In this advanced programming activity, students will construct a light-wavelength detector to model future technology for communicating with spacecraft.

These 60-second videos answer some of the most frequently asked questions about our planetary neighbor, Mars, and the spacecraft that explore it.

In this intermediate-level programming challenge, students use microdevices along with light and mirrors to build a relay that can send information to a distant detector.

In this activity, students learn how light and energy are spread throughout space. The rate of change can be expressed mathematically, demonstrating why spacecraft like NASA’s Juno need so many solar panels.

In this illustrated problem set, students use pi to compare the sizes of Mars landing areas, calculate the length of a year for a distant solar system object, measure the depth of the ocean from an airplane, and determine the diameter of a debris disk.

This six-part video series walks educators and students through the ins and outs of crafting a science fair project.

Students use mobile devices to measure the impact a solar eclipse has on the energy received at Earth’s surface.

In this challenge, students will program a rover to use a color sensor on several rock samples, allowing them to simulate how the Mars Curiosity rover uses its ChemCam instrument to analyze light emitted from geological samples on Mars.

Quickly and easily model how colors reflect, absorb, and interact with each other in the classroom or online using your computer’s camera.