Interstellar Real Estate Location Location Defining the Habitable

Interstellar Real Estate: Location, Location Defining the Habitable Zone What makes Earth the perfect home for life as we know it? Students in this activity explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms

NSTA 2002 Presenters: • • Ed Prather, University of Arizona Tim Slater, University of Arizona Alison Simmerman, Honoka’a Hawaii Donna Governor, Brown-Barge MS, Pensacola, FL

What is Astrobiology? Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe. It provides a biological perspective to many areas of NASA research, linking such endeavors as the search for habitable planets, exploration missions to Mars and Europa, efforts to understand the origin of life, and planning for the future of life beyond Earth.

Astrobiology Goals: Astrobiology addresses three basic questions, which have been asked in some form for generations. Astrobiology is exciting today because we have the technology to begin to answer these fundamental questions: • How does life begin and develop? • Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? • What is life's future on Earth and beyond?

What’s New in Astrobiology?

Interstellar Real Estate Part 1 Exploration Activity 1: The Goldilocks Principle Part 2 Introduction Part 3 Application Activity 6: Activity 2: Why is There Abundant Life on Recently Earth? Discovered New Activity 3: Defining Planets the Habitable Zone Activity 7: Activity 4: The Sun is Marketing Your a Star? New Extra-Solar Activity 5: Size and Planet Mass are Important!

Activity: Scale Distance Model Distance in AU’s & Scale § § § § § Mercury: . 39 - 2 cm Venus: . 72 - 3. 6 cm Earth: 1 - 5 cm Mars: 1. 52 - 7. 6 cm Jupiter: 5. 2 - 26 cm Saturn: 9. 54 - 47. 7 cm Uranus: 19. 2 - 96 cm Neptune: 30 - 150 cm Pluto: 39. 5 - 198 cm Habitable Zone: . 84 to 1. 7 4. 2 to 8. 5 cm

Activity: Stellar Sorting Sort your star cards by: § Distance from Earth § Temperature What pattern emerges? Which stars will support Earth-like life? How is the habitable zone effected by star type?

Activity: Extra Solar Planets In addition to having just the right kind of star, a planet must also have just the right mass and be just the right size to support life! § Mass -. 5 - 10 Me § Radius -. 8 - 2. 2 Re Which extra solar planets might be JUST RIGHT?

Implementation

Defining the Habitable Zone

The Sun is a Star?

Stellar Classification

Extra Solar Planets

Interstellar Real Estate

Astrobiology in the Classroom NASA – CERES Project http: //btc. montana. edu/ceres Montana State University

Preliminary Lessons • • • Designer DNA Drake Equation Extra-Solar Planets Extreme Environments Habitability Zones Mission to Mars Rare Earth Remote Sensing Intergalactic Communication Time Scales

On-Line Courses National Teacher’s Enhancement Network • Astrobiology for Teachers Related Courses • Studying the Universe with Space Observatories • Comparative Planetology

Interstellar Real Estate