One of the goals of the Mars Mission, and the Curiosity rover, is to work out if there any form of life on Mars, or if there might have been in the past. A first step to achieve this goal is to see if there is any water on Mars.
NASA
Scientists believe that water is essential for all living organisms on Earth, and for any that might exist on Mars or elsewhere in the universe. When you are on Mars, it would be good to know if you have a supply of water available for you to drink.
Why is water important?
The activity below will help you think about why water is so important for life. Place a tick or a cross against each item in the list to indicate whether water is important for that item, and then briefly explain why on the right:
| Item | Tick or Cross? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| blood | / | |
| cells | / | |
| plants | / | |
| fish | / | |
| tears | / | |
| sand | / | |
| soil | / | |
| fork | / | |
| cloud | / | |
| cake | / | |
| frog | / |
Now check your answers by clicking on the rocket below!
| Item | Tick or Cross? | Possible Reason |
|---|---|---|
| blood | ✔ | Most of the plasma (liquid) in blood is made of water. |
| cells | ✔ | Water is an important part of cytoplasm in cells. |
| plants | ✔ | Water is important for photosynthesis, and to support plants. |
| fish | ✔ | Fish have cells and blood, so they need water! |
| tears | ✔ | Tears consist mainly of water. |
| sand | ✗ | Dry sand contains no water. |
| soil | ✔ | In most soils, water is important for plants and soil organisms. |
| fork | ✗ | Metallic or plastic forks contain no water. |
| cloud | ✔ | Clouds are made of water vapour. |
| cake | ✔ | Water is important to help mix ingredients and allow ‘baking’ reactions to happen. |
| frog | ✔ | Frogs have cells and blood, so they need water! |
You can see that we need water for a great many things. Fortunately, on Earth there is a great deal of water, most of which is in the oceans.