Solar System P. 2

Design a Venutian
Venus would be an extremely inhospitable planet for life as we know it on Earth. Research the surface and atmospheric conditions on Venus. Design a life form that could survive on Venus - how would it eat, breathe, reproduce, what type of body structure would it have, etc. Draw and label a picture of your Venutian and write a paper describing the conditions on Venus and how your life form is adapted to them.
More on Creating Aliens

VENUS


	*Is There Ice on Venus? - online activity* Is there ice on Venus? If so what kind? Find out in this activity inspired by an article in *Sky and Telescope* about a rather unsual theory concerning ice on Venus,the hottest planet in the solar system.

	*Coronae on Venus - online research activity* Venus contains surface structures called coronae that are unique in the solar system to Venus. What features are associated with the various coronae? Compare several different coronae; how are they the same and how are they different? What do scientist think the cause of these features are? Why are they only found on Venus - what do these coronae tell us bout the internal structure of Venus? Report your findings on a poster. The website below has excellent databases of coronae.

EARTH

Lunar Landforms - handouts in classroom or online
The purpose of this activity is to identify landforms on the moon using Apollo spacecraft photos. You will need a copy of the teacher page, a chart for recording data and a set of lunar photographs. You may check your answers with the answer key available. You must then find other photos of the moon from another source and fill out a data table for the new photographs. Include this data table and the new photographs with the formations numbered. Links to other sites about the moon are found on the teacher's page.


	*Its Just a Phase - handout* Construct the phases of the moon and do a simulation showing the relative positions of the eart, moon and sun that produce each phase.

	*Regolith Formation -handouts in classroom or online* The loose, fragmental material on the moon is known as regolith. This lab compares the formation of regolith on Earth and the moon.


			*Exploring the Moon* Informational guide with additional activities available for download from NASA. I also have a copy in the classroom.

Showing How Mars Goes Backwards - handout
You may have heard astrologers talk about Mars being retrograde. Does Mars really go backwards in the night sky? This activity simulates retrograde motion.

MARS


	Mars Landforms - houndouts in classroom or online* The purpose of this activity is to identify landforms on Mars using Viking Orbiter photos. Follow the same instructions as for the Lunar Landforms activity above.

	*MARS Dead or Alive* Teachers' guide to the Nava program with activities.

	EXTENSION: Mars is one of the most extensively explored planets. Why all the interest in Mars? Visit the website below and design your own Mars exploration project on anything that interests you.