creams. This activity will raise students’ awareness of UV radiation and the importance
of shielding it, not only on a mission to Mars but also in their lives here on Earth.
Materials
A
1 x hand mould
B
1 x syringe of UV paint
C
1 x paintbrush
D
1 x UV colour-scale paper
E
1 x LED bulb
F
1 x lithium battery
G
1 x 50 ml pot of factor-8 sun cream
H
1 x 50 ml pot of factor-50 sun cream
I
2 x 2 ml syringe
H
G
I
D
A
C
F
B
E
You will need to provide:
Paper towels (to clean the plastic hand during and after the activity)
Stopwatch or clock (to measure exposure time)
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
We have also provided the following
materials for you to administer to the groups:
This box provides enough materials
for 5 groups, each consisting of 3–4
students. Each group will have the
following materials:
What to prepare before your club session
This activity does not necessarily require any preparation before the students arrive.
However, if you wish students to receive a moulded hand that is fully covered with
paint and already dry, you can paint the inside of the moulded hand with UV paint
beforehand. It can take up to an hour for the paint to fully dry.
Health and safety information for your risk assessment
Activity element
Information for your risk assessment
1. Ultraviolet light
from LED bulb
The UV light provided by the LED bulb is a low-power
type of light, but direct viewing should be avoided. As
with all batteries, the lithium battery must be disposed of
correctly at the end of its life.
2. UV paint
The UV paint base is a standard acrylic medium. It is
not considered hazardous, but it would be prudent to
avoid skin contact, particularly if any students have very
sensitive skin. The paint should not be swallowed.
3. Sun cream
Although sun cream is designed for skin use, you should
check before the activity and take appropriate measures
with students who have sensitive skin.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
From our extensive testing in clubs around the UK, we recommend the following
elements are considered in your risk assessment for this activity. However, you
know the needs of your group and the environment you are working in, so we would
strongly advise you to consider if any additional elements apply in your particular
circumstances, before you run this activity. If in doubt contact CLEAPSS
(cleapss.org.uk) for further information. All resources should only be used under
adult supervision.
How to run the activity
This activity allows for student-led investigation once you have introduced the
activity to your students. (Look at the PowerPoint presentation that is specifically
designed to introduce the activity to your students.)
You can either prepare the first step in advance or let your students do it. Preparing
in advance allows your students to start experimenting sooner (from the second
step onwards), but allowing them to paint the hand enables them to understand
better how the hand will react to the UV light.
2. Pick an exposure time you want to
work with over the whole session
(e.g. 10 or 15 seconds).
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
1. Paint the inside of the moulded hand
with UV paint. Make sure that the hand
impression is fully covered with paint.
As the paint takes about an hour to
dry, make sure that you only touch the
outside of the moulded hand.
Activity 1: Mars rover
3. Put the battery between the two
wires of the LED bulb and pinch them
together. You should be able to see the
pink UV light. Do not shine it directly
into anyone’s eyes.
Activity 2:
UV detector
4. Point the UV light at the plastic hand
for the chosen period of exposure and
observe what happens to the paint on
the plastic hand. Compare the colour to
the UV detector strip provided.
5. Put sun cream (either factor 8 or
factor 50) onto the outside of the
plastic mould.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
6. Observe what happens when you shine the
UV light on it now. Make sure that you use
the same exposure time. After cleaning
the plastic hand, repeat steps 5 and 6, this
time using the other sun cream. Do you
notice a difference?
Activity 2:
UV detector
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Top tips
•No matter what time your students choose, make sure that they note it in their
logbook and that they use the same exposure time when experimenting with the
two different sun creams to ensure fair testing.
• From testing in clubs we have found that an exposure time of 15 seconds seems
to work well.
• Ask your students to mark the different sun creams on the UV colour scale. This
enables them to compare them at the end of the session.
• If you need more hands because your club has expanded or some hands are
damaged, you can order more at [email protected].
• Instead of the LED bulbs your students can conduct the UV detector activity under
natural sunlight on a sunny day. Or they can compare the different light sources
with each other.
• If you have UV torches or lamps at your school you can also provide them to your
students instead of, or in addition to, the LED bulbs.
Ideas for discussion with students
Discussion is important as it allows students to explore
and discuss issues as well as listening to, respecting
and challenging other viewpoints in a safe and
supportive environment. It can be further used to engage
students with applications and implications of science
by exploring how creative application of scientific
ideas can bring about technological developments and
consequent changes in the way people think and behave.
Discussion can also engage your students to develop
communication skills by using appropriate methods to
communicate scientific information and contributing to
presentations and discussions about scientific issues.
Last but not least, discussion allows your students
to express informed opinions on scientific issues and
technological developments.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
IDEAS!
Activity 2:
UV detector
• Your students may spend more time than you expect when they explore the
different sun creams and the hand. From our prototype testing we know that
students get very excited about this activity; for example exploring the plastic
hand and comparing its size with their hands.
Some questions that came up from club students and leaders when testing the
prototypes with them are:
• What is UV radiation? Where does it come from?
• Why do I have to protect myself from UV radiation?
• What does sun cream contain to protect my skin from UV radiation that other
creams or lotions don’t contain?
• Apart from sun cream, what other ways exist to protect me from UV radiation?
• How do astronauts protect themselves from the high UV radiation in space,
particularly on Mars?
• Compare the two planets Mars and Earth. What do they have in common? How do
they differ?
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
• Why is there more UV radiation on Mars than on Earth?
The science behind the activity
a. UV paint
The paint contains UV pigments that change colour
when exposed to UV light from the Sun or another
source such as a special lamp.
b. Sun cream as UV protection
UV protection is important for human health, because
when UV light reaches the skin it can cause skin damage,
sunburn and DNA damage that in some cases leads to
skin cancer.
