Our St. Louis Science Center Experience

June 2, 2001

Before our trip to the Science Center, we spent a lot of time making our table and displays.

The special projects below were featured on our Mars terrain project at the St. Louis Science Center. These projects detail some of the current geological features and future structures of a Martian community.

MV2

MV2 has been designed for when we land on Mars to be used as a scout and a transportation device for researchers to use. It has been programmed so it will hopefully never get stuck because it was ramming itself in to a rock. It will research areas that scientists couldn't reach. It can be used to follow a certain line with a special attachment. It could search the deep canyons and caves that are all over Mars and maybe someday launch a special object that would melt the ice caps. You can attach arms on it that can be controlled from a certain base camp and never get interfered with. It also has the ability to measure dust storms on Mars. The way it would do this is first it would drive directly into a dust storm. It would wait for the storm to pick it up. Then while in the storm it would gain every bit of data possible with all its sensors. Then when the storm was gone, it would fall to the ground and its impact would be little because of gravity though it would land with an airbag inflated on the bottom and then with the force the airbag would automatically jam itself back into place.

It also has the ability to launch many balloon/parachute type items in storms and anywhere. That is also an attachment. The reason for launching it from a storm is so it could last longer and gather more information. And if the ballon was big enough it could carry probes to places we have never been and can't get to.

By Patrick K.

Red Planet Explorer

Our spacecraft is called the Red Planet Explorer. It takes off on Earth and lands at the base of Olympus Mons, Mars. Some of the special features are the cot for wounded and dead people, the little box that stores small items, the camera that sends 3D photos back to NASA headquarters, and the special scout vehicle on the back of the Red Planet Explorer. The fire on the back of the spacecraft is to help it to go faster during takeoff. The wheels are designed to go over big rocks. The middle wheels wind up and really move.

By Henrik O. and Alex G.

Space Stadium

The Space Stadium is a few thousand miles south of Olympus Mons. It is right next to the Space Suites. Some special characteristics are the bending air conditioners and heaters, the Gatorade fountain, and the electricity flashers. An electricity flasher is a form of light.

This Space Stadium is the first stadium on Mars. This stadium is for high-tech sports. The high-tech sports include virtual simulation soccer. If you want to stay close, go to the Space Suites. I hope you enjoy the games.

By Brandon S. and Henrik O.

Space Suites

The Space Suites is a wonderful hotel. It has its own solar panel and satellite. The door senses you and scans you for weapons. The hotel offers spectacular security, which includes red security lasers all around. So it is a safe place.

Each floor has fifty rooms. The regular hotel room is $100 per night. The suites are $200 per night. The Presidential Suite is $5000 per night. The rooms include a bed, chair and table. The building on the side goes on top of the lobby. We don't have any roofs so you can see in. We hope you enjoy your stay!

By Brandon S. and Henrik O.

The Greenhouse

This is the greenhouse. It will be a very important part of our Mars colony. The plants in the greenhouse will create oxygen that we will need to breathe on Mars. This is how the greenhouse controls work.

- The blue and white spinning object in the bottom right hand corner is the seeding and watering device. The buttons on the top and left are blue and red. Push the blue button for cold water and the red for hot water. The steering wheel controls the watering part of the blue and white object. You spin the steering wheel depending on the way you want the water to spray. The blue lever on the right controls if you want the seeder (right) or watering device (left).

-The two objects on both the far right and far left are the heat and sunlight devices. They help keep the plants warm and give them sunlight.

-The clear objects scattered around the greenhouse let the sunlight in for the plants.

-There are also vents scattered around the greenhouse to keep the plants warm.

-There is a thermometer. It tells the temperature like all thermometers except this one sends an alarm to base station if the temperature is not correct. The regular temperature in the greenhouse is 75-85 degrees; if it is three degrees different than that, an alarm will go off and warn people who will make adjustments.

-On the top of the greenhouse there is a black object that looks like fun. It is a wind sensor. It tells you if the wind is strong and if it is safe to go outside.

-There are also two yellow objects on the top of the greenhouse. One is shaped like an arch and the other is shaped like an oval. They are wind sensors, too. They do the exact same thing. They have two just in case one breaks.

-The white stick like object on the top is an antenna. It is helping look for intelligent life. It may or may not pick up any signals.

-The white and yellow object on top of the greenhouse is also looking for intelligent life or just any life at all.

-There is also a gray and red object on the top of the greenhouse. It is a motion activated video camera.

-On the outside of the greenhouse, there's a small, black window type object. You can still see the colorful greenhouse through the dust.

