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by Cameron McPherson Smith
Exploring Mars is no fantasy: the technologies either exist or can be developed, just as we developed the means to land on the Moon in just a few years back in the 1960's. Not only can we realistically imagine exploring the surface of Mars, with people on the ground, but we can begin to prepare for that great adventure right now. In fact, several projects currently underway by the Mars Society are doing exactly that. In the Arctic of the Nunavut Territory, and the Desert Southwest of the USA, the Mars Society has built 'analog stations' where each year, people go to develop ways of exploring Mars. Living in the simulation habitats, these pioneer-explorers are sorting out baisc problems of exploring Mars on foot (and on small vehicles). They test spacesuit designs, estimate how much travel people can do in a day, what sorts of communication systems are most useful, and so on. These 'analog expeditions' are fascinating and useful. In a way, polar expeditions are similar: they require people to operate for extended periods in difficult environments, where everything has to be planned out in advance. This assignment asks you to think carefully about how to create and carry out this sort of invaluable work here on Earth, as preparation for the exploration of Mars.
An 'Earth/Mars Analog' Expedition attempts to simulate some of the problems of Mars exploration on Earth, to develop tools (physical and mental) as well as procedures for operating effectively on Mars. Considering the conditions on Mars (see the links section for a basic introduction), and on Earth (same link), where do you think would be a good site for placing an analog expedition? Already we have bases in the Arctic and the Desert Southwest, and plans for a base in Iceland. Why do you think these choices were made? Is there good reason to put a base, for example, on the sea floor, or Antarctica? Why would your choice be a good candidate? If you think the sites already chosen are sufficient, what sorts of activities do you think people should carry out at these stations, and why? Think creatively! For example, perhaps there's a good argument for building a station near a large city, so that people can become exposed to the Mars Exploration idea, see that it is not just a dream, and get excited about the concept. Think a lot, and then write.
Assignment: Argue for the building of a new 'Earth/Mars Analog' station somewhere on Earth. Describe the goals of the station, and how the selected environment would help in achieving those goals. As an alternative, you can do the following: describe what sorts of activities you think should be carried out in these analog stations, and why.
The following guidelines will help you with this assignment. The most important thing here is to consider what we can do on Earth, right away or in the near future, to prepare for the exploration of Mars.
1. Specify a Site
A good way to start here is to consider the physical environments of Earth and Mars. You could begin by classifying the basic environments on Earth and determining whether or not they exist on Mars. Perhaps there are environments or terrains on Mars that have no good analog on Earth: if so, be prepared for this with a good working knowledge of both planetary terrains.
After you have an idea of the environment you want to simulate, specify an exact location. You can use an atlas to identify it's latitude and longitude as well as weather characteristics. Now, imagine building and operating a simulation base there. How far is the nearest city? How are you going to get supplies in and out? On Mars, things are going to be very complex; dropping supplies from orbit and manufacturing others on the surface will be necessary; each of these activities will take entire careers for people to plan out. Another thing to consider is scale: do you want to simulate a complete habitat, a colony, or a smaller, initial research station? A good start is to get an idea what is being done at the Mars Arctic Research Station.
2. Specify Activities
Humans do so many different things that your first goal here should be some kind of classification, to help you identify what you're most interested in. For example, you could consider the following basic activities (in no particular order), and add sub-sets of activities as you think of them:
Members of the Mars Desert Research Station test space-suit designs while simulating surface exploration on foot. You may well find it easier to use your own categories: for this assignment, pick one, and discuss how you would try to solve problems of doing it, on Mars, by simulations here on Earth. As an example of what people are already researching, have a look at this Human Factors Research Program for the Mars Desert Research Station. Each of these activities, and all of their sub-activities that you can imagine, need to be thought out. This is a 'total expedition' involving people living on Mars for extended periods or, in the case of colonists, for good. The enormity of the project is part of what makes it so difficult, for me, to resist. We have to rework society such that it will flourish in a new habitat. We can learn from the past, and plan for the future. This is very exciting. For whatever activity or activities you choose, ask yourself first how that will differ on Mars from on Earth. On Mars, for example, people will not (at least at first) be able simply to take a hike, or go for a long run to clear their mind...what else can they do? Can we make it possible for them to do that? How about the production of food? Can anything grow in Mars soil? Can we try to simulate it on Earth? What about the exploration of areas away from the base or colony? How is my icecap trek similar to and different from exploration of Mars? Or imagine the maintenance tasks on Mars: working in a pressure suit, you would have many tasks outside the habitat, so the suit will have to be much more flexible and comfortable than the Moon-exploration suits. How could you improve and test these on Earth?
3. Design and Describe the Site With a concept laid out, an idea of what you want to simulate at this site, drwa out how this would take place in a physical sense. You can use a generic habitat (see Mars Society pages) as a template if you prefer to focus on the activities, or you can focus on designing the analog habitat itself. Do some research on architecture to learn some principles, and then look into the special problems of bulding on Mars. Then, describe how all of this would work on your Earth site.
4. Design and Describe the Activities Taking an idea from concept to action is, I have found, largely a matter of determination. Lay out the steps required to do what you want to do, and start in on them, one by one. In this phase of the assignment, describe in detail what you want to simulate, and how you would do so. For example, any expedition activity can be analyzed in the following terms:
This is pretty straight-forward. Identify the obstacles and devise ways to overcome them. In this assignment, you will also want to discuss specifically how activities on Earth will teach us about how to carry them out effectively on Mars.
5. Summarize Your Plan It's always good to review an entire expedition plan, looking for weaknesses and trying to improve it. Consider, what are you most likely to under- or over-estimate? Have someone else look over the plan: they might see a major problem that you missed. Remember, useless critique is to be ignored...Good critique is not personal, and it is an attempt to help. Review your plan, discuss any weaknesses you think might require more study, and summarize the whole concept. |