Sun creams work in different ways to protect us against
the rays of the Sun. They can have either a chemical or
a physical sun filter or they may have a mixture of the
two. Chemical filters block UV light by absorbing it. As a
result, UV light doesn’t reach the lower layers of the skin
and cause damage. Physical filters provide a thin layer on
top of the skin that reflects back the UV light. This layer
is made of inorganic chemicals such as titanium dioxide
and zinc oxide. Titanium dioxide is the same substance used to whiten paints and
toothpaste and is also the reason why sun creams containing it are white. The best
sun lotions are those that protect us from two different types of ultraviolet light, UVA
and UVB (see page 30). These creams are called ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreens.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
UV pigments from nature, such as those in the
mineral hackmanite, change from colourless to
purple in only a few seconds when exposed to UV light. The structure of UV pigments
is responsible for that change in colour. The initial structure appears colourless as
it reflects all wavelengths of light. However, UV light provides sufficient energy to
break a bond in the structure. This means that the structure changes when exposed
to UV light. The ‘new’ structure is different from the initial one; it can absorb some
wavelengths while reflecting others. As a result, the ‘new’ structure appears to
possess colour. The intensity of the colour corresponds to the intensity of the UV
radiation. When the UV light source is removed the colour disappears after a while.
This happens because the new structure doesn’t get enough energy to maintain
itself, so it reverts to its original state.
Links to everyday life
a. UV radiation and its effects on the skin
Image: SSPL
Activity 2:
UV detector
You don’t only get sunburnt when you’re fully at the mercy of the sun; you can also be
affected on a cloudy day or underwater. That’s because sunlight doesn’t only contain
visible light, but a whole range of different forms of energy. Ultraviolet light (UV),
which is responsible for the damage to our skin, isn’t part of visible light. Purple has
to be added to UV torches and bulbs so that we can see when they are switched on.
There are actually three different kinds of ultraviolet in sunlight: UVA, UVB and UVC.
But only UVA and some UVB reach us on the Earth’s surface, while UVC, which has the
highest energy among the three kinds of UV, is fully blocked out by the ozone layer.
Moreover, the effects of UV radiation depend on different criteria, including where
we are and how strong the UV radiation is. In general, the sun is stronger the nearer
we are to the equator. Water and snow surfaces can also cause an increase in UV
intensity by reflecting more of it. Our skin type also has an important effect. Some
types of skin are more likely to be damaged by UV radiation than others, and this
depends on how well the skin tans. We tan because our skin contains a substance
called melanin that makes our skin darker to protect us from the sun. People who
produce the least melanin, those who burn easily, are at highest risk of skin cancer.
However, UV radiation isn’t entirely bad for human skin and cells. We need UV
radiation because our skin uses it to manufacture vitamin D, which is vital to
maintaining healthy bones. About 10 minutes of sun each day allows our skin to make
the recommended amount of vitamin D.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
b. The atmosphere on Mars
Image: SSPL
Activity 2:
UV detector
There are three key features of the Martian atmosphere that are particularly
different from Earth’s atmosphere: carbon dioxide levels, UV radiation and
temperature.
Firstly, the atmosphere on Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide and only traces
of oxygen, whereas Earth’s atmosphere consists of 21% oxygen and only 0.04%
carbon dioxide.
Secondly, Mars is smaller than Earth, which means the force of gravity on Mars
is only two-thirds of that on Earth. Partly as a result of the low gravity, much of
the atmosphere on Mars has drifted away, and even if more atmosphere could
somehow be produced it would still drift away eventually. The relative lack of
atmosphere not only means less protection from the UV radiation of the Sun but
also a smaller buffer between the planet’s surface and space itself.
And thirdly, like Earth, Mars experiences seasons because of the tilt of its axis,
which means that temperatures vary considerably between summer and winter.
In contrast to Earth, Mars can experience a maximum surface temperature of
+32 °C and a minimum of –123 °C. However, the average daytime temperature is
only between –40 and –50 °C, as a result of the thin atmosphere.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Spacesuits, also known as extravehicular mobility units (EMUs), represent a selfcontained environment that protects astronauts working in space from the following
general hazards:
1. Lack of pressure, which could cause your body’s fluids to boil without protection
2. H
igh radiation, because in space there is no atmosphere to filter out most of the
Sun’s harmful rays, as on Earth
3. Lack of oxygen, because there is no air
4. The danger of micrometeoroids, pieces of rock as tiny as grains of sand,
travelling through the Solar System; the danger increases with the speed of the
micrometeoroids
5. T
emperature extremes – the difference between sun and shade, which can be
hundreds of degrees Celsius.
Spacesuits may look the same, but they do have different features depending on
where astronauts are going and what they’re doing. An EMU designed for astronauts
on a mission to Mars will not only fulfil the general criteria of protection but will also
have special design features to suit the Martian atmosphere, such as extra protection
from dust. These spacesuits will also require special boots that allow astronauts
either to walk on the Red Planet’s surface or drive a rover vehicle. Last but not least,
astronauts going to Mars won’t have mini workstations attached to their chest like
astronauts on other space missions. Instead, they will have access to equipment
stored on the rover.
NASA researchers test spacesuits out in the Arizona desert. This environment cannot
reproduce the lower gravity and sub-zero temperatures that astronauts would
experience on Mars, but at least the desert can represent to a certain degree the
Martian landscape and geology.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
Image: SSPL
c. Spacesuits
Links to the Science Museum
•E
xploring Space gallery: Have a look at the spacesuit worn by Helen Sharman, the
first Briton in space, or even try to thread a nut onto a bolt while wearing bulky
space gloves.
