The latest Mars rover is scheduled to land on the Red Planet on February 18th, and searching for signs of past or even present life is one of its top objectives. But what makes scientists believe there is even the possibility of life on Mars, or on any of the other solar system bodies considered possibly conducive to life, like the icy moons Europa and Enceladus? What makes our planet, and potentially others, habitable, and what are scientists looking for as indicators of life elsewhere? Will it be "little green men," or microbes? And what would finding – or not finding – life elsewhere in the solar system mean for us and our understanding of the universe? Students will walk away from this class better equipped to follow and appreciate this most fascinating of scientific enterprises as it unfolds over the next week, and beyond.
This class is appropriate for ages 11+.
This class will take place online through Zoom. Links for Zoom classes will be sent 1 hour before the start of class. If you do not receive your link, please check your spam or submit an email through our contact page.
About the teachers:
Tyler Lucero has connected people to the natural world as a science teacher in the Rochester City School District, a naturalist at West Irondequoit's Helmer Nature Center, a NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Outreach Scholar, and an interpretive ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. He studied geology at Brown University, and has both traveled widely to wild places in the United States and studied other worlds in our Solar System, but loves the landscape of his native Western New York best.
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