Soaring through
the Solar System
Where is our next home?
by J. Trusedell
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is working with scientists from throughout the country to try to learn which of the 8 planets and the micro planet Pluto would be best suited to support a colony. You and your team have been selected to participate in this research project.
| Moon Phases | Additional Resources |
|
Evaluation |
Conclusion |
Your Task-
is to research one of the planets in our Solar System
and our own moon to discover which of these planets might be most like the earth
to support the lives of our Astronauts. You are to become the expert about that
planet so you can help other scientist understand if that planet could support
life as we know it.
You must:
Identify all the planets in our Solar System from their pictures
Give characteristics of your planet and analyze how it relate to
earth.
Create a report that will be submitted to your supervisor that
includes the graph of the data you have collected about your planet
and how it relates to earth.
Include information about Earth's own moon phases so you can
compare that to other planets and their moons.
Interplanetary Links- below you will find links that will help you gather information about the planets and your quest to discover which planet might support human life.
Tour of the Planets
Mercury |
Venus |
Earth |
Mars |
Jupiter |
 Saturn |
 Uranus |
|
Pluto and the other dwarf planets
Virtual Tour of the Solar System
As part of your evaluation, your lab report will be graded with your graph and a graphic of your planet inserted. To get full credit, your report must be complete and submitted to your supervisor (teacher)
Through this project, we hope that you have learned about the planets in our Solar System and our efforts to explore these places. We hope that you have learned that any mission into space is risky, but we have to learn from those mistakes to prepare for the successes of the future.
Resources
