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Challenger Learning Center Missions

Voyage to Mars ^TM

It is 2076, one hundred years after the landing of Viking I, and a now routine voyage to Mars has brought the latest human crew into Martian orbit. Control of the incoming flight has been transferred from Houston’s Mission Control to Mars Control at Chryse Station. The crew arriving from Earth on the Mars Transport Vehicle has been trained to replace the crew of astronauts that has run Mars Control for the past two years, and to continue its scientific explorations of the Red Planet.

Alignment with State of California Science Standards

 

Grade Level	Physical Science	Life Science	Earth Science	Investigation & Experimentation
Grade 5	1c. Properties of metals 1d. Periodic table 1g. Properties of matter	2a. Multicellular organisms 2b. Circulatory system 2e. Nutrient transportation 2f. photosynthesis	3b. States of water 3d. Available water 4a. Convection currents 4c. Severe weather 4e. Atmospheric pressure 5b. The Solar System 5c. Paths of planets	6b. Testable question 6c. Conduct investigation 6d. Variables 6f. Use of tools 6g. Record data| 6h. Draw conclusions 6i. Report of investigation
Grade 6	3d. Heat transfer through radiation 6a. Energy conservation	5a. Photosynthesis 5c. Categorizing organism populations	1d,e. Geological events (volcanic) 2a, b. Topography 4b. Solar energy 4d. Convection currents	7a. Develop a hypothesis 7b. Use of tools 7c. Construct graphs 7d. Report on investigation 7e. Consistency of evidence 7f. Read topographical & geological maps 7g. Interpret events
Grade 7	6d. Use of lenses 6e. White light 6f. Refraction, reflection, absorption of light 6h. Comparison of human and machine joint actions 6j. Contractions of the heart	1f. Cell differentiation 3c. Biological evoluation 5g. ear functions	4a. Earth processes 4b. Catastrophic events 4c. Rock cycles 4e. Fossils 4g. Geologic time scale	7a. Tools for testing 7b. Use resources to collect data 7c. Draw conclusions 7d. Read scale  models 7e. Report on investigation
Grade 8	1a. Relative position to standard reference point 1b. Average speed 1c. Speed/distance problem-solving 1e, f. Velocity & graphing 2f. Mass/force 2g. Gravity in the Solar System 3a. Structure of atoms 3d. States of matter 3f. Periodic table 5e. Acids/bases 8a, b. Density/mass	6b. Molecules of living organisms	4c. Astronomical unit 4e. Objects in the Solar System	9a. Test a hypothesis 9b. Evaluate data 9c. Variables/ controls 9d. Linear graphs 9e. Data graphs 9f. Mathematical relationships