Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘It’s electric! Long-sought new field found in Earth’s atmosphere’ 

A rocket takes off from a field of ice and snow.

A sounding rocket called Endurance is shown launching from Svalbard, Norway in May 2022. Tools on board it were at last able to measure the faint but powerful electric field in Earth’s atmosphere.

Brian Bonsteel/NASA

By Science News Explores

To accompany ‘It’s electric! Long-sought new field found in Earth’s atmosphere’  

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

  1. Without Earth’s atmosphere, life as we know it wouldn’t exist. In contrast to our cozy planet, our neighboring planet Mars has only a tiny fraction of Earth’s atmosphere. Come up with one possible reason for why Earth manages to maintain a life-sustaining atmosphere. Briefly explain how you arrived at your answer.
  2. Start with a blank sheet of paper, then use (+) and (-) symbols to depict several positively charged particles (+) on the top of the paper and negatively charged particles (-) on the bottom. If these particles can move freely, which direction do you think the (+) particles are likely to move? What about the (-) particles? Explain your prediction.

During Reading:

  1. What is polar wind?
  2. Which subatomic particle gets “kicked” out of atoms in the upper atmosphere?
  3. What keeps these “kicked” particles from floating off into space?
  4. What does it mean for something to be electrically neutral?
  5. Although scientists predicted the existence of Earth’s newfound electric field in the 1960s, it was only recently detected. What limitation prevented scientists from confirming its existence?
  6. Glyn Collinson and his team named their rocket Endurance. What is the inspiration behind this name?
  7. How far in kilometers is Svalbard from the North Pole?
  8. Describe one challenge that Collinson and his team encountered on their trip to Svalbard.
  9. What day did Endurance finally launch? How many minutes did its flight last?
  10. List two planets besides Earth that have electric fields similar to Earth’s.
  11. What key advantage might explain why Earth has managed to keep its life-nurturing atmosphere?

After Reading:

  1. Refer to your answer to Question 2 in Before Reading. If (+) and (-) represent charged particles in our atmosphere, what type of ion is represented by the (+) symbols? What do the (-) symbols represent? Briefly explain how the (-) particles formed in the first place. Which particle (+ or – ) is heavier, based on your reading? How does this difference in weight affect how these particles move in the atmosphere?
  2. Collinson hopes to measure energy fields across different planets to answer a big question: Why is Earth habitable? In your opinion, how important is it to answer this question? Explain your reasoning. What might we achieve by answering this question?