ROADS on Mars – Freestyle! (2020)
ROADS on Mars National Student Challenge
The 2020 ROADS on Mars Challenge has closed. Thank you to all who participated!
The ROADS on Mars challenge invited student teams in grades 3–12 to tackle a mission to Mars, following in the path of the Mars 2020 rover. Teams explored landscape morphology, searched for signs of terrestrial life, and carried out robotic exploration on a Mars challenge mat using rovers and drones, all while documenting their work in a Mission Development Log.
STEM Concepts
All activities aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and helped students build skills in:
- Planetary geology
- Earth and environmental science
- Life science and biology
- Microscopy and observation skills
- Engineering and design
- Robotics and computer programming
- Mission planning and communication
Challenge Activities
Teams completed a sequence of mission-style tasks modeled on Mars exploration:
- Keeping a Mission Development Log (MDL)
- Building and testing crater and delta models
- Using gas detectors to look for methane
- Observing organisms with a microscope
- Designing a team mission patch
- Building and testing rover and lander designs
- Using a drone to simulate exploring a crater
- Programming a robot to drive and collect samples
Explore the ROADS on Mars Resources: