Mission to Mars

Create a Video Game to Explore Mars Using the Scratch Programming Language

Learn about current space research and goals for future space exploration. Students will discuss mission limitations including weight, durability and landing issues in order to design and create a video game to explore Mars. Students will create a Mars rover game using the Scratch programming language from MIT. Each video game will be required to incorporate a satellite image of Mars to depict. This may include the Valles Marineris Trench, which covers an area equivalent to the spatial extent of our continental USA, or Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, whose footprint is approximately the size of Arizona.

What You Will Learn

Planning a mission to Mars begins now! Students will learn about current space research and goals for future space exploration.

• Explore scale models of Earth, Mood and Mars to assess size position and scale variability
• Create a model of the solar system and compare planetary sizes
• Introduced to the Scratch programming language and build a drivable rover
• Compare the difference in atmosphere, gravity, and radiation between Earth and Mars
• Learn the history of past missions to Mars