Landing Site Topography
Youth compare topographic features of four potential landing sites.
Guiding Questions
- How do we identify different landforms and how rough the surface is?
- How can we use maps of landforms (the shape of the land) to choose a landing site on Mars?
TimingSetup
The Educator Guide has a script, materials list, and prep directions. Be sure to have it open and ready to help guide you through every activity.
- If you have not already completed the prep for Science Series Activity 1, please refer to the S1 card for preparation.
- Revisit the PLANETS Science Series Educator Guide if it has been a week or more since you completed Science Series Activity 1.
- For this activity you will need Science Notebooks for each youth, plus Data Packets and Landing Ellipses for each group.
Youth Will Know
- They can use topographic maps created with remote sensing technology (LiDAR) to determine the shape and the height of terrain on Mars.
- Topographic data can help them choose a safe and interesting landing site.
Youth Will Do
Interpret data from topographic maps to identify safe locations to land and landforms that might indicate water was present on Mars.
Did you know?
Contour lines never cross, unless there is an overhanging cliff large enough to appear on a topographic map.
Quick Tips
- Consider teaching about contour lines by tracing the layers of the moonscape from Worlds Apart Activity 4 and creating a topo map.
- The pages of a thick paperback book can be manipulated to show a steep or shallow slope where every page edge is a contour line.