Marcia L. Gerencser
Now we are ready to settle Mars. Critical and creative thinking along with discussion will be the skills most used for this final segment of the unit. Learning how Mars developed and its characteristics will be researched. Some scientists believe that at the time of the great solar burst the planets developed. All catapulted out into space by this phenomenal explosion. They eventually settled into an orbit of their own. Some maintained an orbit closer to the sun. We call these the inner planets and they are known as Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The others—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, were positioned farther from the life-giving heat of the sun. They are known as the outer planets. There were two planets, Earth and Mars, that were in a relatively good position to proliferate life because of their proximity to the sun. Some scientists believe that life in the form of microorganisms did exist on both planets but for some unknown reason died out on Mars. Therefore, maybe we can create an ecosystem on Mars that will function to support mankind.
We must understand the similarities and differences between Mars and the Earth and the changes that are deemed necessary to support life on the red planet. Presently it is uninhabitable because of certain physical environmental conditions. There is very little atmosphere and a food supply does not exist. The absence of water and water vapor is virtually non-existent for our needs. See below the composition of the atmosphere of Mars as compared to Earth’s atmosphere.
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CO2
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03%
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96.5%
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Nitrogen
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78.10%
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1.8%
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Oxygen
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20.90%
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.01%
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Water
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1.60%
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.06%
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Other.
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09%1
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.5%
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The atmosphere on Mars is so thin that the heat from the sun just hits the planet and bounces right off back into space. The Earth’s atmosphere holds on to most of its atmospheric gases. This causes a greenhouse effect to take place. Because of the small amount of oxygen and the great amount of carbon dioxide in Mars’ atmosphere, man would not be able to breathe independently and heat would not be able to be held. This must be changed to one more similar to that of Earth’s. The absence of an ozone layer, to protect living things from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, will develop if the atmosphere is changed.
There is no food supply on the red planet and a method must be devised to facilitate its production. Students already know, by fifth grade, that seeds and plants need sunlight for the process of photosynthesis to occur and that water and certain temperatures are necessary for growth to take place. They will need to reflect also on what they learned about short and long roots, multi-crop planting for greater food production, companion planting for pest control and a compost pile for fertilizer. The use of chemicals and their destructive potential should be reflected upon. Children also realize the necessities for life to develop and to sustain itself. Ask them, “How do we develop an ecosystem on Mars?” “How do we maintain a healthy ecosystem with communities that work together to maintain a healthy ecosystem?” The following is a series of steps that they will need to take and there should be some guidance in this direction. Discuss with them the changes that are necessary through thinking through questioning method. Let them, through their group, demonstrate how they would implement these changes.
Have children work in groups of four. Each person will be responsible for a particular task. They will have the following titles and job descriptions.
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1. Chairperson - keeps group focused and helps to facilitate the team in working together efficiently.
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2. Recorder - maintains all records and paperwork in a folder.
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3. Organizer - takes charge of all materials that are needed for the project.
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4. Media Specialist - retrieves material from the computer, the library and handles correspondence.
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Problem Resolution
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1. Give each group a styrofoam ball at least 6 inches in diameter. Cover each ball with homemade clay. The recipe is as follows:
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Mix together 2 cups flour, 1 cup of iodized salt and 1 cup of water until thoroughly blended. Store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.
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Each group should research the terrain of Mars and take notes of the different landforms. These landforms should be formed into the clay using a variety of different materials. have a box filled with paper clips, small dowels, tin foil, sand paper, different textured materials, pencils, and other odds and ends that one could use to shape clay. Encourage children to be creative and contribute to the box. Cotton balls, pulled apart, can be used for the ice caps. Powdered detergent is also a good medium for the ice regions. Put the model of Mars aside to harden. It may be painted.
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2. They will plan the building of a biosphere in the best place on their model. The group should decide on the science specialists that they want housed in the biosphere. They will decide on the data to be accumulated and how to lay out the biosphere for the appropriate ecosystem. They should reflect on the lessons on Biosphere 2.
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3. A mode of transportation should be developed. Use Lego Systems, Capsela, Tinker Toys, Construx or nuts and bolts and other small devices.
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4. The polar regions of Mars have ice and there are many natural basins and canals that exist on Mars. The group must develop a method of melting ice from the heat of the sun and channeling it into the canals and basins. Have available convex and concave lenses, pipe cleaners and small plastic tubing. Add to the box.
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5. With the water from the ice collected and the basins and canals filled, trees and small plants could be planted around the water areas. They will begin to absorb the carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere. Gradually more and more trees should be added. Fruit and flower bearing trees would be able to be used as food for birds and pollination respectively.
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6. Facilitate the production of oxygen by building oxygen pumping stations. They would pump oxygen into the atmosphere. With the oxygen being pumped into the atmosphere, the air would begin to warm because it would be heavier and able to trap the rays of the sun. The ozone layer is now beginning to form.
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7. Set up small biospheres on the planet to house a family unit.
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8. Introduce small animals. They will go into the forest which should now be dense and also roam around the lakes and rivers. Aquatic life will be added along with birds, insects and bees. The people living on Mars would probably be vegetarians and the need for larger animals would not be necessary.
