Encouraging Future Astronauts

On February 18, 2021, Americans watched NASA land its fifth rover on Mars. The rover, named Perseverance by a 13 year old student in Virginia, is the largest and most sophisticated piece of technology to land on this distant planet. This car-sized rover is 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, 7 feet tall and weighs just over one ton. For the first time, NASA has also recorded the rover's landing on Mars. Watch the video of the landing with NASA narration and listen to the sounds of Mars. 

The rover has seven instruments on board including ground-penetrating radar, an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to look for signs of ancient life and an experimental technology called a MOXIE that will attempt to convert the carbon dioxide in Mars's atmosphere to oxygen. If the MOXIE technology is successful, future astronauts could use a larger version on Mars to create oxygen to breathe or for use as rocket fuel for a return to Earth.

As an experiment, Perseverance also brought along a helicopter drone. NASA plans to fly the drone, named Ingenuity, 30 to 60 days after landing. The helicopter has solar panels for charging once it is permanently disconnected from Perseverance. If it is successful, the drone will be the first successful flight on any planet besides Earth.

Teachers can use this current landing and the upcoming experiments to encourage students to pursue STEM careers like geology, aerospace engineering or computer programming. All of these careers and others are being used to reach and explore Mars. NASA has provided many resources on its website for students of all ages.

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The main Perseverance website: 

• Download a 3D model to use in Augmented Reality (AR) apps on iPads or Android/iPhone apps to virtually place a 3D rover in your room to examine.
• Includes an on-screen 3D model that allows students/teachers to rotate and click on different modules for descriptions of instruments.

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The site for the Ingenuity helicopter:‍

• Includes how to make a paper helicopter
• Includes coding a Mars helicopter video game using Scratch
• Download a 3D model to use in Augmented Reality (AR) apps on iPads or Android/iPhone apps to virtually place a 3D rover in your room to examine

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Various resources that can be printed.

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Both sites have many videos and images and will be adding more as Mars exploration  continues.

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The OPSRC’s weekly Tech Talks will feature an agriscience professional on Tuesday, March 2nd, and an information technology professional on Thursday, March 4th. These events are for teachers to ask these professionals questions. Both professionals are also available to visit classrooms through OPSRC’s FutureLink Oklahoma. Learn more and register for these free events on our webpage. We will record these and all other Tech Talk events and will provide links on the dedicated page.