Rocky Planets
These are the four planets in our solar system that have a solid, rocky outer surface.
B) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
This word describes a planet that has the right conditions to support and sustain life.
C) Habitable
This is the main ingredient that scientists look for to prove a planet might have a history of active geologic processes.
A) Liquid water
Which sphere includes all of a planet's rocks and landforms?
A) Atmosphere
B) Geosphere
C) Hydrosphere
D) Biosphere
A) Geosphere
Which of these is an important condition scientists look for when considering whether a planet may have been habitable?
A. Liquid water
B. Rings
C. Many moons
D. A large size
A) Liquid Water
This is the fictional agency you work for as a student planetary geologist.
B) Universal Space Agency
This vocabulary term means a natural feature found on a planet's surface, like a mountain, canyon, or sand dune.
C) Landform
In Lesson 1.2, scientists look at channels on Earth to see if the channel on Mars was made by water or by _____?
C) Lava
Which sphere includes all of a planet's gases?
A) Biosphere
B) Hydrosphere
C) Atmosphere
D) Geosphere
C) Atmosphere
Which TWO things are especially important for a place to support life as we know it?
A. Liquid water & an energy source
B. Mountains & craters
C. Rings & moons
D. Wind & dust
A) Liquid water & an energy source
True or False: Universal Space Agency scientists have already found definitive, active evidence of a biosphere containing living things on Mars today.
False
This is the specific type of long, narrow groove landform that scientists discovered on Mars and want to investigate.
Channel
To solve planetary mysteries, geologists use the rule that similar landforms are usually made by similar ________.
Geologic Processes
Oceans, rivers, lakes, and ice are part of this sphere.
Hydrosphere
The Mars channel looks similar to channels found on which planet?
A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Jupiter
C) Earth
This planet is roughly half the size of Earth and has a rocky geosphere covered in mountains, valleys, and craters.
Mars
This is the name for a scientist who studies the solid parts of planets, like rocks, layers, and landforms.
Planetary Geologist
Mountains, valleys, craters, and channels are all examples of a ______________.
Landform.
This sphere contains all living things.
Biosphere
Of the four rocky planets, this planet has conditions most clearly known to support life.
Earth
This planet is closest to Earth in actual size, but it has a thick, deadly atmosphere that traps extreme heat.
Venus
This is the solid, rocky outer layer of a planet that includes all of its landforms.
Geosphere
Scientists observe a landform and ask, “How did this form?” They are trying to identify its geologic ________.
Process
Earth has this sphere, but scientists have not found evidence that Mars currently does.
Biosphere
Scientists cannot directly observe ancient Mars, so they use observations from today as ________ about its past.
Evidence