Mars vs. Earth

What Will It Take To Live on Mars?

Understanding Martian Resources

and Environmental Constraints

MARS IS THE SECOND SMALLEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM​, AFTER MERCURY. IT IS SMALLER THAN EARTH, BUT LARGER THAN OUR MOON

Multiple Choice

Which is the only planet smaller than Mars?

• Mercury

• Pluto

• Earth

• Jupiter

Beyond Earth, Mars is one of the only places in the

solar system where humans could one day live.

In size, Mars is about half the diameter of Earth.

Multiple Choice

How big is Mars compared to Earth?

• one quarter the size

• one third the size

• half the size

• twice the size

Mars’ surface area is equal to about 1/3 the surface of Earth

(about the total area of Earth's continents). That’s a lot of territory!

Where will you want to build your community?

Natural and human-made resources that are available,

along with environmental constraints, will help

you decide where and how to live.

Multiple Choice

Because Mars doesn't have any ______, it has nearly the same land surface as the Earth.

• rivers

• lakes

• oceans

• glaciers

Multiple Choice

Mars's surface area is equal to that of the Earth's continents, which comprise ____ of the Earth's surface.

• 1/4

• 4/2

• 2/3

• 1/3

Scientists and engineers from all over the world have discovered many

environmental and other similarities between Earth and Mars.

RADIATION

Multiple Choice

As far as we know, similarities between Earth and Mars include all of the following except?

• volcanoes

• ice caps

• life

• dust storms

Mars has many landforms that are familiar to people on Earth.

Olympus Mons is the largest volcano on Mars and probably the largest one in the solar system. It's 2.5 times higher than Mount Everest and roughly the size of Arizona.

Volcanoes?

Multiple Choice

Olympus Mons is the solar system's largest

• Moon

• Volcano

• Valley

• Supermarket

Multiple Choice

Olympus Mons is almost 3 times the height of Mt Everest and roughly the area of the state of _________________.

• Maine

• Arizona

• Alaska

• Delaware

Valles Marineris is about 2,500 mi long and in average 6 mi deep.

Artist’s concept of High View of

Melas

To decide on a place where your community will

survive and thrive, you’ll want to find the safest place.

with the most resources, plus design a few technologies.

Deep Canyons?

Multiple Choice

The largest valley/canyon in our solar system is on Mars and is named?

• Firstus Greatus

• Valles Marineris

• The Grand Canyon

• Bryce Canyon

Multiple Choice

Valles Marineris was described as a titanic canyon system with what dimensions?

• 2 thousand feet long, six miles deep
• 2,500 miles long, 6,000 feet deep
• 2,500 miles long, 17 miles deep
• twenty-five hundred miles long, six miles deep

MARS

➢ The second-smallest planet

in the Solar System, after
Mercury.

➢ Called the "Red Planet"

because the iron oxide
prevalent on its surface
gives it a reddish
appearance.

➢ It has a thin atmosphere

which is about 96% carbon
dioxide CO2

Multiple Choice

What is Mars's "Nickname"

• Earth's twin

• The red planet

• The tropical planet

• Redsy Redman

Multiple Choice

Mars's atmosphere contains what percentage of carbon dioxide?

• 70%

• 27%

• 95%

• 10%

Multiple Choice

What gives Mars its red appearance?

• iron oxide

• water

• atmosphere

• gravity

Multiple Choice

The Martian atmosphere is mostly made up of

• oxygen

• carbon dioxide

• dust

• uranium

Multiple Choice

Mars has the largest _____ storms in the entire solar system.

• Rain

• Dust

• Snow

Dropdown

Compared to the Earth, the atmosphere in Mars is much?​

Select answer

Mars is tilted on its axis 25.2° (Earth is
23.4°) so it has daily and seasonal
cycles like we do.

During its four seasons, the surface features of Mars change
like they do on Earth.

The dust on Mars is blown by strong
winds often reaching over 60 – 80 miles
per hour (hurricane force). The storms
are so strong that sometimes they can
cover the whole planet with dust.

Mariner 9 visited Mars in 1971.
When it arrived, there was a planet-
wide dust storm. If it had been a
fly-by mission to take photos, it
would have been a failure.

Multiple Choice

How many seasons does Mars have?

• three

• four

• sixth

• fourty

Multiple Choice

Why does Mars have seasons?

• It's the same size as the Earth

• It orbits the sun at the same distance as the Earth does.

• It has an axial tilt similar to the Earth

The 2 moons of Mars

• Mars has 2 tiny moons named

“Deimos” (Panic) & “Phobos”
(Fear)

• The moons are irregular and very

small in size

• They are probably asteroids

captured by Mars

Deimos

Phobos

Images Courtesy of NASA

Multiple Choice

How many moons does Mars have?

• none

• 1

• 2

• 3

Multiple Choice

What are the names of Mars's moons?

• Phobos and Deimos

• Titan and lo

• Moon and Nix

• Miranda and Phoebe

Multiple Choice

Which moon of Mars is larger: Phobos or Deimos?

• Deimos

• Phobos

• Europa

• Ganymede

A comparison of Mar’s
Moon Phobos, if it came
down to Earth !!