•T
he Science and Art of Medicine gallery: What other aspects related to health and
functional capability do you have to take into account when planning a journey to a
hostile environment such as Mars?
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum
UK National Curriculum KS3
Science
2.1. Practical and enquiry skills
Pupils should be able to:
c. plan and carry out practical and investigative activities, both individually and in
groups.
3.4. The environment, Earth and universe
b. Astronomy and space science provide insight into the nature and observed motions
of the Sun, Moon, stars, planets and other celestial bodies.
4. Curriculum opportunities
Pupils should be able to:
c. use real-life examples as a basis for finding out about science.
Design and Technology
1.3. Creativity
c. Exploring and experimenting with ideas, materials, technologies and techniques.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
The activities in the box are designed to enrich and extend your classroom activities,
but they also have some strong links to the UK and Scottish curricula if you wish to
use them. We have listed the ones that we feel are most relevant, but you may find
others, particularly if they relate to other classroom activities that your students are
familiar with.
1.4. Critical evaluation
b. Evaluating the needs of users and the context in which products are used to inform
designing and making.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence
Forces, electricity and waves
Vibrations and waves
SCN 3-11b
Topical science
SCN 4-20a
I have researched new developments in science and can explain how their current or
future applications might impact on modern life.
SCN 2-20b
I can report and comment on current scientific news items to develop my knowledge
and understanding of topical science.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
By exploring radiations beyond the visible, I can describe a selected application,
discussing the advantages and limitations.
Extension ideas
a. Design a UV protective glove
Sun creams protect us to a certain degree from UV radiation on Earth, but this
protection would not be enough for the stronger UV radiation on Mars. In this activity
your students can experiment with different materials such as aluminium foil,
sunglasses, paper, pieces of cloth, etc. to identify more and less suitable materials for
the design of a spacesuit worn on a mission to Mars. Ask your students to consider the
need for comfort and flexibility as well as protection.
Spacesuits should not only protect astronauts on Mars from UV radiation but also help
them stay at a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. In this activity
students will use the plastic mould to cast a hand out of agar gel. Students will have
to design a glove out of materials that protect the gel hand in different environments,
e.g. tested in the freezer or in direct sunlight. Use a thermochromic forehead
thermometer to monitor the temperature and observe the state of the agar gel. The
objective is to prevent the gel hand from freezing or melting.
c. Working in space
Students have learned that they must wear protective clothes on Mars at all times
because of the hostile environment. But what other challenges can your students
explore with protective equipment? One idea is to ask your students to put on cotton
gloves first, then rubber or latex-free gloves to simulate what in real spacesuits is
called the ‘pressure bladder’, before they put on gardening gloves for strength, and
finally thick workman’s gloves for protection. These bulky layers of material will
help them to understand why certain activities are so challenging on space missions.
Which team is the fastest to pick up items such as buttons, coins, paperclips, screws,
etc. from the table and put them in the right bags? What is the fastest time possible to
screw nuts onto ten bolts? Or, who is the fastest at opening a pot, getting a banana out
of it and finishing eating it?
d. Shade inspection activity
By surveying the school grounds for areas of high or low UV radiation, your students
will identify the best areas for protection and evaluate the risks from UV radiation in
their school environment. They can build a model of the school grounds and design
some new features to provide more shade if required. Discuss the areas used most,
such as walkways and sports areas. What protection is most useful for those areas?
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 2:
UV detector
b. Protect your hand from extremes of temperature
Biodome
Aim of this activity
In this activity, students will investigate two different aspects of growing food and
managing a greenhouse: observing the difference in temperature inside and outside
the biodome and finding the best ratio of water and nutrients for their plants. The
activity will also lead to discussion about why we have to consider methods to grow
plants on Mars if we ever want to live there, and also how to grow food in hostile
environments here on Earth.
Materials
This box provides enough materials for
5 groups of students. Each group will
have the following materials:
1 x mini biodome
B
2 x Petri dishes
C
1 x bag of hydrogel crystals
D
1 x pipette
E
1 x bag of brassica seeds
D
A
E
We have also provided the following
materials for you to administer to the
groups:
F
1 x large biodome
G
2 x thermometers
H
2 x thermochromic film sheets
I
1 x 50 ml pot of concentrated nutrients
Activity 3:
Biodome
A
B
C
F
H
You will need to provide:
5 x cups
Water
Clear sticky tape
Lamp (e.g. angle-poise desk lamp or heat lamp)
Labelling pens or stickers
Digital weighing scales (optional)
Stopwatch or clock (optional)
Gloves for your students (optional)
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Club leader notes Mars mission
I
G
What to prepare before your club session
• Dilute the pot of green concentrated plant nutrition to a ratio of 1 part nutrition to
25 parts water (you will not need to dilute the whole pot for the five groups).
• Brassica seeds should be soaked overnight, or for about 24 hours, before you
run the activity with your students. This helps soften the brown protective shell
around the seeds, which should show signs of splitting after soaking. (The presoak is a more important factor than the nutrient solution in terms of getting the
seeds to sprout).
• Construct the flat-packed biodome using clear sticky tape. Alternatively, this can
be done by students in the club session. You may want to put it on a board or tray
so you can move it to another area between club sessions. Instructions on how to
assemble the biodome are below.
1. Carefully take the templates out
of the plastic.
Activity 3:
Biodome
2. Stick together the two plastic pieces
where the lines on the hexagons
indicate.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
3. This picture shows you how to
join the two parts of the biodome
template. The finger is pointing
towards the top of the biodome.
4. Hold the top of the biodome
with one hand and attach the
surrounding hexagons.
