The aim of our project was to create a sustainable energy source on Mars so that a civilization can thrive there. 

After watching many space exploration videos and documentries, we understood that by 2030, we could be living on Mars. Ms. Quinnell then challenged us to create a machine/machines that could work to create energy on Mars. Using our prior science knowledge, we knew that clean energy would be the smartest option because it wouldn't cause any pollution. We've already done enough damage to one planet,  no need to increase the number. Electricity is a basic human need and if we were to create a civilization on Mars, we would need a source that could power everything.

We aren't top notch scientists. We are only a group of grade 9's but that didn't stop our creativity. We began our project by researching Mars' weather conditions. We learned that Mars get common dust storms which can produce wind speeds up to 113km/hr. We also learned that Mars gets  sunlight. We knew that sunlight can be harnessed by solar panels to create elctricity and that wind turbines can spin, using the wind to generate electricity. So, thats what we planned to build. The point of our design is to use both windmills and solar panels in union to generate the most amount of electricity. It won't always be sunny and there won't always be dust storms. We split our group in half and began working on one of the projects. For the solar panel group, Ms. Quinnell shared a DIY solar panel video and encouraged us to try building it. Materials needed include: CDs, copper wire, 100 ohm resistors, super glue and a soldering kit. We would first superglue the copper wire onto the CD in a flower like shape and leave 3 different ends. On those ends, we would solder the 100 ohm resistors and that's it. When we place the CD in the sun, it's meant to produce voltage. We estimated that it would take 2 CDs to produce enough voltage to power an LED lightbulb which needs about 2 volts. 

We had to use our knowledge about clean energy sources to help design this project. Renewable energy is the best option beacuse it's clean and efficent. We can rely on these sources until the day Earth dies. Same reasoning on Mars. We can't be polluting another planet for our own personal greed. We must think of the bigger picture which in this case is unlimited energy.

I would say that we are livivng sustainably on Mars. Other groups worked on projects like Human Health, Food and Water on Mars, Shelter on Mars and Transportation on Mars. From what I've seen, each group has come up with smart and efficient designs to reach their goal. Each project is important in it's own way but electricity is the foundation for a civilzation to thrive. You would need electricity to power all the homes, research labs and other buildings. Our project would have a big impact on Mars and ties in perfectly with the other projects.

Our group was able to generate .039 volts using our DIY solar panels, but it was far from our goal. We needed each CD to generate close to 1 volt so that we can power a LED lightbulb.

We think that the superglue was a big contributor to our lack of success. There was a lot of excess superglue left on the CD which would have blocked out the sun rays. Another issue could be the 100 ohm resistors. They may have been too powerful and slowed down the current more than we anticipated. 

Some things we could do for next time is making sure we use the super glue carefully and using <100 ohm resistors.

To all future students who work on this project, make sure to be patient and work collaboratively with your group members. Teamwork is essential to do well in this project. Also, make sure to not make the same mistakes we made with the superglue. Try using resistors lower than 100 ohms to see if you can produce more voltage. We really believe that this solar/wind hybrid is the future. It's clean, efficient and renewable energy. We can't make the mistake of using non-renewable sources and polluting another planet. We would love to see this project be successful one day on Mars. Even if it takes 20 years, it would feel amazing to know that a grade 9 science project of yours has been designed on another planet.

As a group, we learned the type of weather on Mars and how it would effect us making energy. Some cool things we did find about Mars is the sun's energy is only half as strong as the sun on earth. This is because Mars is farther away from the sun then Earth. We also found out that wind isn't has present on Mars as  it is on Earth, but there is a bunch of sandstorms which can cause wind speeds up to 113 km per hour. We were able to also learn that with making these types of progress you always have to be working and be very patient. 

- Alex. S

This project was very fun and interesting and I would say I've improved on many skills. I've become better at collaborating, designing, critically thinking, being a team player and other related skills. I've also learned a lot of facts about Mars and it's weather conditions. Mars tends to get common dust storms which can accumalte win speeds up to 113 km/hr. Mars also gets only half of the sunlight that Earth recieves beacuse it is a bit further away from the sun. I learned how to solder when building this project and can say that it's pretty easy to learn. - Rhythen. P