Mrs. Gamble's 2nd Grade Class
Baldwin Elementary School

"Is there gravity there?"

Yes, there is gravity on Mars, but it is not as strong as the gravity here on Earth, so objects weigh less on Mars. I weigh 180 lbs on Earth, but on Mars I would weigh 68 lbs! Gravity on the Moon is 1/6 the strength of Earth's gravity, so I would only weigh 30 lbs on the Moon!! Though we are trying to make our Mars experience as real as possible, the one thing we are not able to simulate is gravity, so I still weigh 180 lbs each day.

How much would you weigh on Mars? Check out the following website to calculate your weight on other planets and moons: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/ If you have a calculator, to figure out how much you would weigh on Mars, divide your weight on Earth by 2.65, for the Moon, divide by 6.

"Can you breathe without your space suits on?"

Yes and No. Yes, because we are still on Earth, so we can go outside without a space suit and breathe the air. No, because if we REALLY were on Mars, we would not survive outside without a space suit or a backpack with oxygen inside. Just as a SCUBA Diver has to carry their oxygen with them in a tank when they swim underwater, Astronauts have to bring their oxygen with them when they walk in space, on the Moon, or on Mars. The space suits worn by Apollo Astronauts on the Moon had fancy backpacks on them that contained their oxygen, which allowed them to breathe for at least 8 hours while they were out on a moonwalk. Astronauts who do space walks from the Space Shuttle or Space Station wear similar backpacks that hold their oxygen supply. Here at the MDRS, fans in our backpacks on the space suits we wear circulate air from the outside into our helmets, so we can have cool, refreshing air to breathe.

The atmosphere on Mars is 95% carbon dioxide, which our lungs and heart do not like. There is very little oxygen in the atmosphere on Mars, so we either need to bring the oxygen with us or find a way to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. The Moon has no atmosphere, so if you go visit, bring along lots of oxygen and a good space suit to wear.

Cheers,
Mr. Garry