Challenge: Design a Martian

Mrs. Wyllie/Mr. Penfield's Science class - North Country Union Junior High School, Derby, Vermont
Kajsa, Desiree, Greg, Collin & Tanner

Goblet Flower
Our Martian has hairs extending out of its body and brushes the dust out of it daily. It has a disk around the hairs to absorb sunlight. There are gills that wrap around the body and it can breathe in carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen. It also has three large roots that go hundreds of feet below the surface to absorb water and many little stabling roots that only go about three feet down and keep the "Goblet Flower" from flying away. During the spring, the seeds fall off the disk and onto the ground. After this occurs, the hairs fold over and touch the ground to protect the seeds while they are young. Once the young plants are old enough to live without the bigger ones, the hairs die and disintegrate in a matter of days. Only about one of the 16 seeds ever survives the early years and one lives. The "Goblet Flower" is a reddish color so it helps blend in with the reddish rock of Mars. It uses photosynthesis to produce food; it absorbs water with its roots, sun with its disk, and air with its gills.

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