MISSION TO MARS: GRADE SCHOOLERS TACKLE
THE RED PLANET AT UH
Annual Competition Showcases Mars Rover Models
Toxic soil and radiation are no challenge for the grade schoolers
who invade the University of Houston each year for the citywide
finals of the Mars Rover Model Competition.
Houston-area primary (grades three through five) and middle school
(grades six through eight) students who’ve built homemade
vehicles to withstand and explore the surface of the Red Planet
will converge on campus noon to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 22, for
the event, which is open to the public.
A workshop to prepare teachers for coaching their students through
the planning and completion of operational Mars Rover models was
held at UH earlier this fall. Students were given six-weeks of classroom-learning
and homework projects about Mars, with design criteria for their
rovers that required them to do basic research for designing and
constructing a model of a Mars Rover to carry out a specific science
mission on the surface of Mars.
The best three teams from more than 25 Houston-area schools will
present their creations constructed mostly out of found objects
and simple art supplies, costing a maximum of $25. With approximately
260 students attending, 85 Mars Rover models will be on display
at the competition.
The competition, which puts a fresh face on space exploration to
excite a new generation of scientists and engineers, is part of
the education and public outreach component of the World Space Congress
that is made up of the world’s space community to chart new
directions for humanity’s next decade in space.
WHAT: |
Mars Rover Model Competition |
WHEN: |
Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005
Noon to 5:30 p.m. |
WHERE: |
University of Houston
University Center – Houston Room
Off Calhoun Road, Entrance 1 |
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