To accompany ‘So many wondrous moons — just a spaceship ride away’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1. Imagine you are an astronaut visiting Earth’s moon. Describe how you imagine the feeling of the ground under your space boots. What might the sky look like? To what extent do you imagine other planets’ moons might resemble Earth’s moon? Explain your answer.
2. Do you think we are alone in the cosmos? Explain why or why not.

During Reading:

1. In one sentence, summarize the Cassini spacecraft’s contribution to expanding our understanding of the solar system.
2. Why does Titan look like Earth when viewed from above? Describe one specific feature that resembles Earth.
3. What are Titan’s “flowing liquids” made of?
4. How many moons does Mars have?
5. What is Zoozve? With which planet does Zoozve associate?
6. Give one example of an ancient civilization that viewed Earth’s moon as a deity. What was this deity’s name?
7. The outdated geocentric theory viewed the Earth as occupying the center of the solar system. This belief imagined everything else, such as the Sun and other planets, orbiting around the Earth. Thanks in large part to work by Galileo Galilei, the heliocentric theory replaced geocentric theory. Briefly explain how the heliocentric theory differs from the geocentric theory. Then, point to one of Galileo’s observations that supported this change.
8. Explain the current theory of how Europa got its “broken eggshell” appearance.
9. Why did scientists choose to crash Cassini into Saturn at the end of its mission?
10. What type of environment is Osama Alian simulating in his lab? How do these studies relate to distant moons?

After Reading:

1. Many ancient humans watched the night sky and assumed that the Earth occupied the center of the cosmos. What observations might our ancestors have made that contributed to this assumption? Imagine you are a resident of another solar system. You are studying aliens on a distant planet — Earth — and contemplating Earthlings’ history of perceiving themselves at the center of the universe. What conclusions might you draw about how humankind once viewed its role in the cosmos?
2. Reflect on your answer to Question 2 in the Before Reading section. How might the knowledge gained from studying alien worlds help us answer whether or not we are alone in the universe? Imagine that tomorrow scientists report the first discovery of life beyond Earth. How would you feel? What questions would you want answered about this alien life? Would such a discovery increase, decrease or not change your curiosity of the cosmos? Explain your answer.
3. Pick one of the alien worlds from this story. Briefly summarize how this world’s landscape and environment differ from Earth. Then, design an alien lifeform that would thrive in such a place. Draw or describe this alien. What kind of home might this creature live in? Would it live on land or in liquid? Would this alien reside in burrows? Or would it build structures above ground? Perhaps its home would float in an alien ocean. Feel free to be creative. Explain how this creature would take advantage of the features of its environment.