Introduction
As technology advances on Earth, our planet seems to grow smaller and smaller. It is no surprise that the idea of traveling to, exploring, and settling Mars captures the imagination. But establishing a settlement on Mars will require much more than imagination—it will take a lot of hard work and a lot of money!
One idea for paying for a Mars settlement is through science and innovation. The extreme conditions of Mars mean that Mars settlers will be forced to think creatively and will likely create all sorts of new technology. Likewise, the planet Mars itself is like one huge science experiment; there is so much to learn on Mars. Every university and government will want a team of scientists living and working on Mars.
One of the very first tasks scientists will undertake is surveying the entire planet. When surveying Mars, settlers will make detailed maps, discovering unique features such as lava tubes and identifying the location of resources like ice and minerals. In this activity, you will program Codey Rocky to survey the area around your Mars settlement, searching for resources including ice, minerals, and usable metals.
Objectives
- Write code to move Codey Rocky back and forth across a map.
- Write code to utilize Rocky’s color sensor to recognize “resources” on the map (colored cards).
- Create variables to store the resource counts.
- Practice troubleshooting when problems arise.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment features the following sensors and equipment. Additional equipment may be required.
Ready to Experiment?
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Purchase the Lab Book
This experiment is #6 of Coding with Codey Rocky: Mission to Mars. The experiment in the book includes student instructions as well as instructor information for set up, helpful hints, and sample graphs and data.
