Pi Day Notice and Wonder / Tubular Tally
Tubular Tally
As science and technology evolve, scientists are constantly finding new and innovative ways to explore and understand the planets that surround us. In 2021, NASA sent its Perseverance rover to Mars to collect rock samples that will allow scientists to gain more insight about possible life on Mars. Have you ever wondered how the Perseverance Mars rover was built to collect the samples, or what kind of information is gathered from those samples?
I notice —
- a rover that is on a different planet;
- rocky and mountainous terrain;
- tracks created by the rover's wheels on the surface (or terrain) of the planet;
- a cylindrical tube being drilled into the surface of the planet to pull out a sample;
- the dimensions of the tube;
- a second tube laying on the ground;
- cameras at the top of the rover; and
- hands holding a tube.
What else do you notice? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #PiDayNASAxNCTM and join the conversation!
I wonder —
- what planet the rover is on;
- how far the rover has traveled;
- how fast the rover can travel;
- what the rover is taking pictures and videos of;
- what the tube is used for; what types of samples the tube is collecting;
- what the samples can tell us about Mars;
- if there are different sizes of tubes;
- how many samples the rover can collect;
- how far into the surface the tube can go;
- how the samples from the tube are delivered back to Earth; and
- how many samples the rover has collected since it was invented.
What else do you wonder? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #PiDayNASAxNCTM and join the conversation!