Water in Extreme Environments

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.

They can use data about water from elsewhere in the solar system to make recommendations for future exploration.

S3_Choose_a_Potential_Water_Reservoir_to_Explore_Educator_Guide Choosing a Potential Water Reservoir Educator Guide	pdf 329.45 KB
S3_Choose_a_Potential_Water_Reservoir_to_Explore_Science_Notebook Choosing a Potential Water Reservoir Science Notebook	pdf 50.11 KB

There is no prep for this activity.

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?

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).

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 its 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.

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.

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