Videos, articles, and printables to help your students engage with MLK's enduring message.
In Postcards From the Surface of Mars, Professor Brian Cox examines the geographic evolution of Mars, noting the vast canyon called Valles Marineris. He looks at photographs taken from the surface of Mars that look eerily similar to Earth: sunsets, clouds, and landscapes. There is, however, one glaring difference: no sign of water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Wonders of the Solar System, a spellbinding documentary series that explores the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the Solar System.
In Landing Curiosity on a Mission to Mars Professor Brian Cox explains what scientists thought about life on Mars in the 1970s, how that changed, and what we learned from the first landing on Mars, the Curiosity rover. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Life on Earth and Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains the conditions that are required for life to begin. Learn how Earth and Mars had these conditions at the same time. Could life have started in two places at once? Or might the life on Earth have come from outer space? This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Exploring Mars, Professor Brian Cox describes the various spacecraft that have landed on Mars and what we have learned from each. Learn how each Mars exploration project yielded more information about the Red Planet, and what the roving laboratory, Curiosity, helped scientists learn about Mars that other spacecraft had not. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Future of Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains how scientists continue to explore Mars and what finding life on Mars means for the existence of life in the Universe. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Fate of Mars Is Tied to the Sun, Professor Brian Cox explains how Mars went from being full of water to a barren desert. Learn why the Sun is so important for the planets that orbit it, including Mars and Earth. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Evaluating the Challenges of Exploring Mars, experts discuss the potential benefits and challenges of sending humans to Mars. While a human mission to Mars would be significantly more expensive than a robotic one, proponents argue that the human experience and adaptability offer unique value. The explore the risks involved, such as financial costs, ethical concerns, and human safety, alongside the potential benefits for humanity's future survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In The Journey to Mars, scientists explore the challenges astronauts face on a long journey to Mars, including radiation exposure, weightlessness, isolation, and confinement. A journey to Mars could take one to three years, and scientists are working on solutions to these obstacles to make human space travel to Mars possible. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In On the Surface of Mars, see how robots that have collected valuable data and imagery on Mars still could not perform as well as humans could. To that end, NASA is working to make spacesuits less bulky and more flexible, so humans can work on Mars. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In The Challenges of Sending a Crewed Flight to Mars, learn how sending a crewed flight to Mars requires a large cargo and even larger rocket power. To overcome the difficult initial part of the journey, NASA is building the largest rocket ever. Explore how the challenges of launching a mission to Mars are being addressed by organizations like NASA and SpaceX, including innovative approaches to rocket design and space travel logistics. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
Mars may be cold and barren, but it might have supported life! At least, that’s what scientists think, after finding rocks with some very interesting spots. These markings, nicknamed “leopard spots” and “poppyseeds,” are minerals that could have been made by Martian microbes, early in the planet’s history. They were discovered by the Perseverance Rover, which has been exploring Mars since its 2021 landing.
The rover has been focused on Mars’s Jezero Crater, which used to be a huge lake with a river running into it before drying up billions of years ago. Now, Perseverance collects samples to analyze in its onboard lab! Car Bluetooth is cool but c’mon, it’s no analysis lab…
These rocks aren’t exactly the video diary of an alien’s day in the life on Mars, but they could be the clearest sign of life ever found on Mars, which is thought to be one of the most promising places in our Solar System to look for life outside of Earth. The only way to confirm if the minerals were made by microbes is to get them back to Earth, so NASA and the European Space Agency have proposed a mission to collect them. It’ll be expensive, but this could be the answer to if there was life on other planets!
Videos, articles, and printables to help your students engage with MLK's enduring message.
In Postcards From the Surface of Mars, Professor Brian Cox examines the geographic evolution of Mars, noting the vast canyon called Valles Marineris. He looks at photographs taken from the surface of Mars that look eerily similar to Earth: sunsets, clouds, and landscapes. There is, however, one glaring difference: no sign of water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Wonders of the Solar System, a spellbinding documentary series that explores the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the Solar System.
In Landing Curiosity on a Mission to Mars Professor Brian Cox explains what scientists thought about life on Mars in the 1970s, how that changed, and what we learned from the first landing on Mars, the Curiosity rover. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Life on Earth and Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains the conditions that are required for life to begin. Learn how Earth and Mars had these conditions at the same time. Could life have started in two places at once? Or might the life on Earth have come from outer space? This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Exploring Mars, Professor Brian Cox describes the various spacecraft that have landed on Mars and what we have learned from each. Learn how each Mars exploration project yielded more information about the Red Planet, and what the roving laboratory, Curiosity, helped scientists learn about Mars that other spacecraft had not. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Future of Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains how scientists continue to explore Mars and what finding life on Mars means for the existence of life in the Universe. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Fate of Mars Is Tied to the Sun, Professor Brian Cox explains how Mars went from being full of water to a barren desert. Learn why the Sun is so important for the planets that orbit it, including Mars and Earth. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Evaluating the Challenges of Exploring Mars, experts discuss the potential benefits and challenges of sending humans to Mars. While a human mission to Mars would be significantly more expensive than a robotic one, proponents argue that the human experience and adaptability offer unique value. The explore the risks involved, such as financial costs, ethical concerns, and human safety, alongside the potential benefits for humanity's future survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In The Journey to Mars, scientists explore the challenges astronauts face on a long journey to Mars, including radiation exposure, weightlessness, isolation, and confinement. A journey to Mars could take one to three years, and scientists are working on solutions to these obstacles to make human space travel to Mars possible. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In On the Surface of Mars, see how robots that have collected valuable data and imagery on Mars still could not perform as well as humans could. To that end, NASA is working to make spacesuits less bulky and more flexible, so humans can work on Mars. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
In The Challenges of Sending a Crewed Flight to Mars, learn how sending a crewed flight to Mars requires a large cargo and even larger rocket power. To overcome the difficult initial part of the journey, NASA is building the largest rocket ever. Explore how the challenges of launching a mission to Mars are being addressed by organizations like NASA and SpaceX, including innovative approaches to rocket design and space travel logistics. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Big Thinkers, Should We Go to Mars?, where Dr. Kevin Fong explores the complex scientific and technological hurdles of space exploration.
Mars may be cold and barren, but it might have supported life! At least, that’s what scientists think, after finding rocks with some very interesting spots. These markings, nicknamed “leopard spots” and “poppyseeds,” are minerals that could have been made by Martian microbes, early in the planet’s history. They were discovered by the Perseverance Rover, which has been exploring Mars since its 2021 landing.
The rover has been focused on Mars’s Jezero Crater, which used to be a huge lake with a river running into it before drying up billions of years ago. Now, Perseverance collects samples to analyze in its onboard lab! Car Bluetooth is cool but c’mon, it’s no analysis lab…
These rocks aren’t exactly the video diary of an alien’s day in the life on Mars, but they could be the clearest sign of life ever found on Mars, which is thought to be one of the most promising places in our Solar System to look for life outside of Earth. The only way to confirm if the minerals were made by microbes is to get them back to Earth, so NASA and the European Space Agency have proposed a mission to collect them. It’ll be expensive, but this could be the answer to if there was life on other planets!