Project Directions

For this project you are a real estate agent and will try to sell one of the other 8 planets (not the Earth) to people looking for a spectacular new area to live! Below are the requirements that must be included in your solar system project!

• The information must be shown using a poster, pamphlet, computer presentation (Keynote, PowerPoint), or a combination of these. All ideas should be passed by the teacher before starting.

• Advertise the planet you are trying to sell using words and any of the following: pictures, drawings, and diagrams!

• In your planet presentation project you must include the following:
1. A summary of the planet’s environment:
Size – diameter, circumference, mass
Distance from the Sun and Earth
Temperature Range (in C and F)
Length of year
Length of day
Direction of spin
Direction of orbit around the sun
Atmosphere (what it is made of, how thick it is…)
Amount of gravity
Interesting Facts (at least two; are there any moons, other satellites…)
Density of the planet

2. Describe what materials will be provided to the new owners in order for their survival and reasons why these materials are necessary (we will assume any type of technology is possible).

3. Write a paragraph (five sentences minimum) that discusses the technology needed to support life. Are any already available? Do you think this type of technology may be available sometime in the future? Explain your reasoning.

4. Provide evidence, from the research you did for this project, to help answer our essential question: Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets of our solar system

Here are a few great resources that I’ve found:
1. The Ten Planets. http://www.nineplanets.org/
2. Views of the Solar System. http://www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm
3. NASA’s Welcome to the Planets. http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome.htm
4. The Planetary Society. http://planetary.org/learn/index.html
5. NASA Solar System Lithograph Set.
6. Search for the information using search engines like google or yahoo.

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