This activity can be used as a culminating activity, as it will bring aspects of all of the major strands of the grade 9 science curriculum together. Students are to design and build a space station to support a human colony on another planet or moon. Along with analyzing the challenges of space exploration, they will focus on electrical needs of their colony, how they can support life on the planet by developing a sustainable ecosystem, and the challenges of gas exchange.
Other website resources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/mars-simulation-hi-seas-nasa-hawaii/553532/
https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/why-saturns-moon-titan-is-the-best-spot-for-an-off-world-colony/
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars/overview
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/F_No_Pizza_in_Space_5-8.html