Expedition Mars Teacher Guide

This guide will prepare you for all pre-, during and post-mission activities. The preparatory and supplementary materials include:

1. Expedition Mars Teacher Guide: This guide will help you prepare your students for the mission.
2. Team Descriptions, Job Application Form and Crew Manifest: These documents help organize your students into teams and provide an overview of the tasks they will perform during the mission. Students use the Job Application Form to briefly assess their strengths and apply for their desired team position. The Crew Manifest organizes your students into teams of two based on their skills and interests, with each team comprising a Spacecraft and Mars Base (i.e., Mission Control) role.
3. Lost on Mars Activity: This is an optional in-class team-building activity.
4. Post-Mission Reflection: Use this as a guide to consolidate, re-frame and extend the experience after the mission.

Prior to your visit, please complete the following steps:

1. Review the Team Description document with your students.
   1. Students learn about the different teams and job responsibilities in the mission.
2. Have students complete the Job Application Form.
   1. This document helps students assess their abilities and identify the jobs that sound most interesting to them.
   2. Students “apply” for their desired team role.
3. Fill in the Crew Manifest form.
   1. Use this document to assign each student to a team for the mission. Please bring two copies of your completed Manifest for the Ontario Science Centre Educators who will be facilitating your mission.

Optional Activities:

• Lost on Mars Activity: This pre-mission exercise can help your class practise team-building, communication and decision-making.
• Post-Mission Reflection Activity: Reflection is a key aspect of experiential education. This activity will help students solidify and connect their experiences with what they learned.

Everyone has a role in the mission—including you! As a teacher, your role is Science Officer. By preparing your students ahead of time using the materials provided, you can help make the mission an enjoyable and educational experience. Students will apply skills in math and science during the mission, and they will also use 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving and communication. After the mission, you can help students consolidate their learnings with post-flight activities.

When students arrive at the Challenger Learning Centre, they should know:

1. Their team name.
2. Their starting point for the mission (Spacecraft or Mars Base). Halfway through the mission, students will trade places, ensuring everyone experiences both areas of the simulator.
3. Their individual role in the mission and the tasks they will perform.
4. The overall Expedition Mars storyline.

Students should understand that:

• All teams are equally important to the success of the mission.
• The Spacecraft crew is physically active, while Mars Base crew members are responsible for researching and analyzing data.
• They are expected to work both independently and as a team, but also to seek help when needed.
• They are expected to support each other.
• They are expected to handle all equipment with care.

In order to feel ownership and confidence in their roles, and to enjoy the success that results from their efforts, students should also be able to:

• Read at their grade level in order to follow written instructions. (Consider pairing strong readers with those who might need more support.)
• Listen attentively to instructions.

The simulator comprises two separate spaces: the Spacecraft and the Mars Base. The Spacecraft is like a science laboratory. It is busy, highly energetic and sometimes loud due to engine or alarm sounds. It is crewed by astronauts who perform hands-on experiments and relay their results to the Mars Base crew for analysis.

Spacecraft

In contrast, the Mars Base is a quiet space. It is crewed by mission controllers who manage the space flight operations and track the progress of the Spacecraft crew. They also research, record and analyze data provided by the astronauts. Sometimes, this analysis helps the team identify minor or mission-critical emergencies. This provides opportunities for both individual and team problem-solving and decision-making.

Mars Base

Two Weeks Before Mission

1. Review the Expedition Mars mission storyline with your class.
2. Complete the Lost on Mars Activity (optional).
3. Review the Team Descriptions document with your class. Students can think about the roles they wish to apply for.

One Week Before Mission

1. Distribute the Job Application Form to students. This form allows students to identify their preferences and learning goals. You can use this information to assign students to teams that best match their abilities and interests.
2. Complete the Crew Manifest:
   1. Review the students’ completed Job Application Forms to see which teams they are interested in joining. Note that you will not be able to accommodate all students’ first choices.
   2. Fill out the Crew Manifest. Assign at least two students per team. One will start in the Spacecraft, the other in Mars Base. Halfway through the mission, they will switch crews (within the same team) to experience both the Spacecraft and Mars Control. Follow the numbering sequence on the Crew Manifest. Note that the first five teams are the minimum needed for the mission. The shaded areas represent backfill positions; these do not require a paired team member.
   3. When you are completing the Manifest, strive for balance. Ensure both crews have students with varying abilities, academic skills and competencies. Make two copies of the completed Manifest. Bring these with you on the day of your program.
3. Review the mission storyline, team assignments and behaviour expectations with your students.

