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Mars Habitat Design Challenge

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Mars Habitat Design Challenge

Design a habitat that could help a small crew stay healthy on Mars for one year. Read the mission notes, solve the planning challenges, then draw and label your design. Several solutions are possible; explain how yours would work.

Read the mission notes

Mars is cold, dry and has a very thin atmosphere. Its air is mostly carbon dioxide, not oxygen people can breathe. Liquid water is scarce at the surface, and dust storms can reduce sunlight. A habitat must keep air and water inside, provide warmth and protect the crew. People also need food, energy, sleep, exercise and ways to stay well. Plants can provide some fresh food and help make a habitat feel lively, but they need water, light, nutrients and a suitable temperature. A crew might use solar panels when sunlight is available and stored energy when it is not. Water could be brought from Earth or collected from water ice and carefully recycled. These are design ideas, not guaranteed solutions: engineers would need to test them.

Understand the environment

Use the mission notes to answer Questions 1–4.

1.Which gas makes up most of Mars’ atmosphere, and why can’t astronauts breathe it as it is?

2.Which option gives two reasons a habitat needs to be sealed and insulated?

Mars has a thin atmosphere and is very cold.
Mars has too much breathable oxygen and is too warm.
Mars has oceans of liquid water and frequent rain.
Mars has a thick atmosphere that traps too much heat.

3.True or false: A plant-growing area could supply some fresh food, but it would still need water, light, nutrients and warmth.

TrueFalse

4.A dust storm blocks much of the sunlight for several days. Name one problem this could cause for the habitat and one way to prepare for it.

Plan a living habitat

Make choices that meet the crew’s needs. There can be more than one sensible answer.

5.Choose five needs your habitat must provide. Include at least one need for the body and one for wellbeing.

6.The crew needs water for a year. Propose one source of water and one way to avoid wasting it.

7.Pick an energy plan for the habitat. Explain what it supplies and what the crew could do when the main source is unavailable.

8.A crew plans to grow leafy vegetables. Name two conditions the plants need and explain one way growing plants could help the crew.

Design and test your idea

Show how your habitat supports people and living plants. Label the parts so another crew could understand your plan.

Draw and label a habitat for a crew living on Mars for one year. Include sealed shelter, air and warmth, water, food or a plant-growing area, and an energy source. Add arrows or notes to show how at least two systems work together.

9.Choose the biggest risk to your design. Explain how your design reduces that risk and name one test engineers should do before sending the habitat to Mars.

10.What feature would help the crew’s mental wellbeing during a long stay, and why might it help?