Rane Anderson - STEM: Mission to Mars: Problem Solving

0covercover.xhtmlSTEM Mission to Mars Problem Solving Rane Andersoncover3page0003page0003.xhtml44page0004page0004.xhtmlTable of Contents Destination : Mars 4 Prepare for Takeoff 6 Rockets to Mars 14 On Mars 20 Signs of Life 24 The Mars Countdown 26 Problem Solving 28 Glossary 30 Index 31 Answer Key 3255page0005page0005.xhtmlDestination : Mars What will it take to safely send humans to Mars? And how will they survive? Scientists have asked these questions for years. They are still trying to answer them today. After all, Mars is a dangerous and deadly place for humans. Its thin atmosphere lets in too much radiation from the sun. That could make humans sick. And the air pressure on Mars is way too low. That means that humans not wearing space suits outside would swell up like balloons and die. And those are just two things that could go wrong. Traveling to Mars is very dangerous. So, why go? There is so much to learn! Scientists have already started planning for the trip. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wants to get humans to Mars by the 2030s. Can they do it? Mars66page0006page0006.xhtml77page0007page0007.xhtmlPrepare for Takeoff What is the best way to learn about space? By living there, of course! From March 2015 to March 2016, two astronauts did just that. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko lived on the International Space Station (ISS). They spent nearly a year tracking their health. They took blood and urine samples. They used an ultrasound machine to monitor their hearts and eyes. Space is a harsh place. Astronauts are exposed to radiation. Their muscles get weaker. And their diets are limited. But, people believe time on the ISS is worth it. Data from the yearlong mission will help NASA. NASA plans to use the data collected to figure out how to take care of humans on a trip to Mars. NASA hopes to keep the Mars crew healthy in space for a long time. Since it is a long trip to Mars, this is crucial! Astronaut Scott Kelly puts away fruit on the International Space Station.88page0008page0008.xhtmlMikhail Kornienko the International Space Station99page0009page0009.xhtmlExploring with Rovers Humans have not yet made it to Mars. But, robots from Earth have. These missions have taught scientists a lot about the Red Planet. NASA rovers have been searching the surface of Mars. They are like robot scientists. Rovers gather data that helps NASA plan for future trips. The youngest rover on Mars is Curiosity. It touched down on August 6, 2012. It has a lot of tools. The tools help it collect data about the rocks and soil. It even has an arm that can hold and move its tools. And it has a laser that can burn holes through rocks! Curiosity can do lots of things. But it still needs someone to control it. Scientists must tell it what to do before it can perform a task. The yellow path shows Curiositys route on the surface of Mars.1010page0010page0010.xhtmlCuriosity Lets1111page0011page0011.xhtmlThere are times when NASA loses all contact with rovers on Mars. This happens when Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the sun. Loss of contact can last for over a month! This is one problem NASA wants to learn more about. People at NASA must learn how to stay in touch with the rovers. Once a crew gets to Mars, they want to be sure they can talk to them at all times. As of 2016, NASA could send signals to the rover most of the time. And it sent signals back. But there was still a delay of 3 to 22 minutes. That long wait meant they would not be able to talk to a crew in real time. In an emergency, the Mars crew would be on its own for a while. This artists concept shows how NASA tested communication in space. Signals between Earth and Mars orbiters Signals between Mars orbiters and landers1212page0012page0012.xhtmlLet1313page0013page0013.xhtmlA geologist examines samples in the desert, using equipment that can be used in space.1414page0014page0014.xhtmlExploring Mars-like Places There are places on Earth where it is not easy to survive. The Arctic can be just as tough to live in as scorching hot deserts. Places like these can test a persons mental and physical strength. NASA knows that these can be the best places to research. Much of Marss surface has huge sand dunes. The Arizona deserts have those, too. So, a group of NASA scientists moved into an analog there. An analog is a shelter for living and working. It has conditions similar to those of space. This helps prepare people for Mars. Scientists can also wear gear and pretend they are on Mars. They can hike up sand dunes and collect samples. They can even use the same tools they will have on Mars. Lets1515page0015page0015.xhtmlRockets to Mars Earth and Mars move on their own paths around the sun. These paths are called orbits, and they are shaped like ellipses. Earth and Mars are not always the same distance from each other. At their closest, Mars is about 34 million miles (55 million kilometers) from Earth. That is more than 4, 000 times the width of Earth! So, the best time to go to Mars is when it is as close to Earth as possible. A trip to Mars takes about eight months. That is a long