mars diary – Discovery Diaries

Share a story about the climate

From recycling to renewable energy, Earth’s health is on our agenda for Week Four of National Share-a-Story Month.

Fly over ExoMars landing site

In preparation for the ExoMars rover Mars landing, scientists are creating 3D models (called Digital Terrain Models, or DTM) of the terrain in Oxia Planum.

Announcing the Deep Space Diary

To celebrate the launch of the Deep Space Diary, Curved House Kids and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) are giving away 15,000 free books to UK schools.

Libby Jackson: Human Spaceflight and Microgravity Programme Manager

Read our Q&A with Libby Jackson, Human Spaceflight and Microgravity Programme Engineer at the UK Space Agency. Here she tells us about her career in the space industry and what inspired her as a child.

Is the soil on Mars really red?

For World Soil Day we wanted to find out if the soil on Mars was really red and what makes it look that way.

Vinita Marwaha Madill: Space Operations Engineer

We speak with Vinita Marwaha Madill, contract Space Operations Engineer at the European Space Agency. Here she tells us about her career in the space industry and how Helen Sharman inspired her to follow her dreams.

How do astronauts use the toilet in space?

Everybody wonders it, so we thought we’d answer it … just how exactly do astronauts use the toilet in space?

Tamsin Mather: Volcanologist

We speak with volcanologist, Tamsin Mather. Here she tells us about her career in the STEM sector and how her job isn’t just wearing a silver suit traipsing up a volcano…

Abbie Hutty on finding life on Mars and how engineers have all the fun!

We interviewed Abbie all about her work on the ExoMars rover and she tells us why engineers have all the fun!

Chapter Three: Writing Activities

All of the Chapter Three activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Chapter Two: Writing Activities

All of the Mars Diary Chapter Two activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Sue Horne: Head of Space Exploration, UKSA

Read our Q&A with Sue Horne, Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency. Here she tells us about her career in the space industry and how she kept bees as a child!

Stephen Lewis: Professor of Atmospheric Physics

We speak with Stephen Lewis, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at The Open University. Here he tells us about his career in the STEM industry and what inspired him as a child.

Bringing STEAM to sick kids

How a 9-year-old’s love of science is brightening up hospital wards.

Chapter One: Writing Activities

All of the Mars Diary Chapter One activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Peter McOwan: Professor of Computer Science

We speak with Peter McOwan, Professor of Computer Science at Queen Mary University London. Here he tells us about his fascination with robotics and how he’s not out to rule the world.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock: Space Scientist

Read our bio of Maggie Aderin-Pocock, an incredibly inspiring Space Scientist and who cameos in Chapter Five of the Mars Diary.

Cindy Forde: Space Communicator

We speak with Cindy Forde, a Space Communicator with a special interest in inspiring children to see their own STEM potential. Here she tells us about her career in the space industry and what she was like as a child.

Celebrate World Space Week!

October 4-10 is World Space Week and this year’s theme is ‘Space unites the world’!

Abbie Hutty: Lead Spacecraft Structures Engineer

We speak with Abbie Hutty, Lead Spacecraft Engineer and the Delivery Manager for the ExoMars rover. Here she tells us about her career in the space and why she has no plans to travel to Mars any time soon.

Meteorite or supervolcano?

A huge crater named Ismenia Patera exists on the Red Planet. But where did it come from?

Disrupting Stereotypes

Our showcase of STEM experts will help students challenge their ideas of who a scientist is and what he or she does.

Year of Engineering: 2018

2018 is the UK’s Year of Engineering! Get involved with our Design Your Spacesuit activity.

Mars Diary at the Library

Download your free Library Pack containing seven activities, perfect for running events with KS1-2 or equivalent.

Keeping Kids Motivated

Keep your students motivated, whether they’re learning at home or in the classroom.

5 minutes with… Lucy Hawking, Author

Lucy is the author of the Principia Mission Space Diary and the Mars Diary.

Using our Curriculum Guides

Every child in your class is unique, so we’ve prepared ideas for differentiation for each Discovery Diary activity.

Collect Your Mission Badges!

Mission Badges are great way to incentivise students as they complete different chapters in our programmes.

Mars’s thin atmosphere

Mars’s atmosphere is about 100 times thinner than our home planet’s. Find out one theory about why it’s so thin.

Mars’s missing oceans

Why did Mars change from blue to red? This video by a National Geographic explorer explains what happened.

Student Reflection Templates

Developed by primary teacher Claire Loizos, these student reflection sheets encourage students to recap on what they have learnt during a whole chapter of one of our programmes or after a specific activity.

What is the ExoMars rover?

Find out all about ESA’s ExoMars rover, which will travel to Mars in July 2020 to look for signs of life.

Become a Star Apprentice

Each month we’re looking to showcase some Star Apprentices and we want your students to help us find them!

Is Mars’s soil really red?

For World Soil Day we wanted to find out if the soil on Mars was really red and what makes it look that way.

Our Methodology: Create to Learn, Learn to Create

For those interested in pedagogical methodologies, here’s a whistlestop tour of ours.

Developing the Mars Diary

Just like a space mission needs many people with different skills to make it a success, the Mars Diary is a truly collaborative project involving authors, illustrators, designers, project coordinators, teaching experts and, of course, STEM experts.

British Science Week 2018

To celebrate British Science Week 2018, we created a free Daily STEM Challenge for KS1/2 or equivalent!

Meet our closest neighbour

Mars might be about 225 million kilometres away from Earth but it’s still our closest neighbouring planet.

Teaching It Your Way

We love hearing about teachers who’ve put their own inventive spin on a Mars Diary activity.