The greenhouse is actually one of the most important things we'd use on Mars. Look for a greenhouse like this on Mars soon!

By Annie K.

The Green House

Our Green House is going to be on Mars in the year 2030. The Green House should be centered in a temperate place with some rainfall so the flowers get watered. When it rains, it will make the outside of the Green House kind of cold and it will sink in with the flowers.

The Green House will have a lot of beautiful flowers, plants and trees. If Mars doesn't have a lot of sun we will put in a lot of lights and water and feed them every day. The Green House will have a rich kind of soil to plant the plants and trees. It should also have a kind of wood chip.

Some of the trees in there will include a pine tree section, a path of skinny bushes leading to beautiful flowers like tulips. They will be colorful like red, white, purple, and yellow. There could be roses, purple lilacs, daisies and just some nice looking flowers. There should also be some green plants to make the Green House become a green house. So there could be some Frogbelles and a lot more green little plants. The Green House inside should have a water fountain to look pretty and big walking spaces between all the sets of flower rows. Around the fountain should be a lot of tulips and skinny bushes.

When you go to visit the Green House, tickets to get in will be $3.00 for an adult and $1.50 for a kid. The leader will show you around and tell you what kind of plant it is, where it is normally found, what eats it, and what animals pollinate in the flower. The uniform the leader would wear would be yellow and red with flowers all over it. They would wear a hat with a purple band around it. If you got a pass you would have to show it to the ticket taker and say the password and your last name only. Say how many were there with you on that day. The Green House would be a great place on Mars.

By Rene A.

U301

My spacecraft is called U301. It has extraordinary things on it. It has dust samplers on the bottom to collect dust samples. On the inside it has a photocopier that returns facts about it and tells what chemicals are in it. It has a little shield on top that becomes a force field when you press the red button. It protects me from things like asteroids, poison gas, etc.

Those are some things you would like to know about my spacecraft.

By William R.

Polar Ice Caps

There are permanent ice caps at both ends of the poles on Mars. They are composed of mostly solid carbon dioxide or dry ice. In the northern summer, the carbon dioxide completely sublimes, leaving a layer of water and ice. Its carbon dioxide layer never completely disappears in the southern cap. There also may be water and ice hidden under the surface at lower latitudes.

The seasonal changes in the polar caps change the atmospheric pressure by about 25%. The ice caps exhibit a layered structure with alternting layers with changing concentrations of dark dust. It's not known if a similar layer of water or ice exists below the southern cap. The mechanism responsible for the layering is unknown but may be due to climatic changes related to long-term changes in the inclination of Mars' equator to the plane of its orbit.

By Patrick M. and Adam S.

Mars Lego Project

Human 1-The mothership of our fleet. It carries all of the people and most of the equipment to Mars. This ship has solid rocket boosters like the regular modern spacecraft. It can hold four or five astronauts inside. The boosters in the back propel the Human 1 on the right course when going to and leaving Mars. On top of the cockpit there is radar and a satellite that shoots out and takes the temperature and soil samples from the surface. There is a pod bay door on top of the Human 1. It allows the astronauts to travel in and out of the spacecraft without all the pressure coming out of the ship and killing the other passengers.

The Frosty- This is the ice cap melter. To elevate and lower The Frosty, there are two "legs" that also support it. On its back it has two heat lasers. The bigger one is used for melting bigger and thicker areas of the different ice caps. The smaller one is used for melting ice or rock that is in the way of rovers or the landing spot. It is also used for heating up the land for fragile objects trying to be moved. Only one astronaut can fit inside The Frosty.

The Duck Deploy- This is a hover rover that searches the surface guided and powered by the two boosters in the back. It deploys a mini rover that drives around and looks for rock samples, soil samples, and atmospheric samples. One fault is that the mini rover must drive back to the Human 1 so it can be placed back on top of the Duck Deploy after their mission is over.

Alien- It is a hover craft but it is also a one-man spaceship. It has a ray gun to blast things too big to move out of the way in time. The ray gun can be turned into a satellite so it can detect things. It can go 1,000 mph in space. On the surface the speed drops down to 50 mph.

By Ben D. and Patrick M.

