Water on Mars

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/water-on-mars

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary locations of water ice?Polar ice caps (water ice and CO2 ice) and extensive subsurface permafrost
2. What is the geological evidence of past surface water?Outflow channels, river valley networks, deltas, and ancient lakebeds
3. What did early Mars look like with water?Early Mars had a thicker atmosphere and warmer temperatures, so it could hold lots of liquid water. Rivers, lakes, and even a big ocean may have covered up to a third of the planet.
4. Where can we find water ice on Mars today?Most of the ice is in the polar ice caps and also deep underground in the middle latitudes. Scientists have found over 5 million cubic kilometers of ice, enough to make a 35‑meter‑thick blanket over the whole planet.

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): The practice of using local Martian resources, like water ice, to support human missions.
Biosignatures: Substances, objects, or patterns that provide evidence of past or present life.
Permafrost: Ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, containing significant ice deposits on Mars.
Spectroscopy: The study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, used to identify chemical composition.