Mission Control
Civics-meets-science in this workshop presented by the Australian Space Agency and Parliament of South Australia.
30 students | Years 6-10 | 90 minutes (over 2 sessions) OR 3 hours total
Sessions available at the Australian Space Discovery Centre, or at both the Parliament and ASDC on selected dates in terms 3 & 4, 2024.
South Australia is going to attempt to terraform Mars. A Parliamentary Committee completed an inquiry into what industries would need to be taken to Mars for this project, and the report identified 12 industries. The problem? The budget will only cover 10 out of 12 industries.
Part 1 – Parliament/Civics & Citizenship component: The Mars Space Mission Bill 2024 needs to pass both Houses of Parliament to determine which 10 industries will be going. The Government, Opposition, Minor Parties and specific electorates/Members all have different industry priorities. Students complete a role play passage of a bill to decide the 10 industries.
Part 2 – Space Agency/STEM component: Students complete a design challenge for the different industries going to Mars – what will the public transport system look like? What should the civic centre look like?