Olympus Mons

Olympus Mons is a shield volcano and is the largest volcano in our solar system. A shield volcano is a volcano that has a gradual slope, no more than 10 degrees. It is formed by many layer of fluid lava from hundreds of eruptions. This gives them their dome shaped appearance. Olympus Mons is 624 km (374 miles) in diameter and 25 km (16 miles) high. As a comparison it would be the size of Missouri and only three times as tall as Mount Everest. Therefore, if our model was done to scale, it would be 20 inches long and only 1 inch tall. We felt this height dimension would be too short for our Mars model so we choose to make Olympus Mons taller for effect. Olympus Mons is believed to be so large because it is over a hot spot and Mars does not have plate shifting like the Earth.

Olympus Mons is part of the Tharsis bulge which also includes the volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons and Valles Marineris which is the largest canyon system in the solar system. The Tharsis bulge is a large bulge on the surface of Mars and contains the most noticeable markings on Mars. All of the volcanoes on Mars are believed to be extinct.

Valles Marineris is named after the U.S. spacecraft, Mariner, that discovered it. It is about the same distance as it is from New York to California (2490 miles) and can reach 4 miles deep. In comparison the Grand Canyon is only 277 miles long and 1 mile deep. It is the largest stress feature on Mars.

To make our models we cut features out of styrofoam based on a topographical map from Mars VE CD. Next we put air dry clay over the styrofoam, but it cracked and peeled when it dried. So, for Olympus Mons we used non-air drying clay since it was to large and for the smaller volcanoes we patched up the cracks. For Valles Marineris we cut foam into the correct size and shape, then used a screwdriver to hollow out the inside. After this we brushed the form with glue mixed with water and then sprinkled an iron ore dust over the top.

By Chris N.

Olympus Mons

Space exploration has documented evidence of volcanoes and the results of volcanoes on several other planets and moons in our solar system. Photos taken by satellites orbiting the Earth's moon show huge lava fields called mares. Satellite images of the surfaces of Mars and Venus revealed volcanoes and volcanic features similar to, but larger than, features found on Earth.

Olympus Mons is a shield volcano and is the largest volcano in our solar system. A shield volcano is a volcano that has a gradual slope, no more than 10 degrees. Shield volcanoes are similar to those in Hawaii. Many layers of fluid lava from hundreds of eruptions form it. This gives them their dome shaped appearance. Olympus Mons is 624 km (374 miles) in diameter and 25 km (16 miles) high. It is part of the Tharsis bulge, which also includes the volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons and Valles Marineris, which is the largest canyon system in the solar system. The Tharsis bulge is a large bulge on the surface of Mars and contains the most noticeable landforms on Mars. Most of the volcanoes on Mars are believed to be extinct.

Olympus Mons is believed to be so large because it is over a hot spot and Mars does not have plate shifting like the Earth. Olympus Mons is larger in length than the Hawaiian Islands strung together. It is 16 mi. high which is 3 times the size of Mt. Everest and is as big as Arizona. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano on Mars and in the solar system. It is bordered by an escarpment whose slopes were formed by overflowing lava and debris.

To make our models we cut features out of Styrofoam based on a topographical map. Next we put air dry clay over the Styrofoam, but it cracked and pealed when it dried. For Olympus Mons we used non-air-drying clay since it was to large and for the smaller volcanoes we patched up the cracks.

Equator

The equator is a line that runs on any planet at zero degrees. It lies in a straight line. If you folded the planet so it was flat on a table, the equator would divide the planet in half.

On our table of Mars, I made an equator out of straws. I just inserted the straws into each other. Then I put the straws under the sand. I had to measure the table to see how many or how long the straws needed to be.

It was easy to find information about the equator on the Internet. I had to search a little, but I could find it all. This whole project was fun. The Mars Millennium program was also very exciting and enjoyable.

By Taylor C.

Schiaparelli Crater

The Schiaparelli Crater was named after an Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli who with others studying Mars in the middle and late 19th century. Shiparelli Crater is 461 km (277 mi.) in diameter. This mosaic of Mars is composed of about 100 Viking Orbiter images. The images were acquired in 1980 during mid-northern summer on Mars. The dark streaks with bright margins emanating from craters in the Oxia Palus region, in the upper left, are caused by erosion and movement by the wind. Bright white areas to the south, including the Hellas impact basin at extreme lower right, are covered by carbon dioxide frost.

Valles Marineris

The largest known canyon in the solar system is the Valles Marineris located on Mars. It was named after the U.S. spacecraft, Mariner, that discovered it. It is nine times longer and five times deeper than the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. It is the longest canyon system on Mars. It is as long as the distance between Los Angeles and New York. It is about the same distance as it is from New York to California (2490 miles) and can reach 4 miles deep. In comparison the Grand Canyon is only 277 miles long and 1 mile deep.

