Our firsrt idea was to have a solar powered rover and the solar panels would be the body and there would
be wheels on both sides of the body of the rover so that if it flipped over it would be able nto keep moving
and not be stuck flat on the body of solar panels. Our next idea is also centered around that main idea of
keeping the rover moving if it flipped over on rough terrain. Our first idea is as seen below (just a rough
drawing to show what we mean).
This is the conept of our second idea. The rovers’ body would be solar panels and it would sit in the
middle of four large wheels in order to stop the rover from falling and staying flat on the solar panels. The
rover would be able to flip over and keep moving as the wheels would be the only thing in contact with the
surface as the main body would be sitting in the middle of the wheels. The reason for not following
through with the idea was that the rover idea was too popular so we changed our idea again.
This is the idea of our model. This model will dig a trench in order to plant seeds and then there will be
blades to push the dirt back over the trench.
The atmosphere of the Red Planet is ideal for farming, due to its low gravity. The low-g environment would
mean crops need less water and fertilizer than they do on Earth.
Soil-based agriculture can use settlers’ waste for fertilizer; it can sequester carbon and produce oxygen;
and it’s a reliable way to biologically filter water, for instance.
The problem is that Mars is not Earth, gravitationally speaking. Gravity affects the rate at which water and
nutrients flow through soil, and plants have evolved to these constraints.
Martian gravity is about one-third as strong as Earth’s, meaning water would flow at a slower rate. This
could lead to suffocation of microorganisms and roots, along with emissions of toxic gases. IT was realized
slower water transport is a good thing. Soil under Martian gravity is able to hold more water, so less of it
leaches through and is lost. This increased efficiency means you could use a whopping 90 percent less
water for Martian irrigation than what you’d need on Earth; you could also use fewer fertilizers. On the flip
side, Martian soil allows for faster consumption of oxygen and dissolved organic carbon, which resulted in
a 10 percent increase in CO2 emissions.
So once we start terraforming Mars, our agriculture might be more efficient, but we’ll still have to worry
about the greenhouse gases.
Details: http://thetechjournal.com/science/will-we-one-day-be-growing-crops-onmars.xhtml#ixzz1WldPGTpW
The idea may seem farfetched at first, but it's really not. Naturally, nobody is talking about growing plants
directly on the surface of Mars, as low temperatures, high radiation levels and the lack of atmosphere
would render such efforts useless.
But models of how Mars' gravity influence the planet shows that water flows, nutrient dynamics and rootfeeding microbes are in fact suitable for growing various types of plants.
“In terms of biogeochemistry and in terms of hydraulics, I’m pretty confident it could work,” explains
University of Sydney bio geochemist Federico Maggi, the expert who conducted the simulations.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Growing-Crops-on-Mars-Possible-152757.shtml
The idea of growing plants on mars is currently being thought about and it may be a little far-fetched but
more and more scientists are agreeing that they are pretty sure it would work.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=trench+digger+ma
chines&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=imvn
s&tbnid=xlppeJoTvUVYM:&imgrefurl=http://deltatrenchers.com/abo
ut-us&docid=D15A1VPk4x_cM&w=240&h=180&ei=lRZwTvi9BcqOmQWhoPCPCg&zo
om=1&iact=hc&vpx=450&vpy=184&dur=32&hovh=144&
hovw=192&tx=96&ty=99&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=19
2&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&biw=1920&bih
=875
Our idea is very similar to a traditional trench digger but our model will close the trench back over.
All of our ideas previous to our current one focused on getting the rovers to be more versatile when
traveling on different surfaces. The main problem that we were looking to solve was to stop the rovers
getting stuck when they flipped over. Our teacher explained to us that previous rovers that have been
made have flat solar panels as their main body and when they become unstable on certain terrain they
would not be able to keep going and collecting information about Mars.
Thi8s is an example of a flat body of solar panels on a rover.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=mars+rovers&hl=en&safe=a
ctive&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=7IuXHDcxMv3xM:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Ex
ploration_Rover&docid=cb3NFzgqewPgM&w=300&h=240&ei=4FV5TpiwGozMmAXxvOXOAQ&zoom=1&i
act=hc&vpx=197&vpy=160&dur=719&hovh=192&hovw=240&tx=1
16&ty=120&page=1&tbnh=158&tbnw=198&start=0&ndsp=32&ve
d=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1920&bih=882
Why are we doing this?
Our idea would help with the colonization mars in the way that there would already be a solution as how
to plant things but the problem of actually getting things to grow still has to be researched and tested.
The colonization of Mars by humans is the focus of speculation and serious study because the surface
conditions and availability of water on Mars make it arguably the most hospitable planet in the solar
system other than Earth. The Moon has been proposed as the first location for human colonization but
Mars has an atmosphere, giving it the potential capacity to host human and other organic life.
Conditions on the surface of Mars are much closer to habitability than the surface of any other known
planet or moon, as seen by the extremely hot and cold temperatures on Mercury, the furnace-hot surface
of Venus, or the cryogenic cold of the outer planets and their moons. Only the cloud tops of Venus are
closer in terms of habitability to Earth than Mars is. There are natural settings on Earth where humans
have explored that match most conditions on Mars. The highest altitude reached by a manned balloon
ascent, a record set in May 1961, was 34,668 meters (113,740 feet). The pressure at that altitude is about
the same as on the surface of Mars. Extreme cold in the Arctic and Antarctic match all but the most
extreme temperatures on Mars.
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale said, "We also hope to discover if Mars can provide a second home
for humans—an extension of our civilization—40 million miles from Earth."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Concept_Ma
rs_colony.jpg
This is an artist's conception of the colonization of Mars, with a cutaway showing part of the interior.
http://www.4frontierscorp.com/dev/assets/4F
C-LP0002.pdf
This is another artist’s conception of growing things on Mars but in a greenhouse.
Greenhouses for Mars
When humans go to the moon or Mars, they'll probably take plants with them. NASA-supported
researchers are learning how greenhouses work on other planets.
No greenhouses exist there yet, of course. But long-term explorers, on Mars, or the moon, will need to
grow plants: for food, for recycling, for replenishing the air. And plants aren't going to understand that offearth environment at all. It's not what they evolved for, and it's not what they're expecting.
No greenhouses exist there yet, of course. But long-term explorers, on Mars, or the moon, will need to
grow plants: for food, for recycling, for replenishing the air. And plants aren't going to understand that offearth environment at all. It's not what they evolved for, and it's not what they're expecting.
This is another picture of what NASA would think of doing and what it would look like if they eventually put
greenhouses on Mars to grow things.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/25feb_greenhouses/
Our idea is more about planting out in the open so our idea is probably useless considering all the ideas involving
planting on Mars include greenhouses where our model is not needed.
MARS
The atmosphere of Mars is mostly thin and is mainly composed of carbon
dioxide (95.32%). Which means it is unbearable and there is no chance to live in
it. Mars' atmosphere is believed to have changed over the course of the planet's
lifetime, with evidence suggesting the possibility that Mars had large oceans a
few billion years ago.
Plants on Mars
NASA-funded scientists are trying to design plants that could survive the harsh
conditions of Mars. These plants could provide oxygen, fresh food, and maybe
medicine to astronauts while living off their waste. They would also improve
morale as a lush, green connection to Earth in a barren and alien world.
The plants would most probably be housed in a greenhouse on a Martian base,
because there are no known forms of life that can survive to the direct exposure
to the Martian surface, with its extremely cold, thin air and sterilizing radiation.