EARTH SCIENCE/COMMON CORE: ANALYZING DATA WEATHER REPORT In The Martian (p. 20), you read that one of the challenges that an astronaut would face on Mars is extreme weather. The chart below shows how the temperature varies during one complete day on Mars, or sol. One sol is equal to about 24 hours and 39 minutes on Earth. Air Temperature in a Day on Mars Sol Temperature ( C) 0-65 0.1-70 0.2-72 0.3-61 0.4-40 0.5-15 0.6-5 0.7-20 0.8-34 0.9-50 1.0-64 THINK ABOUT IT: What type of graph would best display the information in the chart? Explain your answer. GRAPH IT: Use the data in the chart to create your graph on a separate piece of paper. Be sure to label each axis of your graph, include units of measurement, and give your graph a title. analyze it: 1. How many Earth minutes are represented by 0.1 Martial sol? 3. By how much does the temperature vary in one day on Mars? 2. Which part of your graph represents the middle of the day? How do you know? 4. How does this data support the idea that weather will present a challenge to astronauts on Mars? TAKE IT FURTHER: The data from Mars was taken on August 16. Visit www.wunderground.com/history to find out what the weather is like in your area on the same day of the year. Graph it. How do the days on Earth and Mars compare?
BIOLOGY: PAIRED TEXTS SPACE GARDEN In The Martian (p. 20), you learned that one challenge astronauts will face on Mars is growing their own food. In this paired text, you ll learn more about a recent experiment harvesting edible plants in space. Read the passage and then answer the questions that follow. SPACE VEGGIES Last August, for the first time, people ate food grown in space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) snacked on lettuce that was harvested from a specially designed system nicknamed VEGGIE. For years, scientists have been doing experiments to test how plants respond to the conditions in space. One goal is to learn how astronauts can grow their own food for lengthy missions far from Earth. VEGGIE is the first experiment in which astronauts have eaten what they produced. The lettuce grew for 33 days in a chamber that has lights that mimic sunlight. Six small, pillow-shaped packets were placed inside the chamber. The packets contained lettuce seeds and fertilizer that slowly releases over time. One of the biggest challenges was watering the plants. In the microgravity conditions of space, poured water floats away. The VEGGIE system injects water directly into the seed packets. After cleaning off the lettuce with disinfectant wipes, the astronauts tasted the leaves with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. But they ate only half: The other portion was frozen and will be brought back to Earth for testing. questions 1. What is the author s primary purpose in writing this passage? A to describe how astronauts grew the first food in space B to describe the types of experiments scientists have done on plants in space C to explain why it is important to be able to grow food in space D to explain why it is difficult to grow food in space 2. Which sentence from the article supports the author s primary purpose for writing the passage? A For years, scientists have been doing experiments to test how plants respond to the conditions in space. B One goal is to learn how astronauts can grow their own food for lengthy missions far from Earth. C Last August, for the first time, people ate food grown in space. D One of the biggest challenges was watering the plants. 3. Why is water injected directly into the seed packets in the VEGGIE system? A Water evaporates too quickly in space. B Poured water floats away. C The seeds need to be soaked with water to grow. D Free water in the space station would pose a danger to electronics. 4. Consider what you learned about growing food on Mars in The Martian. Which of the following facts is supported by both the passage above and the text in the section Faraway Farming from the article? A Water for growing food is available on Mars. B Martian soil can support plants. C Astronauts need to provide a type of fertilizer to grow plants. D Lettuce can grow in space. 5. Why do you think half of the lettuce was brought back to Earth for testing? Write your answer on a separate piece of paper.
CHEMISTRY: integrating visual information, p. 1 A SIGN OF LIFE? In The Martian (p. 20), you read about the challenges of sending astronauts to Mars. Rovers are currently on the Red Planet gathering data. One surprising rover find was the detection of bursts of methane gas near the planet s surface. Scientists think this might be a sign that life exists on the planet. The diagram below shows possible explanations for the presence of methane on Mars. Study the diagram and then answer the questions that follow. Sun POSSIBLE SOURCES OF METHANE ON MARS In November 2013, a set of instruments on Curiosity called SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) detected a burst of methane on the Red Planet. Scientists don t yet know the origin of the methane, but here are three potential sources. POSSIBLE SOURCE NO. 1: UV DEGRADATION Organic molecules arrive on the surface of Mars in cosmic dust. Then the sun s ultraviolet radiation breaks down the molecules and produces methane. Release Mars Rover ILLUSTRATION: MAGICTORCH LTD.; COURTESY OF NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS (MARS SURFACE); COURTESY OF NASA/JPL-CALTECH (ROVER) Olivine Water Microbes POSSIBLE SOURCE NO. 2 Microscopic life-forms produce methane. It s possible that microbes live under the Martian soil and are releasing methane, or they lived there in the past and the methane is just now being released. POSSIBLE SOURCE NO. 3 Another possible methane source is a chemical reaction involving rocks like olivine. This rock reacts with water to produce hydrogen, which then reacts with carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide to form methane. Eventually the methane gets released. continued on page 2
CHEMISTRY: integrating visual information, p. 2 A SIGN OF LIFE? ANALYZE IT 1. Name the three possible sources of methane on Mars. 4. Does the detection of methane mean future astronauts will encounter living things on Mars? Explain your answer. 2. How might living creatures play a role in the methane detected on Mars? 3. The Mars rover Curiosity detected a burst of methane. Does that prove that the gas was being produced on Mars at that time? Explain your answer.
engineering: PAIRED TEXTS TIME SAVER In The Martian (p. 20), you learned that NASA hopes to send astronauts to Mars in the next 25 years. In this paired text, you ll learn more about how humans may travel to the Red Planet. Read the passage to learn about a new rocket that could drastically reduce a crew s travel time to Mars. Then use complete sentences to answer the questions that follow. A FASTER RIDE At its closest point, Mars is roughly 34 million miles away. With today s rockets, the one-way journey from Earth takes between six and nine months. The long travel time increases astronauts exposure to the sun s dangerous radiation, which can lead to health problems. But a new, speedier rocket, called VASIMR, could help reduce this risk. It would shorten the trip to Mars to just six weeks. The VASIMR was designed by Franklin Chang Díaz, a physicist and retired NASA astronaut. Its engine uses electricity to heat a gas to temperatures high enough to transform it into plasma (a state of matter in which a gas is split into negatively and positively charged particles). The plasma shoots out of the rocket at high speeds, thrusting the spacecraft in the opposite direction. The force of the escaping plasma could propel a spacecraft much faster than traditional rockets, which burn liquid fuel. Although the VASIMR is still in development, Chang Díaz hopes it will one day provide a shortcut for astronauts headed to Mars. questions 1. What is the central idea of this passage? 4. Why do you think the author included the facts that Chang Díaz is a physicist and a retired NASA astronaut? 2. List one fact from the article that supports the central idea above. 5. What are two facts about Mars that are supported by both the passage above and the article The Martian? 3. What is plasma?