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Royal Observatory Greenwich
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Exploring Mars - key stage 2
Although no humans have been to Mars, we have sent lots of spacecraft and rovers to explore this distant world. In this resource, students will design their own rover and answer the question “Which would be better to explore Mars, humans or robots?”
The accompanying video clip focuses on human missions to Mars and highlights the role of rovers in exploring the planet.
In the first activity 'Design your own Mars rover' pupils are provided with fact files about missions that have explored the planet and six location files. Pupils are then allocated or select a location and then have to work as a team to design a rover that could explore this location and answer specific questions such as how the rover is powered.
The second activity uses the experience of building the rover and information from the 'Mission to Mars' video to debate whether humans or robots would be better to explore Mars. To help with the debate it would help pupils to have completed the Mission to Mars activity which looks in detail at the challenges humans would face if they visited Mars.
All the fact sheets, worksheets and answers needed for the activity can be found in the teacher guidance.
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