Space Exploration on Mars: An Adventure for Young Explorers (update 2025)
Educational and Fun Activities
Written by Gregg Payne
20 September 2024
🕓 10 min
Mars has always held a special place in the imagination of explorers, scientists, and dreamers. Known as the Red Planet, Mars is both mysterious and fascinating, offering clues to the past and promises of future discoveries. As space missions continue to reveal more about its surface, atmosphere, and history, Mars represents one of the most exciting frontiers in science and exploration. For young adventurers, learning about Mars is like stepping into a real-life space mission, full of wonder, challenges, and groundbreaking ideas. At Science of Sound, we believe that nurturing children’s curiosity about space today can inspire the scientists, astronauts, and engineers of tomorrow. Let’s embark on an exciting journey to discover why Mars captures our imagination and how young explorers can start their own Mars adventures from right here on Earth!
1. Why is Mars So Fascinating?
Mars captures imaginations around the world because it’s both familiar and alien at the same time. It shares many features with Earth, yet it remains full of mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
✅ The Red Colour. Mars’ distinctive red appearance comes from iron oxide (rust) on its surface, earning it the nickname "The Red Planet." Its striking hue makes it instantly recognisable in the night sky.
✅ Olympus Mons. Mars is home to the tallest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which stands an incredible 22 kilometres (13.6 miles) high—almost three times the height of Mount Everest!
✅ Ancient Water Clues. Dry riverbeds, lakebeds, and mineral patterns suggest that water once flowed across the Martian surface. This discovery makes Mars a prime location for studying the possibility of past life.
✅ A Potential Second Home. With plans for future missions and even colonisation, Mars offers a tantalising glimpse into humanity's possible future beyond Earth.
Exploring Mars invites young scientists to imagine new worlds, solve real-world challenges, and dream of what the next era of space exploration might hold!
2. Space Missions to Mars
Mars exploration has been one of the most thrilling chapters in space science, with robotic missions revealing amazing details about the Red Planet’s surface, climate, and history.
✅ Viking 1 and Viking 2 (1976). These groundbreaking missions delivered the first-ever images from the Martian surface, helping scientists understand the planet’s terrain and atmosphere.
✅ Curiosity Rover (2012). Curiosity has been exploring Mars since 2012, studying rocks and soil to uncover signs that Mars may have once supported microbial life. Its findings have transformed our understanding of the planet's history.
✅ Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter (2021). Perseverance is searching for ancient signs of life and collecting samples that could one day return to Earth. Its companion, Ingenuity, made history by becoming the first aircraft to fly on another planet!
✅ Future Missions. Exciting missions are planned for the coming decades, including sample return missions and preparations for human exploration.
Learning about Mars missions helps children appreciate the incredible technology, teamwork, and imagination needed to explore distant worlds—and invites them to imagine their role in future space adventures!
Learn more about space exploration by checking out our post The Amazing world of Sound: Discoveries Kids Can Look Forward To! and explore how space technologies are evolving.
3. Could Humans Live on Mars?
The idea of humans living on Mars is one of the most exciting dreams in modern science. But making life possible on the Red Planet would come with some incredible challenges!
✅ Thin Atmosphere. Mars’ atmosphere is about 100 times thinner than Earth's and made mostly of carbon dioxide, meaning there’s almost no breathable oxygen. Scientists are working on ways to create oxygen from Martian air through special machines.
✅ Freezing Temperatures. Mars is extremely cold, with average temperatures around -60°C (-80°F). Future explorers would need heated suits and specially designed habitats to survive.
✅ Low Gravity. Mars has only 38% of Earth's gravity. While this would make carrying heavy loads easier, it could lead to health problems like weakened muscles and bones over time.
✅ Growing Food. Since Mars has no soil suitable for farming, future settlers would need to grow food indoors using hydroponics—growing plants without soil, using water and nutrients instead.
Despite these challenges, scientists are optimistic. Every new discovery brings us closer to one day building communities on Mars, turning science fiction into science fact for future generations!
4. Fun Mars Activities for Young Explorers
Exploring Mars doesn’t have to wait for a rocket launch—young adventurers can start right at home with fun, creative activities that bring space science to life!
✅ Build Your Own Mars Rover. Use recycled materials like cardboard, straws, and bottle caps to design and build a model rover. Think about what tools it would need—like cameras, wheels, or robotic arms—to explore the rocky Martian surface.
✅ Design a Mars Colony. Grab pencils, markers, or digital drawing tools and create your own vision of a Mars colony. Where would people live? How would they get water, food, and air? What challenges would they have to overcome?
✅ Mars Rover Landing Simulation. Create parachutes with plastic bags and small toys to simulate how spacecraft safely land on Mars. Drop them from a height and observe how they slow the descent, just like real space missions!
✅ Mars Sand Tray. Fill a tray with red-dyed flour or sand to mimic the Martian landscape. Add mountains, craters, and valleys, then send your toy rover out on an exciting mission across "Mars."
Hands-on Mars activities spark creativity, engineering skills, and a deep fascination with space exploration—no spacesuit required!
Final Thoughts
Mars has always captured the spirit of exploration and discovery. From towering volcanoes and dusty valleys to the possibility of past life and future human missions, the Red Planet offers endless fascination for curious minds. By introducing children to the wonders of Mars, we can ignite a lifelong passion for space, science, and adventure.
Exploring Mars through fun activities, creative projects, and real-world science stories helps children connect with some of the biggest questions humanity is asking today. Who knows—today’s young explorers could be tomorrow’s Mars pioneers!
If your child loves outer space, hands-on science, and exciting challenges, they’ll thrive at our Science of Sound holiday camps, after-school clubs, and workshops. Our programmes are packed with interactive STEM activities designed to nurture creativity, problem-solving, and a love for learning. Explore our upcoming sessions and inspire your child’s imagination with real-world science adventures!
The next great journey of exploration might just begin with a spark of curiosity—and a dream of walking on Mars.
