Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Opportunity
hit the jackpot
early. It landed
close to a thin
outcrop of rocks.
Within two
months, its versatile science instruments found evidence in those
rocks that a body
of salty water
deep enough to
splash in once
Spirits
flowed gently
extended mission
over the area.
Shadow of rover Opportunity in Endurance Crater, July 26, 2004.
began with the
Preliminary interrover starting a
pretations point to a past environment that could have
long trek toward a range of hills on the horizon whose
been hospitable to life and also could have preserved
rocks might have come from an earlier and wetter era
fossil evidence of it, though these rovers are not
of the regions past.
equipped to detect life or to be fossil hunters.
Spirits landing site on a plain inside Gusev Crater, viewed with the rovers panoramic camera before leaving the lander.
Opportunitys landing site inside Eagle Crater, looking back at the empty lander after leaving the crater.
small amounts of curium-244 in measuring the concentrations of most major elements in rocks and soil.
Learning the elemental ingredients in rocks and soils
helps scientists understand the samples origins and
how they have been altered over time.
Spirits view after climbing into Columbia Hills, part of a full-circle panorama taken between Aug. 9 and Aug. 19, 2004.
Portion of the outcrop in Eagle Crater, where Opportunity landed. The rocks are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall.
Opportunitys view northeastward into Endurance Crater, combining frames taken with the panoramic camera between
May 23 and May 29, 2004. The crater is about 130 meters (about 425 feet) in diameter.
Project/Program Management
The Mars Exploration Rover program is managed
for NASA by JPL, a division of the California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
At NASA Headquarters, David Lavery is the program executive and Dr. Curt Niebur is the program
scientist. Dr. Catherine Weitz was the program scientist through August 2004. At JPL, Peter Theisinger
was project manager until February 2004, followed
by Richard Cook and, currently, Jim Erickson. JPLs
Dr. Joy Crisp is the project scientist. The principal
investigator for the science payload is Dr. Steve
Squyres from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Deputy
principal investigator is Dr. Ray Arvidson from
Washington University, St. Louis.
On the Internet
Additional information and images are available
on Web sites for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission
at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov and for the suite of
science instruments at http://athena.cornell.edu .
The rovers panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer surveyed the interior of
Endurance from two overlook points about a third
of the way around the rim from each other. That
information helped the rover team plot the safest
route to the most interesting targets accessible. The
rover drove into Endurance Crater on June 8. It
found that as far down as outcrops extended, they
bore evidence of extensive exposure to water.
10-04
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
Aims
In this session, students become Mars Curiosity Rover engineers designing, building and testing basic landing systems with household
materials to ensure a safe landing!
A Fact File with background information on the Mars Rover and
spacecraft landing systems is included, providing context and
information to help you answer students questions.
Key learning
outcomes
PowerPoint presentation
Resources
Sellotape
Blu-Tack
3 balloons
2 paper clips
2 metres of string
1 raw egg
Scissors
Prepare the egg drop zone ahead of the session and source any
other materials available that students could use to make their
landing systems.
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
Workshop overview
Activity steps
Time needed
You will
Students will
Starter
discussion
15 minutes
Activity
25 minutes
Work in teams to
complete an engineering
challenge using
the design process,
recording their learning
on worksheets.
Plenary and
reflection
5 minutes
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
On
the day
On the day
Starter discussion
15 minutes
.ppt
Slide 2
Slide 3
Learning outcomes
.ppt
Slide 4
Slide 5
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
Slide 6
Activity
25 minutes
Slide 7
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
After 15 minutes, gather students around the drop zone (over newspaper
as this can get messy if landers or resealable bags malfunction!) and test
each lander using an egg.
Tip: If groups are struggling, suggest they think about the different examples
listed to reduce impact earlier in the session. Can they borrow any ideas from
the design of a helmet or a sky-divers parachute?
Safe landing
.ppt
Slide 8
Slide 9
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
45 minutes
Failing to succeed
.ppt
Slide 10
Follow on activity
.ppt
Slide 11
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
Careers
Careers in engineering:
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project/youngpeople
Apprenticeships:
siemens.co.uk/careers/en/students/apprenticeships.htm
Graduates:
siemens.co.uk/careers/en/graduate/graduate.htm
Internships:
siemens.co.uk/careers/en/students/internships/internships.htm
Careers at Siemens Global:
siemens.com/jobs/en/index.php
Education resources
Key Stages 3/4
Green Racers:
siemens.co.uk/education/en/teachers/teaching-resources/schemes-of-work-ks4.htm
Inspired Bus Company:
siemens.co.uk/education/en/teachers/teaching-resources/schemes-of-work-ks4.htm
Roller-Coaster Challenge:
siemens.co.uk/education/en/activities-challenges.htm
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project
Bringing Science,
Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics to life
Curious about
keeping people
healthy?
Curious about
making things?
The Curiosity
Project
Landing spacecraft
The exploration probe Huygens landed on Saturns moon, Titan in 2005. Several probes have successfully
landed on Mars, including the robotic space probe Curiosity in 2012. Siemens software played a key role
in helping the Rover land safely. Exploratory probes studied the climate and geology, sending information
about the soil, atmosphere and presence of chemicals such as water back to Earth.
It is crucial that the space probes are not damaged on landing, as they contain delicate scientific equipment.
Space probes experience a shock as they enter the upper atmosphere of planets such as Mars at high
speed. So rockets were fired and a parachute opened to slow the descent.
Slowing is important to reduce friction with the atmosphere, which heats up the probe. Shortly before
landing, a set of can airbags inflate to absorb impact. This landing design allows the spacecraft to bounce
on the planets surface before coming to rest.
siemens.co.uk/curiosity-project