Although scientists have found evidence that water once flowed along portions of the canyon, they believe that the canyon was mostly formed through movements of the Martian crust. It is the largest stress feature on Mars.

For Valles Marineris, we cut foam into the correct size and shape, then used a screwdriver to hollow out the inside. After this, we brushed the form with glue mixed with water and then sprinkled an iron ore dust over the top.

By Chris C.

ROCKS ON MARS

MY REFLECTIONS- I decided to make models of several rocks found on Mars because I thought that rocks on Mars are interesting. I also like making models.

At first, it was very difficult because I had to find information about the rocks I was going to make. Luckily, Mrs. Rothermich gave me a book about Mars that had information about the rocks. The book was Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet: Mars by Paul Raeburn, published by National Geographic Society, 1998. This book gave me the opportunity to find out about the rocks I was going to make. It had a lot of very useful facts and ideas. I used this book in writing the following report about the rocks, as well as in making my models.

Once I got the information, I started to work on my rocks. I used Model Magic to create the 3D models. I tried to make them as much like the rocks as I could. I learned a lot about rocks on Mars in doing this project. It was fun, too.

YOGI-Yogi is the largest rock on Mars. It is a meter-sized rock. It is five meters northwest of the Mars Pathfinder landing and it was the second rock visited by the Sojourner Rover's alpha proton X-ray spectrometer (APXS) instrument. It took ten hours to measure its what it is made of. There is a reddish-bluish color slanting on the right side. The colors differ in various places on Yogi. This is caused by the solar illumination geometries.

Yogi looks as if it is dustier than other rocks on Mars. This might explain why it has a lower silicon content measurement than the other rocks. There is less silicon in the dust than in the rocks.

MOE-Moe is in the rock garden at the Pathfinder landing site. It is a meter-size boulder which has a grooved surface. This grooved surface indicates a ventifact. "A ventifact is a rock grooved and scalloped by sand-size particles carried by the wind." (p. 172) When particles hit Moe at a high speed, they produce a pattern of weathering that is very characteristic. It looks as if the surface is smooth, but if you look closer, it is really pitted. This is similar to rocks on earth which have been sandblasted. Scientists think that the surface of Moe was pitted by sand that was carried by strong winds from the northeast. .

PRINCE CHARMING-Prince Charming is a smaller rock. Prince Charming has small protrusions on the surface which look like small, rounded pebbles. Prince Charming could be a conglomerate. That means it could have been formed by water flowing across its surface for a long time. That water flowing makes the small cobbles and pebbles round and then deposits them into sand or clay matrix. If this rock is a conglomerate, that could mean that the weather in Mars was warmer and wetter in the past and liquid water was stable on the planet. This means that early Mars may have been similar to early Earth. Since life started on Earth very early after it was formed, perhaps there could h ave been life on Mars

by Ryan Lund

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Base Station

The Base Station is where all of the high-tech people will be. Their job is to make sure that Mars doesn't have any windstorms the day that the explorers go out to explore. Also, if one of the explorers finds an animal, fossil or rock they will bring it back to the Base Station and there they can examine it.

When you first enter the Base Station, to your left is a small kitchen table where the people will eat. Behind that area there is a sleeping area that will fit four people. There is an alarm in the sleeping area that will sound if a dangerous situation arises

On the other side there is a little water fountain. When you look up you will see a device used for crushing the small ice caps and producing water. There is also a shower ring opposite the sleeping area.

On the second floor of the Base Station, there is a map that shows all of Mars. It shows where water has been found, certain rocks that have been discovered and where people believe that there may be life. There is a little cage where the explorers place anything they find. If a scientist thinks it is important, they will keep it in the cage, and take a microscope up and down to examine it. There is a protective glass area in case there is an explosion while the explorers are working.

There will probably be 4 Base Stations spread across the area of Mars. They will be rather large and colorful so that they can be easily seen in wind storms.

By Kelly E.

The Domes of Mars

Housing on Mars is going to be extremely different than housing on Earth. The housing structures, or domes, as they are called on Mars, are different in many ways.

The first big difference is the materials the domes are made of. The domes will be made of a metal alloy that has several unique characteristics. The first important characteristic is that it is light-weight and will not cost as much to bring from Earth to Mars. The second characteristic is that it is durable and can stand up against the harsh Mars environment. Another important characteristic is the alloy's ability to capture energy from the Sun. Finally, this alloy comes in many colors so it will look nice on the red rocks of Mars.

