OCTOBER 21, 2016
By Jeffrey Kluger for TIME I came to a lava tube at the end of a 10-minute walk from my Martian habitat. At the top of a ridge, I looked down and saw a basin. It was about four stories deep and at least as wide across. At its center was a smaller, darker hole. One wrong step in my clunky space boots and I could tumble straight down. Carefully, I backed away and returned to the habitat. My time on Mars wasn’t spent on the real Mars. I was 8,200 feet up on the Mauna Loa volcano, in Hawaii. It was my good fortune that my visit lasted only 24 hours. The Road to the Red Planet Just days earlier, on August 28, a team of six scientists, engineers, and astronaut hopefuls reached a milestone. They completed a full year in the simulated Mars habitat. It is known as HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). The “hab” features a 1,200-square-foot dome with a sleeping loft, two small bathrooms, a small kitchen, and a storage area stocked with food. The hab is comanaged by NASA and the University of Hawaii. The crew could go outside for Mars walks, but only in full-body space suits. They could communicate with Mission Control and family members, but only by e-mail or text. A communication had to have a 20-minute, one-way delay. That is the length of time it takes for a message to travel between Mars and Earth. Why such strict rules? Scientists need to better understand how long-term space travel affects the human mind. There have been three HI-SEAS missions before this one. None has lasted as long. At least two years of travel would be required to send people to the Red Planet and bring them back. “NASA needs to understand what happens with numerous teams for really long periods,” says Steve Kozlowski. He is a psychologist and HI-SEAS researcher. “Only then can we know what to expect from a real Mars crew.” The Power of Pretending My two walks outdoors were mostly for fun. The HI-SEAS teams’ missions are not. Team members are sent out to collect and study rocks. That’s what they’d be doing on Mars, after all. My 24 hours on fake Mars were nothing next to the year the HI-SEAS crew completed. The work being done in a hab in Hawaii brings the major achievement of getting people on Mars an important step closer. To access the digital edition of TIME For Kids, go to timeforkids.com/digital.
"The only person you are destined to be is the person you decide to be." -Ralph EmersonWhat do you imagine when thinking of a better classroom, community, or world?Dutch explorer Willem Barents(Novaya Zemlya) took part in two unsuccessful Arctic voyages before his memorable discovery. In 1592 Jan Huyghen van Linschoten of Enkhuizen returned from a voyage to Goa with a Portuguese fleet and wrote a widely read Itinerary. This stimulated Dutch interest in the Orient, though at the time it seemed dangerous to contest the Portuguese monopoly of the route around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1595 Amsterdam merchants, undiscouraged by the English failure to find a Northeast Passage 40 years earlier, decided to resume the search. They prepared two ships, placing one under Jacob van Heemskerck and the other under Jan Corneliszoon Rijp. Barents, who as pilot sailed with Heemskerck, became the acknowledged leader of the expedition. |
| |
Weekly Concept: Seeing for Yourself
Essential Question: How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?
| |
Fun Song | Lesson Help |
Spicy - advanced Math
Journey with award-winning photographer Peter Essick through the Ansel Adams Wilderness—a place in the Sierra Nevada named for the legendary American photographer who immortalized its stark, craggy beauty.
CODE: nttqt84 (in case you need) |
Introduce yourself
Tell some things you enjoy about school so far
Tell some things you do for fun
Answer the question: What can we "cash you outside" doing in the fall?
Mr. Meyer's Blog Spot:
Click on any videos / articles and leave a question or comment!!
Archives
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
June 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
May 2013
November 2012
October 2012