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21st CENTURY EXPLORER
Are we there yet?
Why do astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread?
How would your body change in space?
How can we travel faster in space?
What will replace the Space Shuttle?
Why do robots travel places before people?
Why return to the Moon before going to Mars?
Why do we want to study and travel to Mars?
Where would a space explorer find water and oxygen?
What would you find on the Moon’s surface?
What would you hear in a weather report from Mars?
How will your imagination help you become an explorer?
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Why return to the Moon before going to Mars?

Glossary

forged - formed or shaped

maria – flat, dark areas on the moon which were apparently caused by floods of lava erupting and spreading out across the lunar surface

regolith – layer of loose rock that rests on bedrock and makes up the surface

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EDUCATION RESOURCES
The 21st Century Explorer Education package is undergoing beta-testing. Please use the following link to submit any questions or comments.
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NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS
National Science Education Standards (NSES)

Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry

  • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (K–8)
  • Understandings about scientific inquiry (K–8)

Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science

  • Properties of Earth materials (K–4)
  • Structure of the Earth system (5–8)

Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

  • Science and technology in local challenges (K–8)

NNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards (NCTM)

Data Analysis and Probability Standard

  • Develop predictions that are based on data

International Technology Education Association (ITEA)

Technology and Society

  • Standard 7: Students will develop an understanding of the influence of technology on history.

U.S. National Geography Standards (NCGE)

  • Standard 14: How human actions modify the physical environment
  • Standard 16: The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources