Out-of-School Activity
Mission to Mars Unit
Join the Adventure on Mars!
Get K-12 students exploring Mars with NASA scientists, engineers, and the Perseverance Mars rover as they learn all about STEM and design their very own mission to Mars.
Overview
In this standards-aligned unit, students learn about Mars, design a mission to explore the planet, build and test model spacecraft and components, and engage in scientific exploration. The unit takes students through seven stages, including learning about the planet, planning the mission, designing the spacecraft, launching, landing, surface operations, and sample handling.Materials
Management
- The lessons and activities below are organized in each section by grade level. They can be completed in whole or part, and in any sequence.
- Most lessons are best completed by pairs or teams of students.
- Some lessons are also available as independent projects for students. The student version can be found at the link directly below the lesson info.
Background
Ever wanted to take your students on an exciting journey? What if you could take that journey from the comfort of the classroom or out-of-school learning environment? Welcome to Mission to Mars!
Over the course of these lessons, you and your students will learn about and plan a mission to Mars. Your students will apply their creativity and science and math knowledge to explore the Red Planet. Not a scientist or engineer? That's okay! You're going to learn everything you need to know while preparing for and conducting these lessons. And you actually already have some engineering skills, whether you know it or not.
Ready, set, let's go!
Procedures
1. Learn About Mars
Students learn about Mars by watching short videos and engaging in mathematics and art activities.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
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What Do You Know About Mars?
Students decide what they want to learn from a robotic mission to Mars.
Subject Science
Grades K-2
Time Less than 30 minutes
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Art and the Cosmic Connection
Students use art to describe and recognize the geology on Mars.
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1-2 hrs
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Solar System Bead Activity
Students create a scale model of the solar system using beads and string.
Subject Science
Grades 1-6
Time 30-60 mins
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Whip Up a Crater
Use baking ingredients to whip up a Mars-like crater as a demonstration for students.
Subject Science
Grades 1-6
Time 30-60 mins
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Exploring the Colors of Mars
Students use satellite and rover images to learn about the various features and materials that cause color variation on the surface of Mars, then create their own “Marscape.
Subject Science
Grades 2-5
Time 1-2 hrs
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Planetary Poetry
In this cross-curricular STEM and language arts lesson, students learn about planets, stars and space missions and write STEM-inspired poetry to share their knowledge of or inspiration about these topics.
Subject Science
Grades 2-12
Time 1-2 hrs
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Modeling Silicates and the Chemistry of Earth's Crust
Students will use marshmallows to model the formation of silicates – the family of minerals that make up most of Earth’s crust – then analyze their chemical and physical properties.
Subject Science
Grades 9-12
Time 1-2 hrs
Student Projects
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Make a Moon Crater
Make craters like the ones you can see on the Moon using simple baking ingredients!
Subject Science
Grades 1-6
Time 30-60 mins
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Write a Poem About Space
Are you a space poet, and you didn't even know it? Find out how to create your own poems inspired by space!
Subject Science
Grades 2-12
Time 1-2 hrs
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Explore Earth and Space With Art
Find out how art and science are connected. Then take a quiz to see if you can use elements of art to identify features on Earth’s surface. *Now, extend your skills with our newly added Mars quiz!
Subject Science
Grades 4-12
Time Less than 30 mins
Student Articles
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Mission to Mars: A Scavenger Hunt
Students can complete the scavenger hunt activity by reading the selected articles on the NASA Space Place website to find the answers to each clue. Once they have all the clues, they will be able to spell the secret word!
Subject Science
Grades K-5
Time 30-60 mins
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The Mars Rovers
Read about and compare the rovers NASA has sent to Mars, from Sojourner to Perseverance.
Subject Technology
Grades 3-6
Time 30-60 mins
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Why Do We Care About Water on Mars?
Using images of Mars, read about how NASA begin its search for water on the red planet.
Subject Technology
Grades 3-6
Time 30-60 mins
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All About Mars
Learn about Mars history and the missions NASA has sent in this interactive article.
Subject Science
Grades 3-6
Time 30-60 mins
Student Videos
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Mars in a Minute: Is Mars Really Red?
