Journey to Mars - Introduction
Watch this video about America's next space adventure!
 
We go as the Artemis generation by NASA

We Go: To the Moon and on to Mars. Our generation, the Artemis generation, will explore farther than we've ever gone before. The Artemis program will send the first woman and next man to walk on the surface of the Moon and build a sustainable base to prepare for missions to Mars and beyond.
Watch this video to learn what a Journey to Mars will require!
 
 Computational Thinking by JULES
 
Putting humans on Mars is a BIG DEAL! It is a very large, complex problem that cannot be solved in a single day or by a single person.  It's going to involve the efforts of a lot of people using computational thinking skills!!!
Let's begin by DECOMPOSING the problem, meaning we'll break it up into smaller problems that are easier to solve! 
Which of the following are smaller problems that we could solve to help us put human beings on Mars? (click all that apply.)
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Fortunately, there are many scientific and engineering fields of study that focus on these smaller problems, which can be very complicated too and may require additional decomposition.  We can apply the knowledge and understanding of these fields to abstract unimportant details, to recognize patterns and solutions that can be applied, and to come up with an algorithm for success!!!  These steps will be important to a Journey to Mars! 
 
Packaging science is an example of one of these fields of study.  Using what we know about food safety and packaging, we can help to feed humans traveling to, living on, and returning from Mars!   
 
For reference, the shortest time from launch on Earth to landing on Mars by an unmanned American craft is 212 days or approximately 7 months. (It was the Mars Pathfinder in 1996.) That is a long journey and will require a lot of food to sustain human life. 
 
Let's design a package that protects food to keep astronauts healthy and safe!
 
To do this activity, you will need: 
  • A food item (preferably 4 crackers or chips)
  • Various packaging items (plastic bags, containers, napkins, tape, etc.)
  • A sink or bowl full of water
 
Steps: 
  1. Make a plan to protect the food item from being damaged in transit and from environmental contamination.
  2. Implement your design using commonly found household materials to package the food item. 
  3. Once complete, drop your package from a height of 5-6 feet to the ground.  Repeat this step 3 times.
  4. After dropping your package submerge it underwater for 5 minutes. (You may need to place something heavy on top of it to hold it underwater. 
  5. Remove the package from the water and dry the outside.  
  6. Unwrap the package and examine your food item.
It is not uncommon for scientists and engineers to design, test, fail, and redesign their projects over and over again in a continual process. If your initial package didn't protect the food, that's okay.  Now, you have uncovered an additional problem that needs to be addressed through the process of decomposition! 
 
 
Don't forget to use the hashtag #SC4HatHome to share photos of your work for a chance to win a 4-H prize pack!  If you are not on social media, you can enter photos by sending them to the email at the end of this survey. Thank you!!!  Keep journeying...