Mars Settlement Summative

Sarbfateh Singh

16 June, 2023
Mrs.Chohan
Grade 9
Table of Contents

i) Introduction
Page 3

ii) Astronomy
Page 4

iii) Electricity
Page 5

iv) Chemistry
Page 6

v) Ecology
Page 7

vi) Mission Specialists

Page 8

vii) Conclusion
Page 9

viii) Bibliography
Page 10
i) Introduction

Living on Mars has been the dream of humans since the beginning of space exploration.
Recent projects and research has shown that it is possible to make a settlement on Mars
because it has shown the most potential. This is evident because of the recent research on Mars
that has shown that Mars may be the next destination for humans. To travel to Mars, it would
take seven months, which is a distance of about 480 million kilometers. This journey would
not be easy for many because there are many dangers for astronauts. This includes space
radiation, confinement, distance from earth(in case of emergency) and lack of gravity(effects
of no gravity on the human body). This journey would need precision because humans have
never set foot on a planet so far from Earth.

Even if humans set foot on Mars, it would be hard to establish a system where humans
could get oxygen at all times while setting up a common place for everyone to live in. It would
be hard to perform activities such as recreation and personal activities. Humans would lack
nutrients and seasons because there would be no fresh produce or oxygen and key events in
earth such as seasons and precipitation would be different than that on Earth.To combat these
problems, it would be essential to turn Mars into a habitable place for everyone, taking
healthcare and essentials such as shelter, food and water etc. into consideration before anything
else is brought into the Mars’ atmosphere.

To ensure that the settlement would be functional for everyone, this expedition will take
a few phases as described here:

Phase I
The spaceship, upon landing, will turn into temporary housing with amenities. This will
provide everyone on the spaceship to get accustomed to the atmosphere and prepare for the
settlement. An electrolysis machine will be sent to Mars beforehand in order to produce
sufficient oxygen and store it for the astronauts so the slow process of electrolysis is not a
burden on the astronauts.

Phase II
Phase II will be about exploration. Of course, there will be no humans going outside just yet
because of the unknowns. Rovers will be used to locate possible water sources and places
where sandstorms are not devastating. This will be done soon after Phase I.

Phase III
When a proper location has been selected, humans will begin to build and move into
settlements while making sure essentials are taken care of. Life support will be prioritized.
ii) Ecology

Life Support
Mars is a very different planet from Earth which makes it hard for life to be supported
naturally on the planet. Life support has many different categories such as: oxygen, water,
shelter, food, heating/cooling and medical care. In the chemistry section, ways to produce
oxygen and water were highlighted. However, important things such as food production and
heating/cooling is one of the main things that need to be highlighted.

Food Production/Species To Bring Along

In order to produce food on Mars, there would
need to be a powerful greenhouse that could bring
out fresh produce. Since Martian soil is not fit for
food production, it would be very hard to produce
food on demand outside of the settlement. Some
studies show that possible alternatives would be to
use bacteria such as cyanobacteria, which could be
used to bring nutrients to the soil. This idea is
far-fetched because it would take many years as
well as a large amount of bacteria to terraform
Mars on its own. This leaves the option of a
greenhouse because it would be the safest and most
efficient option. Newer studies are showing that
meat can be fermented in a lab with the help of stem cells. This means that we could possibly
“clone” a species from Earth.

There are many plants and animals that could thrive in Martian soil such as plants that
are accustomed to arid environments because of the dry soil. With the help of greenhouses,
cacti succulents and fungi would be able to thrive in the dry soil. If soil with fertilizer is
brought, any type of vertical growth would be possible as well. This means that we would be
able to bring livestock, plants and fungi to Mars.

Self Sufficient Natural Resources

In order to sustain natural resources, new biodiversity would need to be introduced.
Building a terrarium inside a regulated greenhouse would create an ecosystem that would be
able to recycle itself. To achieve the best results, soil sampling from rovers previously sent to
Mars would be the answer to finding out what biodiversity we could bring to Mars. Soil
samples would provide essential data in order to know what to grow at what time.
iii) Chemistry

Oxygen Production
A way to produce oxygen on Mars is through electrolysis. Electrolysis is the
process where you break down a gas such as Carbon dioxide(CO2) and split it to gain oxygen
ions. This process has many steps. It starts off with the electrolyzer(the machine that performs
electrolysis) taking in CO2 gas from the CO2 rich atmosphere and heating it up to 800 degrees
celsius. Through this process, the air is pressurized and is then electrochemically broken down
into CO(Carbon monoxide) and oxygen ions. Carbon monoxide is the only way to not destroy
the system because pure carbon could destroy the system. In order to power a large crew of
astronauts, say 100 of them, you would need around 150 tons of oxygen, therefore you would
need 100,000 watts to power the electrolyzer. This does not guarantee that the crew will get
sufficient oxygen, which means that there will need to be an electrolyzer sent to Mars before
the mission. If this is successful, there could be enough reserves for the crew to arrive and use
immediately.

