Curated and Reviewed by
Lesson Planet
Explore the surface of Mars without leaving the comforts of your home or classroom! Learn about volcanoes, missions to the red planet, view the topography, and more.
10 Views
3 Downloads
Additional Tags
App Overview
Features:
View Options (globe icon):
- Map: Choose between color or elevation maps
- Vision: Normal, gray scale, night vision, or red-cyan anaglyph 3-D
Labels (rectangle next to globe):
- Select the list icon to scroll through the items in each of the categories
- Tap on an item to learn more, see photographs, or access related links
Categories in Labels:
- Highlights: Key features and missions
- Terrain: Learn about the geologic highs and lows of Mars
- Spacecraft: Discover where each of the missions currently are, as well as information about their scientific goals
- Albedo: Explore the light and dark features visible from Earth through a telescope
- People: Find out which features were named for scientists and astronomers
- No Labels: Turn off the labels
Additional information for each of the above categories is found by tapping on the icon to the right of the Labels box (icon looks like a bulleted list).
Options (asterisk icon):
Turn sound and/or atmosphere view on or off.
More information about the app is available by tapping the question mark icon.
- How to Use Mars Globe HD
- A Brief Introduction to Mars
- Start the Guided Tour
- Credits
- Web resources
Instructional Ideas
- Examine geological features on Mars and compare/contrast them to Earth's features
- Discuss various missions to explore Mars
- STEM project: Design a protective casing to cushion a Mars lander (a new take on the egg drop)
- Look at meteor craters and determine chronologic order of the impacts
Classroom Considerations
- Web resources are active links to the Internet
- Without specific tasks, some learners may lose interest quickly
Pros
- Useful in science and geography (mapping)
- Detailed topographical tour of Mars
- Lots of information about different features of Mars
Cons
- May be difficult for some learners to understand
- No game aspect, which may cause some kids to lose interest