This 60-second video answers one of the most frequently asked questions about our planetary neighbor.
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: Is Mars Red Hot?
What would it feel like if you could stand on Mars – toasty warm, or downright chilly?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: How Long is a Year on Mars?
How long is does it take Mars to make one trip around the Sun?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: How Did Mars Get Such Enormous Mountains?
Why are the tallest peaks in the solar system found on one of its smallest worlds? Like any planet, how Mars looks outside is tied to what goes on inside.
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: What's Inside Mars?
We know what the Red Planet looks like from the outside – but what's going on under the surface of Mars?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: Are There Quakes on Mars?
Are there earthquakes on Mars – or rather, \"marsquakes\"? What could they teach us about the Red Planet?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Solar System Size and Distance
How big are the planets and how far away are they compared to each other? Find out in this video about the scale of our solar system.
Subject Science
Grades 1-12
Time 1 min
2. Plan Your Mission
Students engage in the engineering design process to plan a mission to Mars.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
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What Tools Would You Take to Mars?
Students decide what they want to learn from a robotic mission to Mars and what tools they will put on their robot to accomplish their goals.
Subject Science
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 minutes
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Marsbound! Mission to the Red Planet
Students learn the process of design, engineering and technology for a mission to Mars through this board-game activity.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-12
Time 30-60 mins
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Feel the Heat
Students learn about solar power by designing and building a solar hot water heater and seeing how big a temperature change they can get.
Subject Engineering
Grades 4-12
Time 1-2 hrs
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Let's Go to Mars! Calculating Launch Windows
Students use advanced algebra concepts to determine the next opportunity to launch a spacecraft to Mars.
Subject Mathematics
Grades 9-12
Time 30-60 mins
Student Videos
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Mars in a Minute: How Do You Get to Mars?
This 60-second video covers a few key things to remember when planning a trip to the Red Planet.
Subject Technology
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: How Do You Choose a Landing Site?
So, you want to study Mars with a lander or rover – but where exactly do you send it? Learn how scientists and engineers tackle the question of where to land on Mars in this 60-second video.
Subject Engineering
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
3. Design Your Spacecraft
Now that a mission has been planned, students learn about and build spacecraft, including satellites and rovers, as well as a robotic arm.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
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Robotic Arm Challenge
Students design, build and use a model robotic arm to move items from one location to another.
Subject Engineering
Grades K-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Make a Paper Mars Helicopter
In this lesson, students build a paper helicopter, then improve the design and compare and measure performance.
Subject Engineering
Grades 2-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Design a Robotic Insect
Design a robotic insect to go to an extreme environment. Then, compare the design process to what NASA engineers do when building robots for Mars!
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-5
Time 30-60 mins
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Explore Mars with Scratch
Students learn about surface features on Mars, then use a visual programming language to create a Mars exploration game.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 1-2 hrs
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Planetary Pasta Rovers
Students build a pasta rover that can travel down a ramp.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 1-2 hrs
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Build a Satellite
Students will use the engineering design process to design, build, test and improve a model satellite intended to investigate the surface of a planet.
Subject Engineering
Grades 5-8
Time 2+ hrs
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NASA Space Voyagers: The Game
Students play a strategy card game that requires them to use problem-solving to successfully explore the Moon and Mars.
Subject Science
Grades 6-9
Time 1-2 hrs
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Robotics: Creating a Roving Science Lab
In this challenge, students will program a rover to use a color sensor on several rock samples, allowing them to simulate how the Mars Curiosity rover uses its ChemCam instrument to analyze light emitted from geological samples on Mars.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-9
Time 2+ hrs
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Robotics: Making a Self-Driving Rover
In this challenge, students must program a rover to get from point A to point B on a map without driving across any of the craters located between the two points.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-9
Time 2+ hrs
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Roving on the Moon
Students build a rubber-band-powered rover that can scramble across the room.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-12
Time 30-60 mins
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The Air Up There: Making Space Breathable
In this lesson, students will use stoichiometry just like NASA scientists in order to equip space missions with breathable air for our astronauts.