Waste Management
Waste management can be done in three ways, either you can eliminate the waste by
burning it off, recycling it or send it out of the atmosphere into the depths of space. Out of the
three, recycling is the most cost efficient, however waste such as human waste is something
that is not practical to recycle. The only other option is to move towards burning the waste.
However, since oxygen is a delicate matter, and fire uses a tremendous amount of oxygen, this
is impossible. This is where chemicals come into play. Chemicals such as Chlorine
Trifluoride(ClF3) can burn through almost anything. In fact, it has been named the most
corrosive chemical. ClF3 can burn through everything. The byproduct it makes is fire, which
is good because it can be used to heat the settlement. Another big topic when it comes to waste
management is water waste. Water is a human need that is difficult to find on Mars. Mars does
have enough water stored in its polar ice caps to sustain a small population. Using the
electricity from our nuclear power plant, it is possible to filter the water using UV light,
reverse osmosis and standard filtration. Another method is to use the excess CO2 gas and
convert it into pure carbon. This can be used to purify water as well.

Emergency Oxygen Supply

In the case of failure, where the settlement would not have enough oxygen to support
itself, there could be a method to create oxygen rapidly. Electrolyzers would be in danger
because of sandstorms. In this case, electrolysis of water, which would separate Hydrogen(H)
and Oxygen(O), could be used. Another option would be to use the hydrogen from the
electrolysis and combine it with Manganese oxide(MnO2) to create oxygen very rapidly.
Thankfully, Manganese Oxide is abundant on Mars, so it would make sense to do this in an
emergency.
iv) Electricity

Energy Production
Energy production is essential however it is quite impossible since Mars does not have
favorable conditions for energy production(there is no moving water, the lack of oxygen makes
burning fossil fuels pointless and the atmosphere is too thin to even think of wind power). This
leaves two options, nuclear energy and solar energy. Since Mars does
not have enough solar output and it is very hard to transport sufficient
Solar Panels, the only possible way is through nuclear energy.
In order to make a nuclear reactor, the reactor would need
several tonnes of Uranium a year, something that is impossible to
bring along on a spaceship(powerful rockets can lift up to 65
tonnes however it could be too much weight for a spaceship to
take). Mars has Uranium on its surface, which is something that
this mission could use. This means that the space ship will need
to take about 15 tonnes of fresh fuel, a nuclear reactor and a
nuclear refinery(scaled down to fit in the ship). An average
nuclear reactor weighs more than a 1000 tonnes, however it can
be scaled down.

Energy for Transportation

Nuclear reactors will be functional on land, however it is important to acknowledge that
there will be months before we can set foot on Mars. This means that in order to create power
on the rocket itself, there would need to be another type of power source. In order to create a
strong take off, nuclear power can be used. Then fossil fuels in fuel tanks can be used to
maintain speed. This is possible since rovers such as Perseverance have made it to Mars.
Usually, gravity of other celestial objects is used to navigate through space without having to
burn off excess fuel.

Daily Energy Output

Apart from logistics and overall energy consumption, electricity would be used to
power things like electrolysis, lighting, appliances, communication, leisure, construction and
other uses. If the settlement contains about 100 people, and they use 15000 kwh of power
every year(energy consumption on average per household), the average energy consumption
would be 1500000 kwh. Adding in about 500000 kwh(extra power used to perform tasks such
as construction, mining and oxygen production) to keep the settlement running, it would be
about 2000000 kwh of power consumption. Our nuclear power plant would make about
5x10^8 kwh of power(a small fraction of an actual reactor). Which means that sufficient
energy can be distributed for several years, provided sufficient fuel is brought.
v) Astronomy

Basic Information About Mars

- The temperature of Mars can go up to 20 degrees and can go to -153 degrees celsius
- Mars orbits the sun at a 25 degree angle
- Mars is 250 million kilometers from the sun
- Mars’ climate is made up of Carbon dioxide, argon, oxygen, nitrogen and water vapour
- Mars is known as the red planet because it has rusted iron all over the planet

Why choose Mars?

Mars is a planet that is deemed “hostile” in comparison to Earth because it is

theoretically not fit for human life. However, if we wanted to live on a planet, it would only be
possible on Mars. This is because after Mars, every other planet is a gas giant, and has
extreme temperatures (keeping Mars in mind). Earth is in the perfect place because Venus and
Mercury are way too hot. This leaves Mars the only other option.

