Mega Assignment - Living on Mars

Space STEM Mega Assignment - Living on Mars

Submit a maximum 5 minute video that explains what you would take into consideration when designing a habitat on Mars.

As part of your report, demonstrate how you have coded or configured your Space STEM kit to monitor the conditions in your habitat, so that you can ensure that it is habitable.

This assignment will require research, coding and experimentation.

We encourage you to ask questions along the way.

Useful links and background information:

• Van Allen Belts video 
• Intelsat keeping scientists connected video
• Lesson on Antarctica 
• This is how we build on Mars video
• Planning and building the first habitats video
• Mars colony: Humanity's greatest quest | Michio Kaku, Bill Nye, & more 
• Mars habitat tutorial
• How would we build a colony on Mars? Link 
• Interesting video about solar winds and radiation, how we are protected
• Article on innovation for living on Mars
• Could we really grow potatoes on Mars? (Video)
• Article - what dangers must we overcome before we can live on Mars?

Tips:

Watch the movie "The Martian". If you've seen it, watch it again. Take into consideration what we need for survival:

• Breathable air - roughly 20% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen and 2% Argon and others, 1 atmosphere pressure, little to no carbon dioxide or other gasses, comfortable humidity and temperature
• Water – how much needs to be drinkable, what can the plants handle, what do we do for cleaning?
• Food – what can we grow on Mars? What do we do about protein, what are the latest trends with meat substitutes? Can we grow protein? What other minerals do we need?

There are other elements you can consider, like communication with Earth, fuel for energy, heating, cooling, transportation, entertainment and wellbeing, the list is long….you don’t need to include these, yet you may want to.