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Mars Travel Ticket

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Engineering For Mars: NASA InSight Mission Test Lab (360 Video)

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Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll?

I pulled three questions from my jar. Which question do you want to explore next week?

How do erasers erase?

-Matthew, 5th Grade

What causes lightning?

-Iris, 3rd Grade

Why does poison ivy make us itchy?

-Annie, 2nd Grade

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Watch the video to discover the answer to "Why is Mars red?" and don't forget to vote for next week's question!

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Videos | Multimedia Section - NASA's Mars Exploration Program

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NASA's real-time portal for Mars exploration, featuring the latest news, images, and discoveries from the Red Planet.

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MU69

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Gallery of solar system images | NASA Space Place - NASA Science for Kids

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Glorious planets and moons to view or print.

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Solar System | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

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Articles, games and activities about our planetary neighbors

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Get an up-close-and-personal look at a variety of NASA spacecraft designed to study the Earth, Mars and the universe, using this augmented reality application. Download: Android | iPhone | AR Target (PDF)

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Get an up-close-and-personal look at a variety of NASA spacecraft designed to study the Earth, Mars and the universe, using this augmented reality application. Download: Android | iPhone | AR Target (PDF)

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What are the Mars rovers?

Mars is a fascinating planet. It's icy cold and covered in reddish dust and dirt. Like Earth, it has volcanoes, gullies, and flat plains. Scientists can also see channels that look like they were carved by rivers and streams a long, long time ago. Over the years, we've sent four robotic vehicles, or rovers, to learn more about Mars. And NASA's fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, landed on the Red Planet in February 2021!

Meet the Team:

Click on each card below to find out what we've learned from each Mars rover.

Why are rovers so important?

Since the 1970s, scientists have been sending spacecraft to Mars. Several different types of spacecraft have been sent to the Red Planet over the years, and they all have different specialties. One type, called orbiters, orbit Mars, taking pictures as they zoom around the planet. Other spacecraft, called landers, provide photos and information from their landing spots on the surface of Mars.

Rovers have wheels and specialize in moving around. They land on the surface of Mars and drive around to different spots.

Rovers help scientists in their quest to understand what different parts of the planet are made of. Mars is made up of lots of different types of rocks, and each rock is made up of a mixture of chemicals. A rover can drive around to different areas, studying the different chemicals in each rock. These chemicals can tell scientists something about the environments that changed that rock over time.

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How do rovers help us learn more about the Red Planet?

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How to Play

Always wanted to cruise around on the surface of another planet? Well, you're in luck! In Explore Mars, you will be driving a rover on Mars and collecting information about Martian rocks.

First, you will choose a rock to investigate. Then, you'll send a sequence of commands telling the rover how to get to that rock. Don't forget to include the command to analyze the rock! This information will then be sent back to scientists on Earth.

You will earn points every time you successfully analyze a new Martian rock. If you want a high score, plan carefully. Some rocks are worth many more points than others!

The Voice of the Game
Charlene Valerio, NASA/JPL Systems Engineer
The encouraging voice guiding you in this game is from Charlene Valerio, an engineer who works on the real Mars 2020 mission. Learn more about Charlene and her work in this profile!

About the Perseverance Rover

Perseverance is a rover that NASA landed on Mars in February 2021. The rover will cruise around investigating rocks in a region called Jezero Crater. A very long time ago, Jezero Crater contained a lake that was filled with liquid water - and possibly even living organisms.

By studying the rocks in this crater today, scientists can learn what the environment on Mars was like billions of years ago. Certain kinds of rock in the crater could even hold evidence of past microbial life on Mars!

About Mars Helicopter

When you're playing the game, you might notice a little helicopter joining you on your journey. The real Perseverance rover will have a helicopter friend, too! NASA's solar-powered Mars Helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

The Mars helicopter is an experiment for NASA's scientists and engineers. It will be a test to see if small aircraft can be used to do science on future Mars missions.

Related Resources for Educators

Mission to Mars Student Challenge

Make a Moon or Mars Rover Game

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Always wanted to cruise around on the surface of another planet? Well, you're in luck! In Explore Mars, you will be driving a rover on Mars and collecting information about Martian rocks. First, you will choose a rock to investigate. Then, you'll send a sequence of commands telling the rover how to get to that rock.

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An interactive 3D introduction to the InSight Mars mission, its technology and its scientific objectives.