Survival on Mars As part of their training, astronauts learn survival tactics before traveling into space. If you were stranded on Mars and your crew’s survival depended only on the items in your spaceship, what would be the most important supplies to have?

Think about it before you continue: What do humans need most to survive? What do you know about the environment on Mars? What could help you in an emergency?

Rank the items in order of their importance for your survival on Mars: Box of Matches Food Case of condensed milk Stellar Map (Constellations in the Mars sky) Two 100 lb. tanks of oxygen Self Inflating Life Raft Magnetic Compass Five gallons of Water Signal Flares Solar Powered FM receiver/transmitter

Are you ready for the answers?

NASA engineers felt that the most important items for survival were oxygen, a map of the sky, water, and a radio receiver-transmitter. Mars doesn’t have an atmosphere like Earth does. There is no oxygen, so astronauts must have a continuous supply of oxygen in order to survive.

After oxygen, the next most important item is a star map. In a survival situation, the astronauts would need to know in which direction to travel to reach the science research station. A map of the sky will help them find their way. Next, the astronauts would need water, as there is no water on Mars. The human body can go about 2 weeks without food but will last only a few days without water.

The receiver-transmitter would allow the astronauts to contact the science research station when they got closer. The research station could then send out a rescue team. Food would not be as critical because the astronauts would use all of their oxygen before they needed food.

The least important items for survival are matches and the magnetic compass. Without oxygen, the matches would be useless. Mars does not have a magnetic field like Earth does, so the compass would not work either.

How close did your rankings match those of the NASA engineers? Do you agree with how NASA ranked the survival items? Why or why not? Think About it…