Dec 29, 2003 By Jenny Susa 6 min read

On Aug. 27, the planet Mars made its closest approach to the Earth in 60,000 years. It was a good time for scientists, young and old, to examine the Red Planet.

However, in January, when two robotic rovers land on Mars, local students will get an even closer look at this celestial neighbor.

A retired mathematics and computer science professor from California University of Pennsylvania is working with local teachers to help students learn more about Mars in the classroom.

Dr. Jerry Blackmon is executive director of the Mars Exploration Learning Center, which is conducting “Exploring Mars in K-12 Classrooms,” an ongoing program that involves the development of educational tools that can be used in NASA Mars missions and provide hands-on learning experiences for students.

Blackmon said that this year, NASA will send to Mars two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, that will be able to move up to 100 meters a day over the planet’s surface.

He said a Mars exploration workshop was held at Cal U to prepare teachers to receive the data retrieved from those rovers and take it back to the classroom.

“The rovers will land on opposite sides of the planet, one in a flood plain area and the other in a crater,” Blackmon said. “They will send scientific data back to Earth in the form of movie clips and images. NASA has made a special attempt to gather that data as quickly as possible.”

Blackmon said those involved with the exploration program are gearing up to see what information the rovers will provide, and some people may be surprised by the data the rovers collect.

“If it is successful, it should bring back a lot of data that proves that at one time there was water on the surface of Mars,” said Blackmon. “Right now there is subterranean water on Mars, which we think is equal to the amount of water in the seven great lakes. One could almost conclude that there was some form of life on Mars – not life as we know it, but life in some form. If that is the case, part of the mission is to discover what went wrong.”

Blackmon said the idea of the Mars exploration program is to allow students to participate in the upcoming mission realistically. He said the teachers are given different types of educational tools for use in the classroom.

One tool is a simulator that uses interactive 3-D virtual reality software to allow students to experience driving a rover across the Martian terrain to collect data.

Blackmon said the teachers also will use math activities with a science focus, in which the students can write their own codes after viewing data for specific missions.

Teachers’ resource manuals also are being used for the project. CD-ROMs and text will be provided to the teachers, containing NASA data, as well as resources the teachers can use for planning classroom activities.

Blackmon said another unique learning tool is the robotics component. Students will build Lego robots and Martian terrain so that they can conduct Mars missions on their own. Blackmon added that students will participate in a competition for this activity sometime in 2004, but the location has not been determined.

The final tool is a Web site that simulates Mars surfaces and has NASA data on a map. Teachers will have the ability to add their own information to the map, and track their students’ progress in collecting data.

“The teachers go away from the workshop with an understanding of what tools they have available and also how to use them,” said Blackmon.

He said teachers may take part in another workshop the first Saturday in March, after the rovers have returned. Teachers can register for that now by calling the Intermediate Unit 1.

Because the rovers are landing in January, teachers who participated in the workshop are planning to start their lessons about the planet during that time.

Denise Angelo, who teaches alternative education at Intermediate Unit 1, said the students will respond well to these different learning tools.

“These students don’t do well in a traditional public school system, and this is a great opportunity for them to study science and work with computers,” said Angelo. “We haven’t used the materials in class yet, but I have told them how you could see Mars while it was so close, and they were looking for it at night. They are looking forward to learning about it.”

Paula Sabo, a substitute teacher in the California Area School District, attended the workshop and said she really wanted to share the information she had gotten from the program.

“A teacher at the elementary school asked me to use these materials for a week in her class,” said Sabo. “So I am going to present it to her class.”

Sabo said she was impressed with the information she got from the workshop and was happy to share it with the students.

“We’re planning on doing a project with the third grade where they build their own rocket ship and project how far it will go. We’re thinking of doing something else where they make their own cushion system for an egg and toss it out the window. Then we will compare that to the fragileness of the probes and let them see how they need to be protected.”

Sheri Barnickle, who teaches learning support at Albert Gallatin South Middle School, said she is doing an entire unit on Mars during the next nine weeks.

“This way we’ll be doing the lessons with the landing of the rovers as it happens,” said Barnickle, adding that she also was happy with the material she received at the workshop.

“The seminar was fantastic. We paid $80 for the manual, but I would say it had at least $1,000 worth of information. And Dr. Blackmon is bringing the rovers here to show the students for two weeks, and he will spend one day talking with them.”

She said she has kept posters and photos of Mars and other planets on the walls of her classroom as a way to get the students interested in the subject.

“They are very excited about it,” said Barnickle. “These kids don’t get regular science and they can’t wait until the next nine weeks.”

“We’re really excited about the mission and excited to bring it to the students in the area,” said Blackmon. “This will be the fifth workshop we’ve done since 2000, and we plan to continue our work.”

Blackmon also mentioned that NASA is hoping to put astronauts on Mars in the 2020s.

“This would be wonderful for the education of students across the United States.”