Mars is a favorable option because there is

evidence that there was life on it before. There is
evidence that there was water on the surface therefore
there can be a possibility of living on Mars without ever
needing to look back. Mars has longer seasons (e.g.,
Summer lasts for 178 days) which can be an advantage
for humans. Mars also contains 5 million kilometers
cubed of ice at its poles, which can be the building blocks
for a settlement like this.

What is known of Mars as of now?

As of now, many things about Mars are known. Mars has no magnetic field, however it
has shown traces of it having a magnetic field many years ago. Mars has two moons, Phobos
and Deimos. Characteristics and the history of Mars shows many things as well. For example,
it is said that Mars used to be flooded with water. However, studies have shown that the
atmosphere is quite thin and it could not hold on to the influx of water.
This information is critical to the expedition because it is information that can be kept
in mind when going to Mars.
vi) Mission Specialists

Ecology:
Lakota Sierra is an indigenous ecologist that works at NASA. She has a doctoral degree in life
sciences and a PhD in nutrition and food science as well as having a dual PhD in life support in
space. She specializes in creating ways for humans to live in space without having to look
back at Earth. She has designed technology for the ISS to preserve food and create life
support. She is currently working on an experiment to test the best soil and foods that can be
grown or produced on Mars. She is a qualified doctor as well.

Chemistry

Jordan Poole is a black chemist that works at the CSA(Canadian Space Association). He has a
PhD in chemical engineering and chemical studies. He is capable of creating flawless
electrolyzers which can withstand the harsh conditions of Mars. He is working at the CSA to
create new technologies for water production and waste management. He is a qualified doctor
as well.

Astronomy

Ved Yoshi is an Indian astronomer that works in Space X. He has a PhD in planetary science
as well as optics. He also has a degree in geology. He has taken part in key projects such as
the James Webb telescope. He is responsible for finding the best location for this settlement.
He is also responsible for finding mineral deposits on Mars. He will be responsible for the
calculation

Electricity

Timothy Prafithkumar is a Sri Lankan scientist that works in NASA. He is responsible for
creating solar panels and energy storage on the Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity. He
has a dual PhD in electrical engineering as well as energy production. He also has a degree in
energy storage. He has a PhD in nuclear science. He is going to be responsible to build the
nuclear reactor as well as connecting the power to all the loads that settlement will have

Other Workers

Other workers will be part of this mission because these experts will need help. Of course, the
workers will be skilled as well, possibly already working in Space related organizations such
as NASA, CSA and Space X.
vii) Conclusion

Summary
Stating research that has been done and planning the mission is not the best way to go
about going to a different planet. It takes years of calculations to do just the navigation of the
mission. However, this mission is quite possible because humans are able to get rovers on the
surface of Mars, it is not far until we can explore Mars. The purpose of this mission is to live
on Mars, and make the settlement self-sufficient. Mars holds potential for the near future.

In all the units, it was possible to find viable solutions that could work on Mars. In the
chemistry analysis, it was interesting to see the ways waste can be treated and how treatment
options on Mars would be able to sustain the population. Research such as the reaction of
hydrogen peroxide and manganese oxide could save lives on the settlement. When designing a
large settlement on a different planet, it is important to acknowledge that if something goes
wrong, nothing could be done. In other units, such as ecology, it is important to go around the
issues of climate and the lack of certain nutrients that are important for plants. Food is often
overlooked in missions because astronauts have enough food to sustain them for a long time.
However, when you want to build a large settlement, it is important that it can sustain itself. It
is the same for Earth. When you want something on Earth, you have to get it from Earth. This
is why Mars will be a difficult destination for humans.

Phases of the Mission

As stated in the introduction, this mission would have many steps. This is a
precautionary step because bringing everything at once could be too much of a load. At the
start of the mission, essential things such as electrolyzers will be sent on a shuttle that will get
accustomed to Mars’ climate. The existing rovers on the surface of Mars will focus on things
such as finding a good location as well as scanning for existing dangers. After this, in Phase II,
experts and some workers will make it to the surface of Mars. They will set up essentials such
as energy plants, oxygen production and food and water production. This will take the most
time because there will be many processes that will take place before everyone else can come
to the settlement and refine and make the settlement permanent.

Possibility of this Mission

This mission will be decided on what can be executed in critical times. For example, when the
scientists and workers land on Mars, they will be faced with many unknowns. This can never
be calculated because uncertainty is always present everywhere. Lives have a high chance of
being lost on this mission. But the only way to go to Mars is on the Mission to Explore Mars.
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