Srinath Vasudevan
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
7 December 2016
Air on Mars
If humans were to colonize Mars, they would have to find a way to make the Martian air similar to Earth’s air composition. All multicellular organisms that live on Earth currently, need the gas composition of Earth’s air to survive. Martian air consists of only trace amounts of oxygen, while Earth has 21%. But there is a solution, as Michael Hecht from MIT states “The instrument is known as MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resources Utilization Experiment). It will pull carbon dioxide from the thin Martian atmosphere, which is composed of about 96 percent CO2, and turn it into pure oxygen and carbon monoxide.” The MOXIE will take advantage of the high amounts of CO2 in the Martian air and create livable air with enough oxygen for human colonization, getting humans one step closer to Mars exploration and colonization.
Jerry Coffey, “Air on Mars.” Universe Today. Universe Today, n.d. Web. 7 December 2016. <http://www.universetoday.com/14872/air-on-mars/>
Mike Wall, “Oxygen-Generating Mars Rover to Bring Colonization Closer.” Space.com. Space.com, n.d. Web. 7 December 2016. <http://www.space.com/26705-nasa-2020-rover-mars-colony-tech.html>
Srinath Vasudevan
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
12 December 2016
The Egg: How Will it Survive?
To create a contraption that would let an egg survive a drop 11 feet high, our group decided that soft padding in a cardboard enclosure connected to a parachute would be adequate protection. According to the Ukiah Daily Journal, a group of MESA students wrapped in egg in foam and bubble wrap, then dropped the egg from a 6 story building; the egg came out unscaved. We favored fleece, as the padding, instead of foam, as it is more easily manipulated, and we also had easy access to it . We decided that using 108 square inches of fleece would be sufficient padding to protect the egg. We settled upon building the cardboard enclosure in the shape of a square based pyramid, because the shape would fit better, than any alternate shapes, with our rocket design. Furthermore, parachute would guide the enclosure to face nose down while hitting the ground, further protecting the egg.
When dropping our egg, we simulated how the enclosure would drop when the rocket is flipped over (vertically). The egg survived without any scratches, making the egg drop a success. According to a video of the drop, the enclosure took 1.75 seconds to hit the ground when dropped from the bleachers, which were about 11 feet high. From the video, we observed that the parachute immediately unfolded, slowing the enclosure’s descent time and providing a very soft landing. The contraption landed nose down, so the cardboard enclosure, which housed the egg, landed last. In addition, the fleece provided protection from any slight bumps that the enclosure encountered when landing.
Journal, JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN Ukiah Daily. "How Did the Egg Survive the Fall?" How Did the Egg Survive the Fall? Ukiah Daily Journal, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016. <http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/article/zz/20140328/NEWS/140327562>.
Srinath Vasudevan
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
18 December 2016
Building an Airtight Hab
As a group, we at APE decided that beach balls and duct tape were essential products to have when building an airtight Hab. We knew from prior knowledge that beach balls, when inflated, are less prone to tearing; and duct tape, as Mark Watney from the Martian uses it for, creates an airtight seal. We negotiated with Iran and China to get these materials, and both countries graciously accepted our offer, making our negotiations successful. We signed a contract with Iran and China and received one beach ball as well as 10 feet of duct tape. Once we received the materials, we started planning our design. Our design was based around half the beach ball as the main housing area, which would be a dome. Our design had a rectangular farm attached to the side, along with a water reclaimer and an oxygenator. The airlock, which houses the atmospheric regulator, was attached in the front, for easy entrance. BNNTs (Boron Nitride Nanotubes) were used for radiation shielding, and woven into the structure. And lastly, radioisotope power would be used, due to the long life and sustainability. After we drew our orthographic models, we started construction of the Hab. We cut the beach ball in half, and attached one half to the base with duct tape to create an airtight seal. We knew from prior knowledge that building a frame would make things easier so we attached the frames for the farm, airlock, water reclaimer, and oxygenator. After that, we covered the frames with the appropriate material, such as paper or duct tape. Lastly, we painted our Hab green. After the construction process was finished, we tested how airtight our Hab was by inflating it; the Hab passed with minimal leaks.
"Crew Compartment Cabin Pressurization." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/eclss/cabinpress.html>
"Farming in "Martian Gardens"" NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/farming-in-martian-gardens>
"Real Martians: How to Protect Astronauts from Space Radiation on Mars." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/real-martians-how-to-protect-astronauts-from-spa ce-radiation-on-mars>
"Space Applications of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.nasa.gov/content/space-applications-of-hydrogen-and-fuel-cells>
"Spacecraft Power." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/technology/technologiesofbroadbenefit/power/>
"Water on the Space Station." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
<https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast02nov_1>
Weir, Andy. The Martian: a novel. New York: Crown Publishers, 2014. Print.