MARS+ROCKS!

> Sometime in your lifetime, space exploration may lead to a human mission to Mars. The red planet has been a source of fascination for humans, and an inspiration to writers of science fiction, for many years. As our neighbor in the solar system, Mars has been studied through telescopes, space probes, and most recently, by spacecraft that actually landed on the surface of Mars. We have taken photographs of the surface of Mars and analyzed the chemical composition of its atmosphere. But we have not yet been able to collect rocks from Mars and bring them back to Earth for study. > However, we //have// studied rocks from Mars. Scientists have identified several groups of meteorites found on Earth’s surface as rocks that originated on Mars. Some of these meteorites appear to include evidence in their structure that life once existed on Mars. What kind of evidence do these rocks hold? Why do scientists think that life may once have existed on the planet Mars? > [|Top] > Your job in this WebQuest is to learn all about Mars rocks. You will learn about the planet Mars and about space missions to Mars of the past, present, and future. You will find out what types of meteorites came from Mars, and why these rocks have been identified as coming from that planet. You will discover the evidence that leads scientists to the conclusion that life once existed on Mars. You will also learn about plans for a mission to Mars that will collect rocks from the planet’s surface and bring them back to Earth for analysis. Finally, you will answer a set of questions to demonstrate what you have learned about Mars rocks, and about the possibility of life on Mars. > [|Top] > Look at the web sites given here to find the information that will enable you to answer questions about Mars rocks. >> Visit this site for articles and data tables about the planet Mars. You can learn about the history of humanity’s quest to understand Mars and about the possibility of human missions to Mars. Scroll down and click on robot missions to find out more about past, current, and future robotic missions to Mars. >> Go to this National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site for information about the evidence for primitive life on Mars. The site describes the work of a joint team of scientists at the Johnson Space Center and at Stanford University in 1996. These scientists studied a Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. >> At this Discovery.com site you can read an article about new information on life on Mars. The article supports the statements made by scientists in 1996 that a Martian meteorite called ALH84001 includes magnetite crystals that were produced by living organisms. >> Visit this Discovery.com site to read an article that supports the evidence from Martian meteorites that life once existed on Mars. Martian meteorite ALH84001 is one of 16 meteorites found on Earth that are believed to have originated on Mars. >> Go to this Discovery.com site for all kinds of information on Mars. Scroll down and click on searching for life to see a list of articles on Martian meteorites and missions planned to bring samples back from the surface of Mars. >> At this NASA site you can find out why scientists agree that at least 12 meteorites found on Earth had their origins on Mars. Scroll down to learn why scientists think these rocks originated on Mars, and how they arrived on Earth. >> Visit this NASA site for more information on Mars meteorites. Scroll down to see a table that lists the known Mars meteorites, including their locations, the dates they were discovered, their mass, and the type of rock they are made of. >> Go to this site about Planetary Science Research Discoveries for several explanations as to why scientists think Mars once had liquid water. >> At this site you can read a press release from the Field Museum in Chicago. Photographs of Mars show layers of sedimentation. On Earth, sedimentation occurs as a result of deposition from water. Mars also has evidence of oxidation on its surface; water is an agent of oxidation. > [|Top] > 1 class period for research and answering the set of questions. > [|Top] > Read through the following set of questions before you begin your Internet research. As you explore each site, look for answers to the questions. > **//Questions about Mars Rocks!//** >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > [|Top] In the process of completing this WebQuest, you’ve become informed about the planet Mars, and about the possibility that life once existed there. You have learned about past, present, and future missions to Mars. You have discovered the reasons that scientists think life may once have existed on Mars. You have also developed research skills as you explored the web sites given, and identified the relevant information to answer the set of questions above. Do you think materials found in Mars meteorites support the idea that life once existed on Mars? Why is finding evidence of water on Mars important for future exploration of Mars? [|Top] >> In this WebQuest, students do some Internet research on the planet Mars. They learn about space missions to Mars and about what planetary science can tell us about Mars geology. They learn about the composition of Mars meteorites and why scientists think that meteorites provide evidence that life once existed on Mars. They discover the possibility that liquid water once existed on Mars, and learn why that possibility is significant. Finally, they answer some questions about Mars rocks, based on their Internet research. >> [|Top] >> Students will try to answer the set of questions as they explore the Internet sites given. Each web site has some of the answers to the questions, but several of the questions require information from two or more of the web sites. Students should be about to compile information to answer the questions as they read through each web site. Although several of the web sites give detailed information about the geological composition of meteorites from Mars, students are not expected to become experts in Mars