Two and One-half Years in Space
Arrival at Mars Courtesy Mars Society |
The voyage to Mars will take at least 9 months, perhaps more, during which time the astronauts will have to be absolutely self-sufficient. There will be no possible opportunity for re-supply.
Space travellers who visit Mars will have many important survival requirements such as food, water, air and complete sanitation facilities; requirements which will have severe weight limitations. How will they survive? Can they recycle their water? Will they be able to grow some food during their nine month journey? How will months of weightlessness affect their bodies? How much air will they need to carry with them? How much air can be recycled? What are the essential requirements of maintaining a healthy body? These and a host of other questions must be answered before we can undertake a manned mission to Mars. |
Touchdown Courtesy Mars Society |
Once on Mars the travellers will have to live inside a closed environment, essentially the same as in their spacecraft during the voyage to Mars. The major difference between the surface of Mars, and outer space, is the presence of a gravitational force and a very thin atmosphere. Humans can only walk safely on the Martian surface in a pressurized space suit like to ones used for space walks in outer space. Is it possible to extract water or breathable air from the surface of Mars? How will the Martian weather affect the astronauts and their tiny habitat? Will there be enough sunlight to generate electricity from solar cells? How will the space travellers keep time, Earth days (and Earth hours) or Martian days? These (and probably many more) questions should be answered before venturing to Mars. |
Martian Dust storm Courtesy Mars Society |
The difficulty of transporting all the required food from the Earth to Mars can be somewhat abrogated by taking plant seeds, such as tomato seeds, which can then be grown on Mars in an environmentally
suitable location. What are the essential requirements for plant growth? How will the journey through space affect the seeds? Will months of weightlessness and exposure to cosmic rays harm them? Is there enough sunlight on Mars to grow several different types of vegetables, or will only some survive? How will a Martian garden be constructed to ensure the safe growth of its plants? Can perishable food be preserved for the return trip to Earth? How much food needs to be grown? What if there is crop failure...then what!!!??? Is it possible to establish on the surface of Mars a simple, yet stable, miniature ecosystem within a pressurized enclosed biosphere, perhaps in a large inflatable clean plastic dome? |
The science involved in answering these, and other related questions, form the core of the K-6 lesson plan portfolio.
Student Reading Selections |
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Kindergarten to Grade 2 Page 1, A Very Long Trip |
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Grades 3 to 4 Page 1, A Very Long Trip |
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Grades 5 to 6 Page 1, A Very Long Trip |
Prepared by the YES I Can! Science Team,
Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, York University