• Explain that Live From Mars is an interactive "electronic field trip" in which students simulate real science, visit real locations, interact with real scientists, in real time. This is achieved through live television broadcasts, hands-on, in-class activities, and the use of the Internet as a tool for collaboration, research and communication.
• Provide time for students to share their prior experiences with the Internet, space exploration and Mars in particular, attitudes towards science, science textbooks, and science television broadcasts in general.
• Share with students your anticipated implementation timeline for LFM. Sharing this information with students as you begin validates their active participation as Mission Planners.

Have students access information (via print or on-line) on the history of Mars exploration and organize this information into a timeline.

• There are different ways to organize this Activity. You might assign the research as an independent assignment, or as a cooperative project. It could be worked on during school hours or at home.
• This Activity is easily adapted up or down in grade level and readily lends itself to an interdisciplinary organizational structure, supported in Social Studies (use of timelines), Library Media Center (research skills), Language Arts (preparing a written bibliography of sources), Math (use of spatial measure to show chronological scale of historical events) and Art (use of appropriate design elements for visual displays).