time. So, the crew has to be prepared. NASA has to make sure the crew will have enough water to drink. Water is heavy. The ship will not be able to carry all of the water that they will need. So, NASA is testing ways to have the crew make water with their urine and sweat! They should be able to filter most of these fluids into water that they can drink. NASA uses energy drinks to test a system that filters nondrinkable water.1616page0016page0016.xhtmlThese water and oxygen systems at a NASA research center are almost identical to those on the ISS. Lets1717page0017page0017.xhtmlThe Mars crew will need to take a lot of cargo with them. They will need food, water, and tools. The Mars crew will rely completely on what they bring. After all, they wont be able to return to Earth if they forget something. But the spacecraft cant be too heavy. If it is, the rockets might not have enough power to propel it out to space. So, scientists have made a plan. They will sort the cargo into groups. Groups of cargo will be sent into space a few at a time. Once the cargo ships land on Mars, it will be the crews turn to go. A cargo ship approaches the ISS.1818page0018page0018.xhtmlThis artists concept shows how NASA plans to grow fresh food on other planets.1919page0019page0019.xhtmlNobody can agree on where the crews spacecraft should land on Mars. They want a spot that will be safe. They also want it to land where they will learn the most about Mars. But more than anything, they want it to land in the spot they choose! In the past, rovers did not land in the right spot. At that time, scientists could only get rovers to land in a large zone. The zone could be up to 500 square mi. (1, 300 square km). That is the size of Hong Kong! The Mars crew wont want to land hundreds of miles from their supplies. That would be a disaster! Curiositys landing zone landing zone of past rovers2020page0020page0020.xhtmlCuriosity had a better landing technique. It was more exact. The zone was only 36 square mi. (93 square km). This gives people hope for the future. The crews spacecraft will be able to land near their supplies. Plus, it will be able to land close to things the crew wants to study. This artists concept shows how a sky crane helped lower Curiosity to the surface of Mars.2121page0021page0021.xhtmlOn Mars Once people get to Mars, they will need a safe place to live. Scientists are trying to build such a habitat. They nicknamed it the Hab. The Hab will have beds and showers. There will also be a bathroom, a kitchen, and an exercise room. But even astronauts need to have some fun. In the Hab, they will be able to talk, read books, watch movies, or even play musical instruments. These are all things people have done on other space missions. People will live and work in the Hab. So, there will be parts of it that are reserved for work. A large storage room will keep equipment safe. The Hab will also have a lab where the crew can study what they find. Habitat Demonstration Unit2222page0022page0022.xhtmlThere will be ways to track conditions and communicate outside and inside the Hab. There will be a main control panel to contact the crew on Earth. And people inside the Hab will be able to speak with the team that is working outside. Another panel helps keep an eye on conditions in the Hab. Is there an oxygen leak? Is the air pressure good? The panel will alert them if problems arise. Crew members conduct science experiments inside the Hab.2323page0023page0023.xhtmlA New Suit While on Mars, the crew will need a special kind of space suit. In the past, space suits were big and bulky. But the Mars crew will need to hike, move, and work with tools for long hours. The suits will need to be strong enough for life on Mars. But they will also need to allow people to move around easily. Professor Dava Newman thought she could help. She and her students work and study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They made a new suit for NASA. Their BioSuit will help the crew work while also keeping them safe. NASA says the suit is like a second-skin. It is not bulky like suits of the past. Instead, it presses and molds to the body. The fabric makes it more comfortable. The crew will be able to move and work more easily. Professor Dava Newman2424page0024page0024.xhtmlNewman tests the BioSuit in a wind tunnel. A researcher adjusts the BioSuit.2525page0025page0025.xhtmlSigns of Life? Scientists want to know : is there life on Mars? So far, rovers have not found any evidence of life on this dry, dusty planet. But, there are clues that water might have flowed on Mars. And wherever there is water, there could be life. Pictures from Mars have shown huge cracks in the mud on its surface. The cracks might have formed after a lake dried up. Scientists have also found sand and dirt inside a crater. Did water carry it there? Scientists see dark streaks in pictures taken during warmer seasons. Those same streaks fade in pictures taken during colder seasons. Scientists believe those streaks could be water that is melting and freezing. The future Mars crew will investigate these clues. They will continue to look for water. If they find it, they might also find signs of