Driving the Explorer
After just landing on Mars, you find yourself surrounded by rocks, craters, mountains and deserts. Hop into your Explorer to navigate around the Red Planet and see what you can find. Pay close attention to the weather, the soil and objects that lie in your path.

The Space Explorers™, Inc. Mars Rover is planning to touchdown in classrooms across the country on January 20, 2004. With its landing, students will be able to maneuver their own Explorer in a 3D virtual Martian terrain.

Students will be exposed to various space science fundamentals such as:

The Mars Explorer Simulation uses data from NASA's Global Surveyor mission to recreate a virtual Mars Terrain that allows students to explore the dusty red planet in their own Explorer. While driving their Explorers, students will be able to explore the possibilities of sustaining life on Mars. Students will complete surface activities such as taking panoramic multi-spectral images, monitoring the weather, and taking measurements of rocks and soil samples using a variety of instruments.

Mars Explorer is designed as on online activity that can be completed in as few as two to five hours using a computer. The program was designed with flexibility in mind to allow it to be used in a school computer lab, in a student's home or by home school students. At the end of their missions, students will be presented with a congratulatory certificate recognizing their accomplishments during the mission.

Mars Explorer is designed as part of the Mission: Solar System program. As a current or new subscriber to the programs, Mission: Solar System combines and adds to three successful Space Explorers™' mission-based programs. Moonlink® is based on NASA's Lunar Prospector Mission, NEARlink® is based on the Near Earth Rendezvous mission to the asteroid Eros, Marslink® is based on NASA's Mars Odyssey mission. and Mars Explorer will be based off of NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers and Global Surveyor missions. Bundled together as Mission: Solar System, this portfolio of educational curriculum programs give teachers the opportunity to pick and choose resources from all of these programs to provide an experience that works best for your classroom.

To view a screen shots of the Mars Explorer Simulation, click here.

Contact Information
To learn how your students can participate in the Mars Explorer simulation beginning January 20, 2004, please contact one of our Education Specialists at 800-965-3763.