Welcome educators, students and members of the general public to the Mars Society’s Education page and our Educational Blog called The Red Planet Pen!
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The Curious Case for Methane on Mars-Methane and Active Organics discovered on Mars (Issue #32)
By: Nicole Willett
On December 16, 2014 at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco, a panel of scientists working on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover data announced what we have all been waiting decades to hear. John Grotzinger stated unequivocally, “…there is methane occasionally present in the atmosphere of Mars and there are organics preserved in (…) rocks on Mars.”
Why is this important? All life on Earth that we have discovered so far is carbon based, aka organic. Carbon is found in the DNA of all life forms on Earth. Read more….
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***READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF Eerie Digest!***
The Mars Society’s Education Director, Nicole Willett, has had a detailed article published in the November 2014 issue of Eerie Digest Magazine.
Humans to Mars as a Bridge to the Stars
Becoming a space faring civilization is the goal of millions of Earthlings. If one pays attention to the universe around him, it is impossible to deny its breathtaking humility. We long to explore, to expand, to go out and touch a piece of another planetary body. This longing is what encouraged NASA and their supporters to stand behind the Apollo missions to the Moon. President John F. Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the Moon not because it is easy… but because it is hard.” We are on the verge of a new millennial space race. On September 16, 2014 NASA announced the human return to space. They are utilizing Boeing and SpaceX to accomplish this. SpaceX and many others have plans to send humans to Mars. The interest in exploring and settling the Red Planet is obvious. The first true plans to go to Mars were analyzed in 1948 and published in the 1950’s by Dr. Werner von Braun. Read more….._________________________________________________________________________
The Mars Society’s Education Task Force is reaching out to the public with information in order to help raise awareness of the latest news and discoveries about the planet Mars and its potential as a second home for humanity. There are many resources available here so we can fulfill the purpose of the Mars Society’s Education Page. Browse our Future Events for a talk near you, or see our Past Events where we have presented.
We are happy to provide your science classes or astronomy clubs with Free Skype or WebEx Sessions. In addition, we can arrange for a speaker to visit your school, astronomy club or organization to discuss the latest news from the Red Planet. Please use the contact us form at the bottom of our staff page in order to make arrangements or to see if we have a speaker available in your area.