Activity 3:
Biodome
5. When you have finished sticking the
top together you should have five
identical parts left.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
6. Stick the pentagons and hexagons
together from the top to the bottom.
7. Repeat step 6 with the other four parts,
and your biodome will be complete.
Activity 3:
Biodome
Hints: • Working in pairs is much easier.
• Make sure that you fold the edges of the pentagons and
hexagons very carefully to avoid them snapping.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Health and safety information for your risk assessment
From our extensive testing in clubs around the UK, we recommend the following
elements are considered in your risk assessment for this activity. However, you
know the needs of your group and the environment you are working in, so we
would strongly advise you to consider if any additional elements apply in your
particular circumstances, before you run this activity. If in doubt contact CLEAPSS
(cleapss.org.uk) for further information. All resources should only be used under
adult supervision.
Activity element
Information for your risk assessment
1. Water-absorbing crystals
(hydrogel crystals)
Although these are non-toxic they will swell to
many times their original size when exposed
to water, so they should not be swallowed or
disposed of down the drain.
Do not eat or drink during the activity.
• Nitrogen (N)
• Nitric nitrogen (N)
• Phosphorus (water soluble)
• Potassium (K)
• Copper (Cu)
• Iron (Fe)
• Manganese (Mn)
• Zinc (Zn)
• Molybdenum (Mo)
Although the plant nutrients are non-toxic they
should not be swallowed. Do not eat or drink
during the activity. Once diluted, the nutrients
should be stored in a clearly marked container
to avoid being mistaken for a drink.
3. Fast-growing seeds
(brassica seeds)
Although the seeds are non-toxic they should
not be swallowed. Do not eat or drink during
the activity.
4. Biodome
The biodomes may have slightly sharp edges.
Students should take care when assembling
them.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
2. Concentrated plant
nutrients consisting of:
How to run the activity
This activity consists of two main parts. (Look at the PowerPoint presentation that is
specifically designed to introduce the activity to your students.)
Part 1: observing the temperature inside and outside the large biodome
(Ideally one student per group is chosen to work on the large biodome while the
rest of his or her group do part 2.)
1. Put one thermometer and one
thermochromic sheet inside the
biodome, and one thermometer and
one thermochromic sheet outside
the biodome. Note the temperature
and colour.
Activity 3:
Biodome
2. Shine the lamp down on the biodome.
Ensure that it doesn’t shine directly
on the thermometer or sheet outside
the biodome. Check the thermometer
and the colour of the thermochromic
sheet every 5 minutes.
3. Take the last temperature and colour
before you turn off the light at the end
of the session, even if you previously
checked the temperature less than
5 minutes ago.
In the meantime, the students can build
the small biodomes for their groups.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Part 2: exploring the best nutritional mix for growing plants
Each group should:
4. Label their Petri dish.
5. Put a very thin layer of dry gel crystals
in the Petri dish, enough to cover the
bottom.
Activity 3:
Biodome
6. Hydrate their crystals to form the best
nutritional mix to grow their seeds.
Groups can hydrate the crystals with
tap water or diluted plant nutrition, or a
mixture of both.
7. Use the pipette to add the nutrient
solution and note in the logbook how
much was added.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
8. Sprinkle on some of the pre-soaked
seeds.
9. Put either the small biodome or a lid
over the Petri dish. It would be a good
idea to place this experiment near a
window and leave it there until the next
club session.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
Hint: If you wish you can ask your students to return in order to check on their
experiments and to water them if necessary. Otherwise, a member of staff will
need to check that the plants don’t dry out.
Top tips
•Make sure that the students note the last temperature and colour before you turn
off the light at the end of the session.
• At the end of the session or in the next session, students should present their
outcomes from part 1 and their strategy ideas from part 2.
• For greater accuracy, students can use digital weighing scales when adding the
hydrogel crystals to their Petri dish.
• The crystals will absorb more water than you might think. About 1 ml of crystals
can absorb around 80 ml of water in the course of a few hours. This means that
to begin with the Petri dish should only have a very thin layer of crystals covering
the bottom. If your students use more, the crystals will spill over, and if they
choose to add the lid they will find it cannot be placed on top for the first few days.
The crystals absorb water gradually, so if they are still a bit opaque or not totally
clear, they are not yet completely saturated.
• Ask your students to work in pairs or threes when building the biodomes – it’s
much easier to hold and stick when there’s an extra pair of hands!
• Monitor how your plants are growing. Have they started to germinate (remember
to soak them overnight to give them a head start)? Have they got enough water
(they may need topping up every day to keep the crystals hydrated, especially
the ones outside the biodome)? If they are wilting they could be overheating, so
consider giving them more shade. If they are getting mouldy they may need more
ventilation to bring down the humidity in the dome. These are all important issues
that astronauts will need to deal with to enable them to grow their own food, as a
failed crop on Mars could have disastrous results.
• Ask your students to investigate the thermochromic sheet by shining a lamp on it.
Do this when the thermochromic sheet is surrounded by the large biodome and
also when it is outside to see if there is a difference.
• Students doing part 1 of this activity might be the best candidates for assembling
the small biodomes. If this is the case, encourage them to work together while
waiting for the next time to take the colour of the thermochromic sheets and the
temperature inside and outside the large biodome.
• The hydrated crystals, together with the nutrients and a warm biodome, are an
ideal environment for growth. This includes bacteria from your students’ hands.
If students want to handle the hydrated crystals we recommend that they
wear gloves.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
• When leaves begin to develop your students should place the uncovered Petri
dishes in the large biodome so that their plants have enough space to grow.
IDEAS!
