Choosing a Potential Water Reservoir to Explore and Share Out
Youth propose a planetary body to explore based on the availability, accessibility and usability of water and present their choice.
Guiding Questions
- Is any of the water elsewhere in the solar system potentially habitable for primitive life?
- Is any of the water elsewhere in the solar system accessible and usable for potential future astronauts or future human colonies?
TimingSetup
There is no prep for this activity.
Related Video
Water and Habitability
Youth Will Know
They can use data about water from elsewhere in the solar system to make recommendations for future exploration.
Youth Will Do
Consider all the information they have learned on water usability and habitability and consider if their water reservoirs are most promising to explore for humans (usability) or primitive life (potential habitability).
Did you know?
- We don’t actually know if water is usable on other planets. If it’s mixed with other substances or appears rocky, then at least we know it’s not pure.
- Amino acids are organic compounds that form the building blocks of life. Scientists have found evidence for them in space – on meteorites, comets, and in deep space.
Quick Tips
- Consider showing the whole playlist of background content videos on our website, or just Water and Habitability.
- When we don’t have sufficient evidence for something, it is called scientific uncertainty.