Subject Science
Grades 10-12
Time 1-2 hrs
Student Projects
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Build a Rover and More With Shapes
Use geometric shapes called tangrams to build a rover and other space-themed designs!
Subject Mathematics
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 mins
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Make a Paper Mars Helicopter
Build a paper helicopter, then see if you can improve the design like NASA engineers did when making the first helicopter for Mars.
Subject Engineering
Grades 2-8
Time 30-60 mins
-
Design a Robotic Insect
Students design a robotic insect for an extraterrestrial environment, then compare the process to how NASA engineers design robots for extreme environments like Mars.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-5
Time 30-60 mins
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Code a Mars Helicopter Video Game
Create a video game that lets players explore the Red Planet with a helicopter like the one going to Mars with NASA's Perseverance rover!
Subject Technology
Grades 3-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Make a Moon or Mars Rover Game
Create a Moon or Mars exploration game using Scratch, a visual programming language. Think like NASA space-mission planners to design your game!
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 1-2 hrs
-
Make a Cardboard Rover
Build a rubber-band-powered rover that can scramble across a room.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-12
Time 30-60 mins
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JPL's Open Source Build-It-Yourself Rover
Build a driving 6-wheel rover with almost the same suspension as the real rovers on Mars using commonly available components you can easily buy online and assemble in a garage.
Subject Engineering
Grades 9-12
Time 2+ hrs
Student Videos
Student Articles
4. Launch Your Mission
Students learn through the engineering design process what it takes to launch a spacecraft.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
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Tangram Rocket
Students use tangrams to create rockets while practicing shape recognition.
Subject Mathematics
Grades K-1
Time 30-60 mins
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Rockets by Size
Students cut out, color and sequence paper rockets in a simple mathematics lesson on measurement.
Subject Mathematics
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 mins
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Simple Rocket Science
Students perform a simple science experiment to learn how a rocket works and demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion.
Subject Science
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 mins
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Simple Rocket Science Continued
Students gather data on a balloon rocket launch, then create a simple graph to show the results of the tests.
Subject Mathematics
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 mins
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Build and Launch a Foam Rocket
Students build rubber-band-powered rockets and launch them at various angles to learn about rocket stability and trajectory.
Subject Engineering
Grades 2-8
Time 1-2 hrs
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Rocket Activity: Heavy Lifting
Students construct balloon-powered rockets to launch the greatest payload possible to the classroom ceiling.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Soda-Straw Rockets
Students study rocket stability as they design, construct and launch paper rockets using soda straws.
Subject Engineering
Grades 4-8
Time Less than 30 mins
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Stomp Rockets
In this video lesson, students learn to design, build and launch paper rockets, calculate how high they fly and improve their designs.
Subject Engineering
Grades 4-9
Time 1-2 hrs
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Robotics: Engineering a Rocket Transporter
Students design, build and program a robotic “super crawler” to transport a payload from a starting position to a target launch pad, deliver the payload in an upright position and return the robot to the starting point.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-9
Time 2+ hrs
Student Projects
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Build a Rocket and More With Shapes
Use geometric shapes called tangrams to build a rocket and other space-themed designs!
Subject Mathematics
Grades K-1
Time 30-60 mins
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Make a Straw Rocket
Create a paper rocket that can be launched from a soda straw – then, modify the design to make the rocket fly farther!
Subject Engineering
Grades 4-8
Time Less than 30 mins
Student Articles
5. Land on Mars
Students use the engineering design process to design landing systems that will enable their spacecraft to land softly on the Mars surface.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
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Parachute Design
Students design and test parachute landing systems to successfully land a probe on target.
Subject Engineering
Grades K-2
Time 30-60 mins
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Touchdown
Students design and build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two "astronauts" when they land.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Speaking in Phases
Students learn how waves are used in communication between far-away spacecraft and the Deep Space Network on Earth. They then practice communicating using a similar process.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Catching a Whisper from Space
Students will kinesthetically model the mathematics used to communicate with spacecraft.