Ideas for discussion with students
Discussion is important as it allows students to explore and
discuss issues as well as listening to, respecting and challenging
other viewpoints in a safe and supportive environment. It can be further used
to engage students with applications and implications of science by exploring how
creative application of scientific ideas can bring about technological developments and
consequent changes in the way people think and behave. Discussion can also engage
your students to develop communication skills by using appropriate methods to
communicate scientific information and contributing to presentations and discussions
about scientific issues. Last but not least, discussion allows your students to express
informed opinions on scientific issues and technological developments.
Some questions that came up from club students and leaders when testing the
prototypes with them are:
• What do plants need to grow?
• What is the difference between letting the plants grow inside or outside the
biodome? (e.g. temperature and moisture)
• What problems could you come across when growing plants in a biodome on Mars?
• Why might we need to find other growing media instead of soil when growing plants
on Mars?
• What would the advantages and disadvantages be of transporting a dehydrated
growing medium to Mars? (e.g. it’s much lighter and more compact, but will require
a source of hydration before use)
• What might be lost if soil is not used? (e.g. bugs and other organisms that live in the
soil and form part of the ecosystem)
• How do the materials and design chosen for the biodome influence the growth of the
plants? Any ideas for improving the biodome from this box?
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
• What difference did the nutrient make?
The science behind the activity
a. Biodome
A biodome, or biome, is an enclosed area that
contains everything that is needed to support life.
On Earth, such specifically designed environments
are used to recreate a particular climate and
ecosystem, for example a tropical rainforest
or desert. Every organism required for that
environment to flourish has to be included in the
biodome, from the plants and animals to the organisms in the soil. On Mars we will
need to consider and reproduce all of these elements to ensure that the biodomes we
create can actually sustain life.
b. Hydrogel
Hydrogel can be purchased from garden centres under trade names such as SwellGel.
These crystals are used in potting compost and hanging baskets to stop the plants
drying out. When the soil is wet the crystals swell into transparent gel. In hot, dry
weather, the soil surrounding the gel crystals absorbs the water via osmosis and the
plants get the water they need.
In hydroponics, plants can be grown in completely soil-less environments. Soil is
necessary for plant growth as it is a reservoir for the nutrients the plant requires.
However if the plants are provided with a mineral nutrient solution in their water
supply, then they no longer need the soil to thrive.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
Hyrogel (also known as aquagel) is a superabsorbing material made up of a network of
polymers. ‘Poly’ means many, and ‘mer’ means
unit, so ‘polymer’ means ‘many units’, i.e. long
chains of identical molecules joined together.
In most polymers the chains of molecules
cross-link, forming a three-dimensional mesh.
Super-absorbing polymers trap the water in
the mesh, which expands to accommodate it.
Sodium polyacrylate is an example of this type of material. It is used inside disposable
nappies and can absorb as much as 400–800 times its weight in water.
c. Thermochromic sheet
Typically, thermochromic materials are incorporated into special inks and printed
onto plastic films. These films can indicate temperature changes clearly, hence
their use not only in thermometers but also in applications such as battery testers,
kettles and baby bottles.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
Thermochromic materials are good materials for thermometers or temperature
indicators as they change colour at specific temperatures. This change happens
through heat absorption, which leads to a thermally included chemical reaction
or phase transformation. At room temperature the structure reflects certain
wavelengths of light and absorbs the others. When the pigment is heated, the
molecules can gain enough energy to change their structure. This affects whether
different wavelengths of light are absorbed or reflected. As a result, a different
colour appears. The thermochromic pigments get their initial structures back when
the heat source is removed.
Links to everyday life
Image: istock
a. Terraforming Mars
NASA has always considered
the possibility of one day
terraforming Mars. ... I believe
one day this may very well
become reality. If it does, we
will become the Martians.
Harold Kozak,
NASA Ambassador, 2009
It’s not only the high percentage of carbon dioxide but also the extreme temperatures
that make it impossible for us to survive on Mars without help. Another idea is that
we could thicken the atmosphere by sending greenhouse gases up into the Martian
atmosphere. In contrast to our situation on Earth, they would be more than welcome
on Mars to raise the temperature.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
The term ‘terraform’ means making an alien
landscape habitable by humans. If we ever
want to live on Mars, with its hostile conditions,
we may have to consider terraforming the Red
Planet. According to Professor Harold Kozak,
NASA Solar System Ambassador, one solution
could be to produce genetically engineered
lichens (algae and fungi living together in a
mutually beneficial relationship), which could
withstand the low atmospheric pressures
and very cold temperatures on Mars. These
lichens could take in the carbon dioxide from
the Martian atmosphere and release oxygen as
one of the products from their photosynthesis.
Harold says that ‘this would take thousands of
years, but at least it would be a good start’.
Image: Getty
b. Biodomes on Mars
There are certain aspects that have to be taken into account when building a biodome
on Mars. Firstly, the Martian soil is not of biological origin and is bone dry at the
surface, so it wouldn’t be a suitable medium for plant growth. A biodome, however,
could provide growing plants with either a liquid fertiliser (as used in hydroponics)
or soil or another growing medium. Secondly, plants need a mix of air pressure and
temperature not found on Mars which the biodome could provide. Maintaining a certain
temperature is very important for the type of plant you are growing, as photosynthesis
of different plants has different optimum temperatures. The greenhouse must be
strong enough to maintain the difference between the air pressure inside and outside
the biodome on Mars. Furthermore, it must be insulated to keep the temperature
constant. Thirdly, the sunlight on Mars is not bright enough on its own to allow
terrestrial plants to thrive, but it does provide at least some of the light energy plants
need. To allow the maximum amount of this available light energy to reach the plants,
the greenhouse would have to be constructed from transparent material. Nevertheless,
additional energy is still necessary for lighting and heating. Fourthly, many plants live
in symbiosis with microbes and insects. For instance, bees could be used to pollinate
the blossoms for fruit plants. Last but not least, gravity can play an important role in
plant growth, and scientists are uncertain what impact the low Martian gravity may
have on the growth of flora and fauna in such biodomes on Mars.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
NASA could also make Mars habitable for humans by growing plants in tightly sealed,
human-built greenhouses, or biodomes. These plants would deliver food and oxygen
to the early human pioneers on Mars to make it possible to eat and breathe while
inside the domes. If made from the right materials, these biodomes could even act as
radiation shelters for humans.
