Air Supply Team
Martian Environment and Challenges
The surface of Mars is a barren, lifeless desert which contains very little oxygen, water or life as
we know it. The polar caps consist mainly of carbon dioxide (dry ice) with small amounts of
frozen water (ice). This atmosphere has a low pressure and is mostly carbon dioxide. It isn't
suitable for humans since we cannot breathe air that contains so little oxygen.
In order to maintain the Marsville settlement, you need to develop systems that will allow
humans to breathe air that is rich in oxygen. Marsville workers will also have to travel outside
the buildings to carry out research on the planet. The atmosphere inside the habitat must be
almost totally self-sufficient. Any failure of the atmospheric control system would endanger the
lives of the Marsville settlers. How will you accommodate them?
Activity
Your team is responsible for designing and building a working prototype (model) of an air supply
system for the Marsville settlement. This system must:
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Be capable of providing a stable and livable internal atmosphere
for crew members.
Maintain the correct temperature, pressure and oxygen level.
Ensure that traces of gases usually ignored on Earth are not
allowed to build to dangerous levels.
Your design must allow for production and storage of an air supply, system monitoring,
atmospheric filtering and emergency backup. You will need to consider temperature control, so
work closely with that team.
Use the Team Blog to consult with the other teams. You will need to communicate with several
teams to ensure that you meet all of your requirements.
Getting Started
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Define the requirements of your system.
Examine how these are currently met on Earth.
Explore the limitations/opportunities of the Martian environment.
Gather feedback from other teams and mentors using the Team
Blog.
Design and construct your working prototype using the
requirements listed below.
Evaluate the design. Does it provide the greatest good and the
least harm to the persons and things affected?
View the Air Supply Tips to learn more.
System Requirements
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System model must be no larger than 1 metre x 1 metre x 1
metre.
It must include a working component such as an electrical switch
to turn a fan on and off or doors that open and close using a
simple hydraulic system.
Prototype must incorporate at least four Mars facts.
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Materials used should be as representative as possible of the
materials that would be used for the real design.
System should work under the conditions of the Martian
environment.
System should operate with other life-support systems within the
colony.
Questions to Ask
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What type of atmosphere do humans need in order to live? How
is this obtained on Earth?
What is photosynthesis? How could it be used?
What forms of energy could be used to re-circulate the air
supply?
What teams should be consulted regarding air supply?
What backup systems should be considered in case of power
failure?
What considerations should be made for workers who must leave
the safety of the habitation?
How can you use the information from the Space Shuttle
Discovery missions in your design plans?
What materials can you use to make prototypes of your system
that would best replicate the materials to be used on Mars?
Who could you contact to get further information?
Tips for Building Air Supply System
Here are some ideas to help you learn more about your life-support system. Make sure you
divide up the topics and share your findings on the Team Blog.
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Research the atmosphere of Mars and compare it to Earth's
atmosphere.
Conduct experiments to calculate how much oxygen is given off
by different types of plants.
Find out if additional oxygen sources might be available in the
settlement. Discuss your ideas with the food production and
delivery teams.
A process called electrolysis can separate water into hydrogen
gas and oxygen gas. Another process is being developed to
extract oxygen from rocks and soil that contain it. Can these
processes be used on Mars?
Look at how other societies have used wind power (windmills,
etc) to create energy. How can this be used on Mars?
Create a new system for recording the wind speeds on Mars - use
the Beaufort Wind Chart as a guide.
Make wind chimes to signal an oncoming Martian wind storm.
Think about the Martian climate when choosing materials.
Think about how you will harness enery from the Martian wind
and store the energy for use at a later date. Get ideas from the
energy teams.
Investigate how air is circulated at home, in the school and large
buildings. What are the difficulties encountered?
Explore various systems for cleaning the air inside buildings.
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Experiment to see how you could filter the air on Mars to get rid
of any dust and sand. Encourage other air supply teams across
the country to make changes to your plans and conduct the
experiment again.
Talk to an engineer about possibilities for re-circulating air within
the Martian settlement. How will it be cleaned and purified?
Create portable air supply systems to be used when going
outside the settlement (ie: working, traveling from one part of
the settlement to another). Send working plans to online mentors
for suggestions.
Consult with the other system teams to see what air supply
needs they are going to require.