Multiple Choice

What is Mars's average distance from the sun in AU's?

• 1.5

• 7.9

• 3.3

• .67

Multiple Choice

A year on Mars is how many days?

• 687 days

• 365 days

• 88 days

• 6 days

Multiple Choice

Which takes longer to complete a revolution (year)?

• Earth

• Mars

​MARS TAKES A LITTLE MORE TIME TO COMPLETE A ROTATION

Multiple Choice

How long is a Martian day?

• 14 hours

• 39 hours

• 24 hours 39 mins

• 36 hours

Multiple Choice

Which takes less time to complete a rotation (day/night)?

• Earth

• Mars

Multiple Choice

If you weighed 100 kg on Earth, you would weigh_____kg. on Mars

• 100 kg.

• 38 kg.

• 83 kg.

• 200 kg.

For a better life, every Earth community relies on people

of all different backgrounds to design solutions to problems.

Mars communities will too!

Medical Devices

Clean Car/Clean Energy

Communications

Environmental Monitoring

Crop Forecasting

Advanced Materials for

Disaster Relief

Many men and women have chosen science and technology

careers to design solutions for a better life on Earth.

Sample of NASA Technologies Used in Society

Multiple Choice

A lot of the technology we have comes from our dedication to explore space, except?

• CAST scan

• Heart monitor

• Shock absorbing shoes

• Combustion engine

In designing community solutions on Earth, we have to

balance natural and human-made resources with

environmental and other constraints.

To design a community on Mars, you need to

understand how it is different from Earth

so that you can balance resources and constraints

for your community’s survival there.

The sun is an example of a natural resource

that provides power and energy for life systems.

Since Mars is farther away from the sun,

it receives less light than the Earth.

Because of the work of scientists and engineers from all
over the world, we know Mars is Earth’s neighbor and

the 4thplanet from the sun.

Not to scale

Multiple Choice

Mars is the ________ planet from the sun.

• 5th

• 4th

• 3rd

• 9th

Not to scale

T
H
E

S
U
N

Compared to Earth, Mars is about 1.5 times

farther away from the sun.

If you are about twice as far away from the sun,

you only have about ¼ the solar energy.

Earth: Sunlight

Mars: Reduced Sunlight

Compared to Earth, the sun’s
intensity at other planets is:

Earth:
100%

Saturn:

~1%

Uranus:
~ 0.2%

Neptune:

~ 0.1%

Pluto:
~ 0.06%

Jupiter:

4%

Mars:
44%

While solar energy is lower for Mars, the sun can still

be used as a natural resource for power.

You may wish to consider other sources to ensure

you have enough energy for your community.

Not enough solar power:

Multiple Choice

How much sunlight does Mars receive compared to the Earth?

• 100%

• 4%

• 44%

• 55%

Hematite (aqueous mineral) on Mars

For your community to survive and thrive,

you will also need to identify places with natural

resources such as minerals that might be useful to you.

Technologies that identify where different minerals are on Mars

(in false color above) will be key to include.

Multiple Choice

For a colony to survive on Mars, It must be located near natural resources that can be utilized.

• True

• False

Humans depend on Earth’s natural resources for life.
Water is one of the most precious of these resources.

Nanedi Vallis

Water probably flowed

on Mars long ago,

due to evidence of erosion, types of rocks, and past climate.

Humans will have to

find a way to get water

to their community on Mars.

Multiple Choice

Astronomers are convinced that liquid water was present on Mars in the past because

• The surface has water erosion features.

• Mars has sedimentary rocks.

• Mars was much warmer and had a thicker atmosphere in the past.

• All of the above.

Scientists used a technology on the Odyssey spacecraft to

discover that Mars has water ice in the ice caps

and below the surface in other areas.

Your community will need to be near the natural resource water,

but since water ice is below the surface, you will have

to design technologies to access it.

Multiple Choice

Does Mars have water (or ice) now?

• yes at the poles

• no there is none

Scientists and engineers around the world have to design a technology

for growing food without soil. This technology is called hydroponics.

Food is another resource on which humans depend.

The Martian soil is toxic, which is a good example

of an environmental constraint.

Multiple Choice

The Martian soil is toxic and will not support agriculture. What is the technology that will help the first colonizers grow their food?

• fertilizer

• hydroponics

• incubation

Compared to Earth, Mars is cold.

Temperature is another environmental constraint to be

considered in your community planning.

The extreme temperatures

on Mars vary between
-190° F and 75° F with an average of -67 ° F

How will you stay
warm and provide

power to your
community?

32° F

- 184° F

Mars is cold because it is farther from the Sun than Earth, and

receives less of the Sun’s warming rays. Also, Mars’ thin
atmosphere does not hold much of the heat from the Sun.

Multiple Choice

The average overall temperature of Mars is

• 0ºF

• 50ºF

• -67ºF

• 25ºF

Multiple Choice

Why is Mars much colder than Earth?

• It receives less sunlight

• is farther away from the sun

• The thin atmosphere cannot retain the heat

• All of the above

Unlike Earth, Mars’ very thin atmosphere has another big

environmental constraint—it does not have enough

oxygen for a human to breathe.