• Pair strong readers with ESL learners or other students who could benefit from additional support.
• The Probe, Isolation and Geology roles suit hands-on learners.
• The Communication role suits students who are proficient readers, calm, organized and able to work well under pressure.
• The Data role suits students with proficient typing skills.
• Students with special needs may be best suited to Medical, Life Support or Geology roles. Please provide additional educational support for students requiring special accommodations.

Arrival

IMPORTANT ALERT: The Science Centre is currently using two entrances. Please allow extra time for check-in. See our Planning Your Field Trip page for more information.

Mission Times & Meeting Location

• Plan to arrive at the Science Centre 30 minutes before your mission start time.
• Our mission Educators are called Commanders. They are identifiable by their blue flight suits and will meet you on Level 6 in the Hot Zone.
• Your mission duration will be 105 minutes.

Note: Missions that start late must end at the designated time. Please plan your day carefully to ensure students get the full experience.

• The simulator is located in the Challenger Learning Centre on Level 5. Please gather in the Hot Zone on Level 6, where you will meet your mission Commanders.
• A limited number of lockers are available on Level 6 near the rear entrance for $1. There is also space in the simulator to store lunches and belongings during the mission.
• Food (including gum) is not permitted in the simulator. Students may drink water from a closed container.

The year is 2076, and humans have established a permanent settlement on Mars. Trips between Earth and the Red Planet are now routine, with crew changes every two years.

Your spacecraft has just arrived on Mars with a new crew of astronauts who must prepare to land and replace the Mars Base team. Anxious to return home, the Mars Base team must first safely guide the Spacecraft crew through several landing manoeuvres. Together, the crews need to calculate trajectories; launch a satellite to the Martian moon, Phobos; assemble a rover; and, finally, relieve the Mars Base crew.

Mars offers untold scientific discoveries—but this type of mission also involves a great deal of risk. Those brave enough to embark on this journey will face many challenges, from health problems and radiation exposure, living in confined spaces, to simply meeting the basic human requirements for life.

Will the mission go smoothly, or will the two crews encounter problems? Together, the teams that make up the Spacecraft and Mars Base crews will explore the challenges of working in space and the perils of living on another planet. Your teams will be under tight deadlines to perform experiments, analyze data, collaborate, communicate effectively and solve problems while gaining an appreciation for the luxuries of life on Earth.

Mission Objectives & Milestones

• Undock from the spacecraft
• Maintain the health and safety of the crew
• Assemble and deploy a satellite to the Martian moon, Phobos
• Prepare the spacecraft for orbit and landing
• Exchange crews
• Assemble and launch a surface rover
• Liftoff and re-dock with the spacecraft

Each student will be equipped with an instructional manual that outlines specific team goals, defines science terms and guides them through several hands-on activities. Everyone’s participation is essential to the completion of the mission, and it is only by collaborating and sharing information across teams that students will have a successful mission.

During the mission, each student will:

• Read and follow step-by-step instructions.
  • Each student will read and follow the step-by-step instructions outlined in their instructional manual. These instructions are provided on task cards, which guide students through their team-specific hands-on labs. It is helpful if students are able to read at grade level.
• Complete Data Logs and perform research using our customized software library.
  • On the spacecraft, the astronauts will perform numerous hands-on experiments. The results will be sent to the Mars Base, where teams will collect and record the results in Data Logs and complete Research Logs.
  • The Data Log for each Mars Base team is different and formatted to reflect the unique data sets they receive from the Spacecraft teams.
  • Once the data has been recorded, the Mars Base teams will analyze the information and cross-reference it with information gathered from their research. This analysis may indicate emergencies or mission-related problems.

Mars Base Life Support Data Log Sample

Record results for the spacecraft environmental conditions: 

Water Recycling System

Record the water pH and TDS (Totally Dissolved Solids) values for each of the four taps:

Mars Base Life Support Research Log Sample Questions:

• Name the instrument that measures air pressure.
• What could cause a drop in the spacecraft’s air pressure?
• Describe a typical Martian diet.
• Calculate how much water an astronaut uses per day.

At first, the mission may appear chaotic. It will take time for students to settle into a rhythm and begin to understand the mission’s process. As the locus of control is shifted to the learner, students will begin to learn new skills and to overcome their feelings of disorientation. The chart below highlights valuable skills students will learn, as well as barriers they will encounter. 

