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Can chemistry really be out of this world? Explore what it would take to survive on Mars, design rockets and rocket fuel, make your own spectrometer, and more.
Sections
Activities
- A Collection of Resources: Chemistry Is Out of This World from ACS Celebrating Chemistry
Head out of this world while staying right at home or school with these chemistry activities.
- Chemistry is out of this World from AACT
Use data from the NASA Science Solar System Exploration website to practice dimensional analysis calculations.
- Mars Exploration with Infrared Spectrometers from AACT
Learn about how space scientists used chemistry and infrared spectrometers to explore Mars.
- Elements are Out of this World from AACT
Learn about the elements that make up Earth’s atmosphere and lithosphere and then compare and contrast the information with the elements that compose various other astronomical objects.
- The Air Up There: Making Space Breathable from NASA
Put your filter design to the test as you imagine what is needed for survival on Mars.
- Working for NASA from AACT
Take on the role of a NASA employee on a mission to discover what resources humans need in order to survive on another planet inside of our solar system as well as an exoplanet outside of our solar system.
- Experimenting with UV-Sensitive Beads from Stanford Solar Center
UV-sensitive beads don’t just make neat bracelets; they also help us learn about UV radiation in space.
- A Dusty Dilemma from NASA
Examine data and error analysis through studying the dust that hits a NASA spacecraft.
- Astronaut on a Mission from AACT
Take on the role of a NASA employee on a mission to discover what resources humans need in order to survive on a planet outside of our solar system.
Demos
- Inflate and Shrink Wrap a Student from AACT
Experience changes in gas pressure with two exciting demonstrations.
Labs
- Launching Rockets
from AACT
Use your skills to create a stoichiometric mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases to launch a soda bottle rocket.
- Spectral Detective
from AACT
Use a spectroscope to view the atomic spectra of various unknown elements.
- Rocket Challenge from AACT
Challenge students with both designing a rocket and preparing a chemical reaction for its “fuel” in order to propel it as high as possible.
- Build a Spectroscope from AACT
Be a spectral detective by building your own device.
- Using Light to Study Planets from NASA
Build your own spectrometer. How does it compare to what NASA does?
- Spacecraft Materials and the Chemistry of Space Exploration from NASA
Aluminum? Titanium? What’s the best choice? See why it matters where it’s going.
Articles
- Mars vs. Titan: A Showdown of Human Habitability from ChemMatters Magazine
So far, no known planet—or moon—can match Earth’s Goldilocks conditions for life. Could we survive somewhere other than Earth?
- The Human Drive to Explore Space from ChemMatters Magazine
Should we continue to send astronauts into space, or will robots take over the final frontier?
- Surviving on Mars from ChemMatters
Magazine
Astronauts who land on Mars in the future will face many challenges, including cold temperatures, high levels of radiation, and the absence of food and water on Mars. How will they survive there?
- Growing Green on the Red Planet from ChemMatters
Magazine
In the movie The Martian, astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars but is able to survive by growing food in a habitation module. Would real astronauts be able to grow food and survive on Mars, too?
- To Mars and Back Again from ChemMatters Magazine
Sending astronauts to Mars has long felt like an outlandish dream—in part because we didn’t know how they would get back home. A new experiment on the Red Planet could change that.
- Model Rockets—Chemistry for Liftoff from ChemMatters Magazine
Find out how a rocket motor the size of a roll of pennies can lift a model rocket thousands of feet and eject a parachute for the easy ride back.
- The Case for Extraterrestrial Teenagers from ChemMatters
Magazine
If movies and television shows are to be believed, you would think extraterrestrial aliens and encounters with them would be common. The idea that they exist is intriguing, and indeed, many of us believe alien creatures are real.
- Infographic: What Is the Moon Made of? from ACS Reactions
They give you a hint: not cheese. Get to the core of this question with an infographic created to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the moon landing.
- Plutonium-238 Production for Space Exploration from ACS National Historic Chemical Landmarks
A satellite can’t just stop at the gas station. Where can it get its fuel?
- What Happens to the Human Body in Space? from Smithsonian Magazine
Astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year in space. What happened to him while he was there?
- U.K.'s Twinkle Mission Set to Explore Exoplanets from C&EN
This mission is out of this world. Literally. See how they plan to learn more about the chemistry of far-away planets outside of our solar system.
- The Chemistry of Outer Space from ChemEdX
Learn about a week-long science camp that included experiments to illustrate how chemistry is intimately tied to the science of the solar system, space travel, and outer space.
- SpaceX Delivers New Science Experiments to ISS to Explore Origins of Life on Earth from Space.com
SpaceX is delivering a fresh batch of scientific research equipment to the orbital laboratory.
Videos
- We are made of “Star Stuff” from ACS Reactions
As Carl Sagan famously said, “We are made of star stuff.” Whoa. It’s a mind-boggling thought, but what exactly did he mean? Check out the video to find out.
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Do Astronauts Need Sunscreen? from ACS Reactions
How do astronauts survive the deadly radiation of deep space? NASA is still figuring out how to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation -- like plastic shielding and magnetic deflectors.
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What do Astronauts do with Pee in Space? from ACS Reactions
Taking science and chemistry to Mars! This video looks at a brilliant new potential use for pee in space, and URINE for a surprise, it flows a bit farther than drinking water!
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Liquid Ping Pong in Space from NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly uses two paddles with hydrophobic, or water repellant, features to pass a sphere of water back and forth. Scientists use the microgravity environment of the space station to advance scientific knowledge in Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences that otherwise wouldn't be possible down here on the planet.
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What Does the Moon Smell like? from ACS Reactions
After walking on the Moon astronauts hopped back into their lunar lander, bringing Moon dust with them. They were surprised, and perplexed, to find that it smelled like spent gunpowder. Learn why Moon dust might smell like the aftermath of a Civil War reenactment.
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What Could an Explosion on the Sun do here on Earth? from ACS Reactions
The sun is essential plant food that’s heating our planet, but we don’t often think about the wild things happening on and below its surface.
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The Chemistry of Space from How Stuff Works
How do we know the chemical composition of far-distant space material we’ve never sampled or even touched? Watch this video to help understand how stars, comets and other heavenly bodies can be analyzed by the unique chemical fingerprints scientists discern strictly through observation.