The Eden Project, a large environmental attraction near St Austell, Cornwall, is the
best-known system of biodomes in the UK. The huge domes, made from air-filled
plastic panels, house plant species from around the world. Although this attraction
recreates Earth environments, it gives us a vivid example of how biodomes might be
used to support life for the human colonisation of Mars.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
Image: Tamsyn Williams
c. The Eden Project
Links to the Science Museum
•E
xploring Space gallery and The Science and Art of Medicine gallery: In both
galleries, you can find real space food to learn more about what it looks like and
what it contains.
•A
ntenna website: Take a look at this website to get inspiration about how we might
be able to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide on Earth, e.g. by using a carbon
dioxide ‘hoover’. sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/CO2hoover
Links to the National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum
The activities in the box are designed to enrich and extend your classroom activities,
but they also have some strong links to the UK and Scottish curricula if you wish to
use them. We have listed the ones that we feel are most relevant, but you may find
others, particularly if they relate to other classroom activities that your students are
familiar with.
UK National Curriculum KS3
Activity 3:
Biodome
Science
2.1. Practical and enquiry skills
Pupils should be able to:
c. plan and carry out practical and investigative activities, both individually and
in groups.
3.3. Organisms, behaviour and health
d. All living things show variation, can be classified and are interdependent,
interacting with each other and their environment.
4. Curriculum opportunities
Pupils should be able to:
c. use real-life examples as a basis for finding out about science.
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Design and Technology
1.1. Designing and making
a. Understanding that designing and making has aesthetic, environmental, technical,
economic, ethical and social dimensions and impacts on the world.
c. Understanding that products and systems have an impact on quality of life.
1.2. Cultural understanding
a. Understanding how products evolve according to users’ and designers’ needs,
beliefs, ethics and values and how they are influenced by local customs and
traditions and available materials.
1.3. Creativity
a. Making links between principles of good design, existing solutions and technological
knowledge to develop innovative products and processes.
b. Reinterpreting and applying learning in new design contexts and communicating
ideas in new or unexpected ways.
c. Exploring and experimenting with ideas, materials, technologies and techniques.
c. Exploring the impact of ideas, design decisions and technological advances and how
these provide opportunities for new design solutions.
2. Key processes
Pupils should be able to:
e. plan and organise activities and then shape, form, mix, assemble and finish
materials, components or ingredients.
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Activity 3:
Biodome
1.4. Critical evaluation
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence
Planet Earth
Biodiversity and interdependence
SCN 3-02a
I have collaborated on investigations into the process of photosynthesis and I can
demonstrate my understanding of why plants are vital to sustaining life on Earth.
SCN 4-02a
I have propagated and grown plants using a variety of different methods. I can
compare these methods and develop my understanding of their commercial use.
SCN 2-03a
I have collaborated in the design of an investigation into the effects of fertilisers on the
growth of plants. I can express an informed view of the risks and benefits of their use.
SCN 3-03a
Through investigations and based on experimental evidence, I can explain the use
of different types of chemicals in agriculture and their alternatives and can evaluate
their potential impact on the world’s food production.
Activity 3:
Biodome
Processes of the planet
SCN 3-05b
I can explain some of the processes which contribute to climate change and discuss
the possible impact of atmospheric change on the survival of living things.
Space
SCN 3-06a
By using my knowledge of our Solar System and the basic needs of living things,
I can produce a reasoned argument on the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in
the universe.
Topical science
SCN 4-20a
I have researched new developments in science and can explain how their current or
future applications might impact on modern life.
SCN 2-20b
I can report and comment on current scientific news items to develop my knowledge
and understanding of topical science.
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Extension ideas
a. The best flora in your biodome
In addition to the best ratio of nutrients, students could investigate other conditions
for the best plant growth, for instance by comparing different types of seeds (e.g.
cress, mustard, calendula, carrot, nasturtium, petunia, wallflower) and using different
growing media for the plants (e.g. sand, soil, cotton wool, kitchen paper, water).
Student groups could still conduct these experiments in their Petri dishes covered
with a lid or small biodome. You could also discuss with your students what other
conditions may have a positive effect on their plants, such as humidity. Students could
leave one Petri dish covered with a lid or small biodome and another uncovered to
investigate the effect of humidity.
b. Underwater plant bubbles
Plants contain chlorophyll, which is responsible for producing oxygen and sugar
from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight (6CO2 + 6H2O + energy
➞ C6H12O6 + 6O2). This chemical reaction is called photosynthesis. The pond weed
Elodea canadensis is best for your students to use in the following experiments to
demonstrate that plants produce oxygen and that light intensity has a crucial role
in photosynthesis.
• Indication for oxygen production:
The Martian atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide and therefore it would provide plants
with much more carbon dioxide than the Earth’s atmosphere. It is very difficult to
simulate an atmosphere that is so rich in carbon dioxide, but your students could still
test the effect this gas has on plants in a controlled environment.
1. Every student group has three test tubes, each containing a different ‘type’ of water
(normal tap water, boiled and then cooled tap water, sparkling water or tap water
containing a small amount of the salt potassium hydrogen carbonate, KHCO3).
