Mars In Your Own Backyard
What is Mars in your Own Backyard?
“Mars In Your Own Backyard” is a sub-project within the larger CAN-ARX challenge in which CAN-ARX staff host workshops on a variety of planetary science which they would not have been often exposed to before.
This includes but is not limited to the following:
- 3D modelling workshops
- Learning how Canada’s arctic region helps researchers test new technologies in colder climates
- How habitats are made to ensure proper living conditions in harsher climates
For 360° images from Phase 1, click here!
PHASE 2
Workshop Series
Once participating classrooms have completed their 360° image collection (Phase 1), SEDS-Canada staff will host a virtual Mars in your Own Backyard Workshop Series with the students leading up to the CAN-ARX expedition. During the expedition, SEDS-Canada staff will host in-person school visits (COVID-19 permitting) to run hands-on activities and share educational resources to both students and teachers. Required infrastructure include laptops and/or projectors to host the workshops and for students to build their models in TinkerCAD. SEDS-Canada will work with each interested school in the event that these requirements may be a barrier for participation.
This activity is only open to educators in the northern territories.
Once classrooms complete the workshop series, they will be asked to submit their habitat’s to SEDS-Canada for promotion on our Mars in Your Own Backyard webpage. Participating classrooms will receive poster prints of their students’ Mars in Your Own Backyard habitats, as well as 3D prints of selected Martian habitats designed by the students.
Workshop 1: Mars in the Arctic
The first workshop discusses the Martian environment and why the Canadian Arctic is well suited as a planetary analogue. Students will learn STEM focused topics in environmental, climate, and space science, such as rocks and minerals (space rocks), the water cycle (on Mars) and what the term “analogue” means. They will also learn about the type of information that researchers and/or rovers can obtain from doing analogue research.
After students have learned the basics of environmental science and rocks and minerals, they will be taking part in a hands-on activity using loaned space rock kits from the Uniersity of Western Ontario that are composed of different rocks and meteorites from the Arctic, the Moon, and Mars.Students will be able to identify key features that may be analogous to the Moon and Mars, with applications to planetary surface exploration and instrumentation on future lunar and Martian rovers.
Workshop 2: Martian Habitats
The second workshop will teach students about how to live on Mars. Students will focus on biology, arts, and environmental science – including topics such as basic life support, space suit design, radiation protection, and food production. They will be introduced to a few examples of Martian habitat designs at a high-level, including:
- Materials science (which materials are best suited for radiation protection and why?)
- Closed-loop resource utilization (how can human waste be recycled?)
- Tools that could monitor astronaut health
Students will then be challenged to apply their knowledge. For Gr. 5-8 classes, the activity will involve creating some illustration with critical thinking and ideation. For Gr. 9-12 classes, students will be given a problem scenario on Mars and asked to write a case study for how they would solve the problem.
Workshop 3: 3D Modelling with TinkerCAD
The third workshop will introduce students to the open-access TinkerCAD application and how it can be used to design their very own Martian habitat. Students in Gr. 5-12 will learn curricular skills/topics focused on technology, mathematics, the arts, teamwork, and spatial thinking. They will apply what they have learned in the first two workshops with the help of virtual assistants (teachers, SEDS-Canada staff, etc).
Students will be placed in teams of 3-4 and will work together to build their habitat within the area of one of the 360° images they took. Each section of the habitat can be assigned to one student (architecture, interior design, greenhouse, airlocks, etc). The final product of the workshop will be a complete 3D model of the students’ very own Martian habitat in their own backyard, which is easily shareable and downloadable.
Associate Professor