Digital camera image of Earth’s atmosphere and moon
taken by the Columbia Space Shuttle Crew Jan 26, 2003.

Artist’s concept of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

flying through the martian atmosphere during aerobraking.

Oxygen is a basic and necessary natural resource on Earth.

Will we have to produce oxygen on Mars?

What technologies enable that?

Multiple Choice

The composition of the Martian atmosphere lacks enough _____ for humans to breathe.

• nitrogen

• oxygen

• carbon dioxide

The thin atmosphere means

the surface pressure on Mars is 1/100 of Earth.

Without a special pressure suit, your organs would push out against your skin.

Multiple Choice

Besides the lack of oxygen, why would you not be able to survive on Mars without a suit?

• High temperatures

• Low temperatures

• Low athmospheric pressure

• High athmospheric pressure

So, now engineers are researching how to make the
best spacesuits to protect human skin and organs.

Each new discovery leads to new technologies that must be developed.

A protective spacesuit is an example of a human-made resource.

Mars is a dusty place, with a fine reddish-brown or

butterscotch-colored soil on the surface.

This dust can gunk up spacesuits,

jamming the shoulder, elbow,

knee and other joints,

making movement
difficult for people.

What can you invent to solve

this environmental problem

your community must address?

Multiple Choice

Dust has the potential to damage or compromise equipment.

• True

• False

Winds on Mars also blow dust around the surface.

Is the wind a potential natural resource you could use

or is it an environmental hazard?

The wind can be helpful in cleaning off important equipment

such as solar panels and other technologies…

but you can’t depend on it being there when you need it.

Spirit panoramic camera: March 5, 2005 (left) 416th martian day, or sol; March 15, 2005 (right), sol 426.

These two images show that wind removed dust

from the sundial and color calibration target
on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.

Multiple Choice

What is one of the major weather problems to overcome when colonizing Mars?

• Acid rain

• Dust storms

• Extreme heat

Dust storms often occur in the spring. . . and are sometimes helpful.

However, global dust storms can blanket the whole planet,
cutting of sunlight and affecting communications with Earth.

In winter, frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) forms on the poles,

making the water ice there harder to access.

Springtime North Polar Dust Storm 2002

Mars’ thin atmosphere and missing magnetic field also allow

more of the sun’s harmful radiation to reach the surface

than we experience on Earth.

Radiation can be considered an environmental constraint to
living healthily. How will you protect people from radiation?

Earth’s magnetic field

Remnants of Mars’ magnetic field

Multiple Choice

Does Mars have a global magnetic field similar to the Earth?

• No

• Yes

Multiple Choice

Why is the exposure to radiation on Mars much higher than on Earth?

• Mars has no athmosphere

• Mars is closer to the sun

• Mars has no magnetic field

The Odyssey science team discovered that radiation levels at Mars

are twice as high as those in orbit around Earth.

How will you solve this big potential health problem

for human explorers on Mars?

Scientists are currently researching materials

to shield astronauts from radiation.

So far, research shows that metals increase radiation levels,

while hydrogen seems to shield against it.

How will you keep your community members safe?

It’s important, because with the propulsion technologies

we now have, it takes a minimum of six months to get to Mars.

Launch
07-Apr-2001

Mars at
Launch

Mars Arrival
23-Oct-2001

Earth at
arrival

With radio communications technology, it takes a minimum

of 4 minutes, and as much as 20 minutes each way
depending on where the planets are in their orbits.

Yellow Line =
Successful route to Mars
of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter

Multiple Choice

When Mars and Earth are closer to each other in their orbit, How long does it take to travel between them?

• 2 years

• 6-7 months

• 67 days

Scientific research shows that during long journeys in zero gravity,

astronauts lose muscle and bone mass.

They must exercise 2 hours a day to stay healthy.
How will you keep the first Martian settlers strong

during their six-month journey . . .

and in a 1/3 gravity environment on Mars?

Multiple Choice

For astronauts to not lose muscle and bone mass, they must?

• eat healthy food

• have plenty of sleep

• exercise daily

Even though Mars is 65 million miles away,

we now have the technology to land on its surface.

That accomplishment required the talents of men and women from

different backgrounds with different skills to contribute.

Thousands of years ago, humans could only see Mars

as a red dot in the sky, but now we are exploring with robots.

Maybe one day humans will go!

The possibility of human communities on Mars will depend

on men and women from around the world choosing

science and technology careers that will benefit

life in communities on Earth first.

Multiple Choice

Who were some of the early observers of Mars in the night sky?

• Babylonians

• Greeks

• Romans

What are all of the careers that make a community thrive?

How do people in those careers use science

and technology to improve their lives?

What kind of careers will be needed to make

sure your community on Mars survives and thrives?

Because of the work of scientists and engineers,

we know more about Mars every day.

Someday we may use this knowledge to build

safe and thriving communities. . . . What will your

community be like? What do you want to contribute?

Poll

Would you volunteer to go to Mars on a one-way trip to set up the first human colony on the red planet?

• Yes!

• No!