2.Each group cuts a stem of a pond weed (Elodea canadensis) and places it in a bowl with water, with the cut surfaces pointing up.
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Activity 3:
Biodome
After they’ve developed the strategy for best plant growth your students could
transfer their strategy to the large biodome. This allows them to investigate further
what impact the different temperatures inside and outside the biodome have on their
plants. From the first session, your students should have already gathered some data
on the difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the biodome. To
conduct a fair test ask your students to set up their plant growth in two different Petri
dishes, both covered with a lid and set up in exactly the same way. When the plants
start growing, ask your students to remove the lids and put one Petri dish inside and
the other outside the large biodome. What can they observe over a set period of time
(e.g. over two weeks)?
3. Then they place a big funnel over the Elodea canadensis so that at least all the cut
surfaces are inside the funnel.
4. Finally they put a test tube filled with water over the end of the funnel.
5. Now the students can observe and count the bubbles released within a certain time
(e.g. two minutes).
• Light intensity:
Ask your students to prepare the experiment in the same way as above. This time
they should change the location of the light source (e.g. move the light source 50 cm
further away every five minutes). As soon as the production of bubbles has adapted
to the new conditions, your students can again count the bubbles produced in a
two-minute interval. Do they notice a difference when placing the light source in
different locations?
c. Monitoring the effect of carbon dioxide
Put a filter paper with growing cress in two Petri dishes. Place one inside the large
biodome or large inverted beaker and the other outside. Fill another Petri dish with a
base such as calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, that binds to the carbon dioxide. Now place
this dish inside the biodome or beaker. Seal the environment as well as possible using
Vaseline or tape. Monitor over a period of a week to observe what effect the different
amount of carbon dioxide available has on the plant.
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Activity 3:
Biodome
Hint: Make sure that the students conduct the experiments under the same light
intensity. To avoid any chance that your light source could affect the experiment
by releasing heat, place a Plexiglas plate between the light source and the
test equipment.
d. Menu planning and eating in space
If people on their voyage to Mars weren’t able to eat anything until they’d grown their
own food on the Red Planet, they would never survive the journey. Your students
could plan a menu for a day on board the spacecraft on its way to the Red Planet. The
requirements could be:
• The food shouldn’t produce any crumbs that could float in zero gravity and
contaminate the inside of the spacecraft.
• If the food needs to be eaten with utensils, it must stick to the fork or spoon (such as
a single serving of canned pudding).
• The menu should include large amounts of carbohydrates as the body needs them
to function.
• The food should be as tasty as possible (other groups could rate the food at the end
or in the next session).
Hint: Remind your students about the importance of classroom and lab safety. This
activity requires proper hygienic preparation and cleanup. If your students don’t have
access to computers, provide them with a list of nutritional information or you can
provide some food and its packaging for your students to experiment with.
e. Mars habitat
Students could build their own habitat that protects them from the harsh conditions
on Mars such as high UV radiation. This activity can be delivered as a competition to
increase students’ motivation in coming up with the best design possible. You can
provide whatever construction materials you like, but they could include straws,
paper clips, aluminium foil, bubble wrap, elastic bands, Corriflute, felt cloth, string,
cardboard, sticky tape, pipe cleaners and lollypop sticks. The competition score sheet
below can be used to identify the best design for a Mars habitat, based on criteria you
agreed beforehand.
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Activity 3:
Biodome
Additional information: You could tell your students that tortilla is one of the favourite
foods of astronauts as it’s nutritious, easy to store, doesn’t produce crumbs, stays
fresh for about 18 months and is still delicious. However, NASA’s tortillas are mould
resistant and produced with less water than normal tortillas. You can even extend this
activity by preparing and eating your space meals. You can also compare this with real
astronaut food (available from the Science Museum Shop).
Competition score sheet
Scoring
(points)
Reason
Additional materials
required
Volume test
Any structure that
covers a shoebox
completely earns +10
The astronauts will need to
have enough room to live and
work in.
Shoebox
UV test
If the colour of
the UV-detecting
material lying inside
the habitat doesn’t
change at all students
get +10
UV radiation on Mars is much
higher than on Earth. Without
a suitable habitat, astronauts
will not be able to take off
their protective spacesuits.
Materials indicating
UV light such as
UV beads or the UV
paint in the Mars
Mission box
Temperature
test
What structure
keeps hot water the
warmest after five
minutes?
Best: +20
2nd best: +10
3rd best: +5
The temperature on Mars can
drop to as low as –123 °C, so
any habitat will have to be
well insulated. The teacher
places a beaker of hot water
inside the structure, with a
thermometer in the water.
Beaker of hot water
and thermometer
Weight test
What structure is
the lightest?
Lightest: +15
2nd lightest: +10
3rd lightest: +5
Any materials used in the
habitat will have to be carried
in the spacecraft. A lighter
spacecraft will be easier to
launch and require less fuel.
Weighing scales
Strength test
Every structure that
supports a 500 g
weight anywhere
on its roof for ten
seconds gets +10
points and +20 points
if the structure can
support 1 kg.
Any structure that will house
astronauts on Mars will have
to be tough and sturdy.
500 g and 1 kg
weights, or other
items such as bags
of sugar
Aesthetics test
Students can vote
for the best-looking
structure (apart from
their own).
Winner: +10
Runner-up: +5
Aesthetics might not be the
most important criteria, but
they will have an effect on the
morale of the astronauts who
will have to live there.