The simulation also mimics real-life situations, allowing students to practise a wide range of skills. It offers a safe space for taking risks without the prospect of real consequences for failure, so learners are at ease to immerse themselves completely. The simulation encourages problem-solving and, with that, the potential to transfer new knowledge to the real world. This “consequence-free” hypothetical context and roleplaying enable students to disengage from their perceived selves and see themselves from a different perspective.

Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills are core components of every simulation mission. Using pedagogical and methodological strategies, you can encourage students to reflect on the problem-solving process in order to learn new strategies for enhancing their problem-solving skills. Equipped with the right tools, students will be able to solve more complex problems with greater independence. This graphic depicts the stages that learners move through when solving complex problems:  

The simulation also mimics real-life situations, allowing students to practise a wide range of skills. It offers a safe space for taking risks without the prospect of real consequences for failure, so learners are at ease to immerse themselves completely. The simulation encourages problem-solving and, with that, the potential to transfer new knowledge to the real world. This “consequence-free” hypothetical context and roleplaying enable students to disengage from their perceived selves and see themselves from a different perspective.

The days following your mission are crucial to consolidating the skills students learned during the mission. Students tend to leave the mission with a renewed spirit of camaraderie, boosted self-esteem and a desire to explore and learn. To extend the experience, we encourage you to review the Post-Mission Reflection document.

Experiential learning allows students to engage in critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making in contexts that are personally relevant to them. At the core of all learning is the way we process our experiences—especially our critical reflections on those experiences. This is why reflection discussions are essential to experiential learning.

Reflection provides students a chance to examine and link their experience to prior and subsequent learning. It furthers learning and inspires provocative thought and action. This approach to learning also involves creating opportunities for debriefing, as well as for consolidating ideas and skills through feedback, reflection and the application of those ideas and skills to new situations.

During the post-mission reflection, teachers can help students explore, analyze and synthesize their actions, thoughts and emotional states. For example, students can think about which thought processes influenced them to act a certain way, to make a particular decision or to solve a problem. Some decisions may have been affected by stress, insufficient information or time constraints. If students are dissatisfied with their mission performance, they can use a debriefing discussion as an opportunity to reflect on their new insights and reframe the experience through the lens of the knowledge they acquired.

The simulation also mimics real-life situations, allowing students to practise a wide range of skills. It offers a safe space for taking risks without the prospect of real consequences for failure, so learners are at ease to immerse themselves completely. The simulation encourages problem-solving and, with that, the potential to transfer new knowledge to the real world. This “consequence-free” hypothetical context and roleplaying enable students to disengage from their perceived selves and see themselves from a different perspective.

Immersive simulations play a vital role in the success of real space missions. Astronauts use simulations to train for the complex tasks they will perform, such as operating the Canadarm or walking in space. Our Expedition Mars space simulation introduces students to the thrill of space flight by engaging them in distinctive, immersive, hands-on activities.

Most traditional learning methods are didactic or rote, where knowledge delivery is the primary goal. In contrast, experiential education breaks away from the classroom model and focuses on the journey rather than just the destination. This type of whole-person experience is engaging intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially. When learning in an immersive, novel environment, students can experience success, failure, adventure and risk-taking, both as individuals and together as teams.

The Science Centre’s Challenger simulations engage students by having them roleplay as scientists, engineers, pilots, researchers, doctors and journalists. Students work to solve space-specific challenges that can also be applied to real life. The simulation format allows students to practise their skills in a safe environment with room for failure without real consequences, which can provide them with greater confidence to take risks. Simulations also compress time and remove extraneous details, creating more optimal conditions for learning. The ability to explore, experiment and later apply the knowledge gained to real-life situations makes simulations a versatile form of learning.

It is important, however, to mention some of the barriers of this mission and its format. Students may worry that the simulation will expose their weaknesses or humiliate them. To counter this, teachers and Challenger Centre Commanders must successfully convey that the simulation is a safe place to make mistakes and take risks; it is a place where the focus is on learning, not results. Students should also be encouraged to be supportive and respectful of each other and to see challenges and mistakes as puzzles to be solved.

Moreover, for a successful experience, students should come prepared to work collaboratively, take initiative, take risks, make decisions and be accountable for their own learning. The mission will be successful if roles and expectations are clearly defined and everyone understands the purpose of their actions.