geology. Rather, they should be able to gain a general understanding of how meteorites from Mars show evidence of the geology of the planet. From their Internet research, students should also be able to make a reasonable conclusion as to whether life once existed on Mars. >> **Objectives** >> [|Top] >> Students will use the Internet links given to find out all about Mars rocks. They will learn why scientists have identified Mars as the origin of certain meteorites, and what those meteorites can tell us about the planet Mars. They will also explore what we have learned about Mars from past and present spaceflights and find out what future missions to Mars hope to accomplish. Finally, they will decide for themselves if there is enough evidence to show that life once existed on Mars. >> [|Top] >> 1 class period for research and answering the set of questions. >> [|Top] >> As students progress through the list of web sites, you may help them to focus on what they need to know to answer the questions given. Several of the web sites have links to other web sites with relevant information. If time allows, you may want to allow students to explore this subject further. However, many of the sites eventually link back to those listed on the student pages. >> [|Top] >> You may assign 10 points to each of the 10 questions for a total of 100 possible points. The answers to the questions are given below. //You may rate the answer to each questions by the following scale: Excellent – 9-10 points; Very Good – 7-8 points; Good – 5-6 points; Satisfactory – 3-4 points; Poor – 1-2 points; and Unsatisfactory – 0 points.// >> //**Questions about Mars Rocks!**// >> [|Top] >> Using information gathered from the Internet, students should be able to answer the questions given about Mars rocks. From their research, students should be able to draw some conclusions about the possibility that life once existed on Mars. Have students discuss the importance of finding magnetite crystals in Mars meteorites. Also have students discuss how the presence of liquid water on Mars influences whether life as we know it could exist on that planet. >> [|Top]
 * An Internet WebQuest**
 * MARS ROCKS!**
 * Introduction**
 * Task**
 * Resources**
 * [|**Explore Mars.**]
 * **[|NASA Human Spaceflight: Science.]**
 * **[|NASA Announces New Evidence Regarding Past Life on Mars.]**
 * [|**New Evidence Strengthen Claims of Ancient Life on Mars.**]
 * **[|The Whole Mars Catalog.]**
 * **[|Meteorites from Mars!]**
 * **[|Mars Meteorites.]**
 * **[|Gullies and Canyons, Rocks and Experiments: The Mystery of Water on Mars.]**
 * **[|Chemical Analysis of Six Martian Meteorites Indicates That Water was Once Abundant on Mars.]**
 * Time**
 * Process**
 * 1) How did meteors from Mars arrive on Earth?
 * 1) What type of rock are most Martian meteorites?
 * 1) What does the term //snc achondrites// refer to?
 * 1) Why is it important to identify the gases trapped inside Mars meteorites?
 * 1) What do Martian meteorites tell us about Mars?
 * 1) There is a future mission to Mars planned that will send a spacecraft to collect rock samples on the surface of the planet. What is the name and the launch date of this spacecraft?
 * 1) Why do we need to collect rocks from the surface of Mars?
 * 1) What evidence shows that Mars may once have had liquid water?
 * 1) What are some reasons that scientists think living things may have existed on Mars approximately 3.6 billion years ago?
 * 1) Based on your research, form an opinion as to whether life once existed on Mars.
 * Conclusion**
 * WebQuest Teacher Page**
 * An Internet WebQuest**
 * MARS ROCKS!**
 * Introduction**
 * Task**
 * **Research** meteorites from Mars and identify the type of rock each is composed of.
 * **Describe** the evidence that indicates that these meteorites came from Mars.
 * **Discuss** the evidence that shows that liquid water once existed on Mars.
 * **Identify** the evidence that shows that life once existed on Mars.
 * Resources**
 * Time**
 * Process**
 * Evaluation**
 * 1) meteoroid impacts on Mars surface ejected them into space; they landed on Earth millions of years later
 * 2) igneous rocks
 * 3) SNC refers to the locations in which the first three meteorites believed to have come from Mars were found: Shergotty, India; Nakhla, Egypt; and Chassigny, France. All are achondrites as well. The 18 Mars meteorites found so far can be classified as one of five different types, including the snc types.
 * 4) The gases trapped inside Mars meteorites match those measured by the 1970s Viking mission in Mars’ atmosphere.
 * 5) They tell us that Mars had volcanism (igneous rocks): that there was at least some liquid water on Mars (Mars rocks show weathering from water); that volcanism continued for quite a long time on Mars (some meteorites are as old as 3.6 million years ago, while some are just 1.3 billion years old).
 * 6) Mars Surveyor 2003 Lander/Rover will be launched on May 22, 2003.
 * 7) All of the Mars meteorites are igneous rocks, which do not usually contain sediments, soils, or fossils. Also, we don’t know exactly where on Mars the meteorites came from. We need to collect rocks on Mars to compare them to the meteorites and to see if there are also sedimentary and metamorphic rocks as well as igneous.
 * 8) The Mars meteorites have minerals in them which are highly soluble in hot water and which are crystallized in the rocks. The crust of Mars is red, which scientists agree is due to iron oxide; iron oxide forms in reaction with water. Photographs of Mars show layers of sediments in canyons and gullies; sedimentation occurs on Earth only from deposition under water.
 * 9) They have found magnetite crystals in Mars meteorites; the shape of the crystals matches similar crystals formed only by living things on Earth. They have found gases trapped in the meteorites that match the gases of Mars atmosphere. They have found microscopic fossils of what may be bacteria in some of the meteorites.
 * 10) Student answers may vary. Accept all answers that are supported by facts from students’ Internet research.
 * Conclusion**