Inside the domes there will be multiple levels. In addition, the domes will be built on craters so that there will be multiple layers above and below ground. On each level in the residential domes, there will be several apartment-like rooms where people will live. Each room will have a TV, small table, dresser, lamp, and bed. In addition to the two residential domes, there will be a third dome built in between. Inside this dome, you will find restrooms and exercise rooms for people to use, along with restaurants, a movie theater, and a game room. This third dome will also have a small hospital, laboratory, and schoolroom for the children. There will also be a few apartments.

By Patrick D.

Seeds II

Set-Up

At 9:45 pm on Wednesday the 4th of April, 2001 we planted the tomato seeds. We had Space seeds, Earth seeds, and underwater seeds. The space seeds were sealed in a Get-Away Special Canister and flown aboard space shuttle Atlantis as part of the payload for the STS-86 mission. The underwater seeds were sealed in a dry container and placed in the Scott Carpenter Space Analog Station that was deployed underwater in Key Largo, Florida. The Earth seeds were kept at Park Seed Company as the control group.

In each compartment, we planted four seeds. The compartments measured 3 1/4 inches by 2 inches. There were 6 compartments in each container, resulting in a total of 24 seeds of each type planted per container. The seeds were planted 1/2 inch deep in potting soil, each compartment received the same type of soil. After planting, they were all given 2 tablespoons of water. After this first watering, watering occurred as needed to keep the soil moist. At all times all compartments were given the same amount of water.

There are two grow lights with two 4-ft long bulbs in each. They are mounted 32 inches bout the containers. The lights are on a timer that is set from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. The plants were centered between the two grow lights.

DATA

April 04, 2001 Seeds are planted and watered.

April 17, 2001 First seed sprouts. It is an Earth seed.

April 19, 2001 Another Earth seed sprouts. First sprout is growing well.

April 20, 2001 Two seeds sprout. One is an underwater seed and one a space seed.

April 24, 2001 Another space seed sprouts.

April 26, 2001 The first space sprout has begun to wilt. The first Earth sprout is now approximately 1 inch tall.

April 28, 2001 Another space seed sprouts.

April 30, 2001 The first space sprout is dead and the second space sprout is now wilting. The other sprouts are growing well.

May 03, 2001 There are a total of 4 Earth seeds and all are doing well. One underwater seed is the size of most Earth seeds. The space seed has yet to catch up.

May 06, 2001 Our last seed to sprout is an underwater seed. One space seed has almost caught up with the Earth seeds. The underwater seed is still doing well.

May 15, 2001 There are currently four Earth sprouts, one living space sprout, and two underwater sprouts. All are healthy.

May 16, 2001 One space seed sprouted and one underwater seed sprouted.

May 19, 2001 Two new space sprouts, four new underwater sprouts, and two new Earth sprouts. Today I transplanted them to larger pots. I watered them a lot.

May 20, 2001 I watered the seeds.

May 21, 2001 I watered the seeds.

Mayy 22, 2001 I watered the seeds. They are growing very well. Some of the space seeds are doing great. The Earth seeds still have the tallest plants. The underwater seeds are doing o.k. They are not growing as fast as the others. Some of the space seeds are passing the underwater seeds in height.

May 23, 2001 I watered the seeds a lot. Each pot got two cups of water. I also gave each plant one teaspoon of milk.

May 25, 2001 I watered the seeds.

May 26, 2001 I watered the seeds.

May 28, 2001 I watered the seeds. The tallest space seed is taller than some of the earth seeds.

May 30, 2001 I watered the seeds.

May 31, 2001 I watered the seeds.

June 1, 2001 I watered the seeds.

June 2, 2001 We are at the science center today. I watered the seeds this morning.

By Chris N.

Dr. Dreschel, Director of Science Education, Life Sciences Support Contract and Fundamental Biology Outreach Program, provided us with this wonderful seed project and enough for us to share with our whole fifth grade. It has been such an interesting project. We are very grateful to him for all he has done for our group.

Spaceship

My spaceship is a sleek 2 passenger ship. It can shoot down a lot of asteroids and travels at 400 miles per hour with an average wind speed up to 500 miles per hour. This ship can land on anything anywhere. The orange arms become skis that can land on water or act like shooters to shoot down the asteroids. These arms can also act as brakes and assist when landing. There is a cool rocket booster system. My spaceship can fly straight up, sideways, or even upside down!

By Alex. G.

St. Louis Science Center Photos

June 2, 2001

Each Mission Specialist visited with visitors regarding their ideas and visions.

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