daily activities
Extreme Environments
Lost in Space
While humans have been sailing the treacherous seas for millions of years, space exploration is relatively new. Astronauts first set foot on the moon just 52 years ago, in 1969! But thanks to modern advances in technology like the development of the Hubble Space Telescope, we are able to see further than ever into our vast dark universe. And it's there where we're finding some of the most extreme environments of all, like planets made of diamonds, baked by 800-degree temperatures, or scoured by wind-blown glass that could shred us to pieces. Let's visit a few of them!
FOR PARENTS
Ask About Today
Do you believe there is life on other planets? Why or why not?
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explore
60-75 minutes
01
Tour 10 of the Galaxy's Most Extreme Planets
Some are made of diamonds. Others go from super hot to super cold in just a few hours. All of them are places that are way too extreme for humans to visit. Let's take a closer look!
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02
Adapting to Other Planets
Have you ever thought about what it might be like if you visited other planets in our solar system? On some, your limbs would expand, making you taller, and on others, you’d instantly evaporate! Ready to go? Anyone? Hello?
03
Surviving Outer Space
The environment of space is so extreme, it takes a lot of special equipment and careful training just for humans to survive in it. Take a look at how space agencies and astronauts prepare in this 20-minute documentary from Dave Malkoff and The Weather Channel.
04
05
A Tiny Creature Tough Enough for Space
What living creature could possibly survive a trip into space? Tardigrades, which can survive for decades without water and live in extreme environments all over the Earth, are probably our best bet. Get to know these incredibly tough critters in this video from TED-Ed.
06
Imagining Life on Mars
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, recently announced that its first crewed mission to Mars could be 2026. But can Mars prove sustainable enough as an environment to meet our needs? Check out this simulation of what the first 10,000 days on Mars might look like, and then decide.
create
30-45 minutes
01
Create Your Own Space Helmet
Let your imagination soar by creating your very own costume space helmet. There are different ways to complete this craft, but this one is fairly simple and can be done with simple recyclables (because... we don’t want to have to be living on Mars sooner than we need to be). So let’s reuse and get crafty!
move
10-15 minutes
01
Work Out Like an Astronaut (Kinda)
When astronauts are living in space, they spend hours each day exercising to keep their bones and muscles strong. So you can probably handle a few minutes keeping up with our favorite gym teacher, Joe, right?