Subject Mathematics
Grades 4-12
Time 1-2 hours
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On Target
Students modify a paper cup so it can zip down a line and drop a marble onto a target
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-12
Time 30-60 mins
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Build a Relay Inspired by Space Communications
Students model NASA spacecraft communication using microdevices along with light and mirrors to build a relay that can send information to a distant detector, and then program their detector to indicate when data is being received.
Subject Technology
Grades 8-12
Time 1-2 hours
Student Projects
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Make an Astronaut Lander
Design and build a lander that will protect two "astronauts" when they touch down.
Subject Engineering
Grades 3-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Land a Spacecraft on Target
Modify a paper-cup spacecraft so it can zip down a line and drop a "lander" onto a target.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-12
Time 30-60 mins
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Code a Mars Landing
Use coding and computer science to simulate how NASA lands spacecraft on Mars during the process known as entry, descent, and landing, or EDL.
Subject Technology
Grades 10-12
Time 2+ hrs
Student Videos
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Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?
This 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains three ways to land on the surface of the Red Planet.
Subject Engineering
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: How Hard Is It to Land Curiosity on Mars?
Find out what it took for the Curiosity Mars rover to touch down successfully.
Subject Engineering
Grades K-12
Time 1 min
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Mars in a Minute: Phoning Home: Communicating from Mars
How did we know that the Curiosity Mars rover landed safely on the surface of Mars?
Subject Technology
Grades K-12
Time 3 mins
6. Surface Operations
Once their spacecraft has landed safely, students are challenged to learn about spacecraft communication, energy management on Mars, surface features and life science.
Meet an Expert
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Planetary (Egg) Wobble and Newton’s First Law
Students try to determine the interior makeup of an egg (hard-boiled or raw) based on their understanding of center of mass and Newton’s first law of motion.
Subject Science
Grades 3-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Mars Thermos
Student teams use the engineering design process and everyday materials to design an insulator that will keep a small amount of water from rapidly changing temperature.
Subject Engineering
Grades 4-8
Time 1-2 hrs
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Looking for Life
Using the fundamental criteria for life, students examine simulated extraterrestrial soil samples for signs of life.
Subject Science
Grades 4-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Lava Layering: Making and Mapping a Volcano
Students learn about Earth processes by simulating and examining lava flows from a volcano model made of play dough.
Subject Science
Grades 5-8
Time 1-2 hrs
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Heat Flow Programming Challenge
Students use microcontrollers and temperature sensors to measure the flow of heat through a soil sample.
Subject Engineering
Grades 5-12
Time 1-2 hrs
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Solar Oven
Students build a solar oven and learn about the importance of solar energy for establishing a Mars base.
Subject Engineering
Grades 6-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Describe Rocks Like a NASA Scientist
Learn how to describe rock samples like a NASA scientist. Then, take a quiz to see if you can match edible rocks made of candy bars – and real rocks from Earth and space – to the correct description.
Subject Science
Grades 4-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Make a Volcano
Make a volcano with baking soda, vinegar and play dough. Then, add multiple layers that you can investigate like a NASA scientist.
Subject Science
Grades 5-8
Time 30-60 mins
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Mars in a Minute What Happens When the Sun Blocks Our Signal?
What is "solar conjunction," and how does it affect communications with our spacecraft at Mars?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 60 seconds
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Mars in a Minute Why is Curiosity Looking for Organics?
Has Mars ever had the right ingredients for life? What are organic molecules, and what can they tell us about the history of Mars?
Subject Science
Grades K-12
Time 60 seconds
Educator Guides
Student Projects
Student Videos
7. Sample Handling
To conclude a successful mission to Mars, students design a small rocket that will return samples to Earth from the Red Planet.
Meet an Expert
Educator Guides
Student Projects
Extensions
- Website: NASA Mars Exploration
- Website: NASA Space Place - Mars
- Website: NASA Curiosity Mars Rover
- Website: NASA Perseverance Mars Rover
- Interactive: Mars Now
- Articles: Meet JPL interns working on the Perseverance Mars rover
- Videos: Mars exploration videos from NASA
- Images: Mars exploration images and graphics from NASA
- Downloads: Stickers, coloring pages, 3-D graphics, and more
- Articles: Articles about Mars exploration from JPL News