Your students
will gain a better understanding of the light spectrum
and the search for lifeon Mars with these simple
reenactment experiments. The printable handouts include
experiment directions and a worksheet for students to
complete.
On the Spot Using a prism, thermometers, and blueprint paper,
students recreate the 18th-century experiments
conducted by William Herschel and Johann Ritter
that proved the existence of invisible waves of
sunlight. They'll see with their own eyes that
there are invisible parts of the spectrum that
contain radiant energy.
A Viking's Search for Life Recreating how the Viking landers conducted their search for life on Mars is a great way for students to understand what the search for extraterrestrial really encompasses. In this activity, students add salt, baking powder, and yeast to jars of sand and then test for the production of gas when sugar water is added.