Voting cards
Total
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Club leader notes Mars mission
Activity 3:
Biodome
Test
What’s on the website?
sciencemuseum.org.uk/marsmissiondownloads
Posters
There are posters for each of the three Mars Mission activities – the ‘Mars rover
activity’, ‘UV detector activity’ and ‘Biodome activity’ – on the website. We have learned
from teachers involved in this project that using posters to advertise club sessions
in your school can help to get more students interested in attending your club. The
posters have been designed to look good whether they are printed in colour or in black
and white.
On the website you will find two different poster files per activity. The first file is a
PDF document. After you have printed it out you will find a blank box on the poster on
which you can write the date, time and location of your club session. The second file
includes a Word box, which allows you to type the date, time and location on the
poster electronically. Only use this version if you want to type your information
before printing.
Film
The three-minute video clip has been developed to set the scene and provide an
overarching theme that combines the ‘Mars rover’, ‘UV detector’ and ‘Biodome’
activities. Moreover, we have found that it can increase your students’ motivation to
return for future club sessions.
PowerPoint presentations
From focus-group sessions with teachers we learned that club leaders like you often
use PowerPoint presentations to introduce an activity in their clubs and to capture
their students’ interest right from the beginning of the session. Therefore, we have
provided some slides about links to real life to make the content of the activities more
relevant and exciting for your students. Instructions on additional slides will help you
and your students run the activities smoothly. The PowerPoint files still allow you
to hide or add slides if you wish, so you can use them in whatever way best suits the
needs of your group.
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Club leader notes Mars mission
What’s on the
website?
We recommend that you show the film at the beginning of the club session when you
first start one of the activities from the Mars Mission box. You may also want to show it
whenever you start a new activity, to provide newcomers with this information as well.
Student logbook
The purpose of the student logbooks is not only to allow your students to record their
findings but also to give them something to take home from their club sessions. The
student logbooks have been designed to look good whether they are printed in colour
or in black and white.
Follow the instructions below on how to assemble the logbooks.
1. Print the student logbooks out doublesided (this is very important).
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Club leader notes Mars mission
What’s on the
website?
2. Stack the three sheets on top of each
other so that page numbers 1, 3 and
5 are in the left-hand corner at the
bottom. Make sure that the sheet with
page number 1 is at the bottom, 3 is in
the middle and 5 is on the top.
3. Keep the sheets in the same order
when folding them from A4 to A5
format.
4. When stapling everything together, try
to get as close to the edge as you can.
Reorder sheet
The materials in this box are a combination of readily available components and less
common items that have been developed specifically for the activities. They’re designed
to be predominantly reusable, but you can reorder individual items as required.
This sheet gives you the costs and codes of the unique or consumable materials
included in this box to enable you to order more as desired at:
[email protected]
You can also order further Mars Mission or Crime Lab boxes at:
sciencemuseum.org.uk/scienceboxes
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Club leader notes Mars mission
What’s on the
website?
Having trouble printing your logbooks? For troubleshooting tips go to
‘Printing the resources’ at: sciencemuseum.org.uk/scienceboxes
Links to websites for further research
If you wish to find out more about certain topics we recommend the
following websites (information correct as of July 2009):
Friction
soton.ac.uk/ses/outreach/greenpower/weightfriction.html
school-for-champions.com/science/friction_traction.htm
Who named the first Mars rover Sojourner?
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/rover/name.html
More information about the Mars rover Sojourner
robothalloffame.org/mars.html
Who named NASA’s current Mars rover?
http://marsrovername.jpl.nasa.gov
NASA images and other multimedia tools
nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html
NASA Mars exploration rover mission
http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html
ExoMars mission
esa.int/SPECIALS/ExoMars/SEM10VLPQ5F_0.html
Spacesuits
http://quest.nasa.gov/space/teachers/suited/8future.html
astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=1222
Google Mars
http://google.com/mars
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Links to websites
for further research
Features of Mars
How safe is travel to Mars?
astrobio.net/news/modules.php?file=article&name=News&op=modload&sid=2122
The space environment and Earth’s atmosphere
asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/educators/resources/spacesuit/space_earth.asp
Thermochromic pigments and more: the future of colour
creatingacolourfullife.com/future.html
Greenhouses
marspedia.org/index.php?title=Greenhouse
Other projects related to growing food on Mars
tomatosphere.org
Links to websites
for further research
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Thank you!
We would like to thank the following people and organisations who willingly gave up
their time and shared their expertise to make this project a success.
BP for its generous support of this project
Science and Engineering Club boxes
teacher panel and their students:
British Science Association
Adrian Fenton, Young People’s
Programme Manager
Phil Griffith
Bramhall High School, Stockport
Matthew Tosh, Science and Engineering
Clubs Coordinator
Emma Upton-Swift, Emily Kempthorne
and Jayne Peck
Bridge Academy, London
Astrium UK
Paul Meacham, Operations Engineer for
the Locomotion Performance Model on
the ExoMars Rover Vehicle Project
Christina O’Brien
Dunraven School, London
Tom Ward
Elstree School, Reading
SciSys
Chris Lee, Sales and Marketing Manager
Emma Doyle and Elaine Armstrong
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Kent
Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory
Jasbir Singh Lota
Parmiter’s School, Hertfordshire
Simon Steel, education specialist
Helen Murtagh
St Angela’s Ursuline School, London
Illumina Digital
Sabrina Organo, film director, editor and
graphic artist
Barry Scott
Southgate School, Hertfordshire
kaiclear.com
Lubna Pervaze
Tom Hood Community Science College,
London
Kai Clear, film script consultant
We would particularly like to thank the
Middlesex University Teaching Resources
team, led by Professor John Cave,
Kate Johns and Peter Stensel, for their
assistance with the development of the
materials used in the activities.
STEMNET
Steve Smythe, Diversity and Development
NASA
Professor Harold Kozak, Solar System
Ambassador
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Club leader notes Mars mission