life.2626page0026page0026.xhtmlDark streaks at the bottom of the Hale Crater could be signs of water (color added to pictures for identification purposes). The sphere-like rocks in this Mars image could have formed with wet sediment (colored blue for easy identification).2727page0027page0027.xhtmlThe Mars Countdown So, who will go to Mars? Adults are already applying for the chance. But it might be kids of today who are the best candidates for a future trip. Kids who want to journey to Mars need to learn a lot. They need to study subjects like science and math. And they need to love adventure! A trip to Mars will have many unknowns. That means anything could happen. Quick thinkers who are great problem solvers will do best on the mission. They must be mentally strong, physically healthy, and very brave. So, the countdown begins. Scientists work around the clock to get humans to Mars. But studying and planning come first. Then, a successful mission is sure to follow.2828page0028page0028.xhtmlAstronauts conduct tests in a model of the spacecraft that will eventually take a crew to Mars. Lets2929page0029page0029.xhtmlProblem Solving After many months of traveling through space, the Mars crew will touch down on the Red Planet. They will set up the Hab. They will get their supplies and equipment in order. But then, it will be time to get to work! The crew will need to conduct research. They will have to work outside much of the time. As long as they are in their space suits, it will be safe to be outside. Their space suits will help them breathe. The suits will hold enough oxygen for crew members to work outside for up to 8 hours at a time.3030page0030page0030.xhtml1. How many minutes will crew members be able to work outside before their oxygen runs out? 2. If a crew member needs to collect 40 samples, how many minutes can be spent collecting each sample before running out of oxygen? Write an equation and find the solution. Use m to stand for the number of minutes a crew member could spend collecting each sample. 3. Imagine that crew members figure out a way to upgrade their space suits. Now, they can work outside for 9 hours at a time. Assume they spend the same number of minutes collecting each sample. How many more samples could be collected in that extra hour? Write an equation and find the solution. Use s to represent the number of samples. 4. Two crew members collected 80 samples total. They divide the samples equally to carry them back to the Hab. On the way back, each of them picks up 5 new samples. How many samples will each crew member deliver?3131page0031page0031.xhtmlGlossary analog situation on Earth that mimics the physical and mental effects of space on humans astronauts people who travel to space atmosphere the gases that surround a planet or star candidates people who are being considered for a job, position, or award cargo goods that are carried from one place to another on a ship, aircraft, or motor vehicle ellipses shapes that look like flattened circles habitat the type of place where a plant or animal naturally lives or grows International Space Station a human-made satellite orbiting Earth where astronauts conduct space research propel to drive something forward radiation a type of powerful energy that is produced by nuclear reactions rovers vehicles used for exploring the surfaces of planets or moons ultrasound a method of producing images of the inside of the body by using a machine that produces sound waves3232page0032page0032.xhtmlIndex air pressure, Arctic, atmosphere, BioSuit, Curiosity, greenhouse, Hab, International Space Station (ISS) Kelly, Scott, Kornienko, Mikhail, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Newman, Dava, radiation, rovers, space, space suits,3333page0033page0033.xhtmlAnswer Key Let's Explore Math page 9 : 1. 200 d = 800; d = 4 days 2. 100 d = 800; d = 8 days page 11 : 1. 36 minutes 2. 2 6 7 = t page 13 : 1. Answers will vary but may include 10 pea plants 10 bowls per plant = 100 bowls total. 2. 99 bowls total; the estimate is reasonable page 15 : 1. Answers will vary but may include 2 200 = 400 liters 2. 2 240 = 480 liters a day; the estimate is reasonable page 27 : 1. 200 + h = 1, 000 or 1, 000 200 = h; h = 800 hours 2. 80 x m = 800 or 800 80 = m; m = 10 months Problem Solving 1. 480 minutes 2. 40 m = 480 or 480 40 = m; m = 12 minutes per sample 3. 12 s = 60 or 60 12 = s; s = 5 extra samples 4. 45 samples each3434page0034page0034.xhtmlMath Talk 1. What is a variable? 2. How can you tell whether a problem has one or more steps? 3. How can an equation represent a problem? 4. What is the relationship between an equation and its solution? 5. How do you decide which information should be included in an equation? 6. How can estimating be used in a plan for problem solving?3535page0035page0035.xhtmlSTEM Mission to Mars Problem Solving NASA wants to send humans to Mars within the next 25 years. But before that can happen, they must estimate and prepare. They need to problem solve to keep the crew alive on such a dangerous planet. Learning all they can about the variables on Mars is the first step. With careful planning, a successful mission is sure to follow. Operations and Algebric Reasoning36