Ian White

Project

Presentation

Capstone Essay

Ian White

Mr. Coussens

English 4th period

April 20th, 2020

Traveling to Mars

Since 1961, man’s goal has been to reach the stars. Since then, we have done that many times over, but only to the moon. Now, humans are aiming higher, for Mars. We are very close to being there, and in about four years it could happen. Personally, I would love to see this happen, which is why my capstone project is on designing a rocket to get to Mars. In order to find the best design aspects for space travel, I need to research the past of space travel, the present of space travel, challenges of going to space, and solutions to those challenges. Because I am going to design a spaceship, I also did research on problems with space travel and solutions to the problems that I would be incorporating into my design. After doing this research, I will design a rocket that is fully capable of handling the challenges of space, and getting people on Mars. I hope to inspire the generation of today to aim for the stars.

History of space travel

From the moon landings to the last space shuttle mission, the technology has evolved a lot over time. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into space, and America was eager to follow it’s example by launching their own satellite, explorer 1 the next year. The USSR also sent the first person into space, with the US again, following in their footsteps. The ultimate goal was to put people on the moon, and America wanted to do that first as well. In 1961, JFK said that America’s goal is to safely land a man on the moon and back within the decade. This was the space race. America was making huge technological advancements during this time. On July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the moon for the first time. Over time, space technology evolved and the world launched more and more satellites. These satellites could take very detailed pictures of earth from above, and take pictures of stars and space. Later, in the 80s, the very first space shuttle mission, Columbia, launched from Florida on April 12, 1981. This led to a series of twenty four successful missions after this one. Although they’re were many feats, there were also many disasters. One of these disasters was the challenger disaster, in which on January 28, 1986 exploded leaving Earth’s atmosphere. Another terrible disaster was on February 1, 2003, when the Columbia space shuttle broke apart coming into the Earth’s atmosphere(A brief). The history of space travel helps us to learn what went right, and what went wrong. Therefore we can improve upon our past mistakes and learn from our feats.

Current plans and why

Although the space shuttle program ended so suddenly, it has still inspired other companies and people to go to the stars. The technology has drastically changed since then, and we have more means of getting into space. Major space faring organizations like spaceX and NASA already have plans to go to Mars. For NASA, their plan is to first go to the moon, and then to Mars. To get to the moon, they will rely on the Space Launch System (SLS) to transport supplies, technology and fuel there. They will set up a lab on the Moon and use it for research that you can’t do on earth like low gravity experiments and experiments that could possibly hurt wildlife on Earth. They will also make a rocket on the moon called the getaway, which will frequently travel between the moon and Earth to transport people and other things to and from the moon. From there, they will go to Mars and beyond(Moon). NASA says that they will likely send people to Mars in about fifteen years, or in the 2030s(Joel).

Instead of going to the Moon first, SpaceX is going directly to Mars, and plans to be there by 2024. Before directly sending a manned mission to the moon, SpaceX is going to send a “scout” mission in 2022. A scout mission is when they send a rocket to Mars with a probe or robot that will scout the area, map the area, and possibly search for resources like frozen or liquid water. If it does find things like this, then the astronauts could possibly utilize these resources. After this, they are going to send a manned mission to Mars in the rocket called “Super Heavy”. It is a fully reusable rocket that can carry crews, people, supplies/cargo, and even satellites. Although it will carry people to Mars, SpaceX has plans for it to be used in the Earth’s atmosphere to fly long distances in an extremely short amount of time. SpaceX will of course, need a lot of money to do all of this, so in 2023, they are using Super Heavy to do a commercial fly-by of the moon for a few select individuals. They will possibly do this for funding of their Mars missions, which will, evidently cost tons of money(Making).

These companies are willing to go so far to get to Mars, because it is in our human nature to explore, and new discoveries would be revolutionary for science. Humans are naturally driven to explore the unknown, and in this modern age, there is nowhere else to look, but the stars. The other reason is because we as humans are always trying to make new discoveries. If we did make new discoveries on Mars, it could change science on Earth. By studying Mars, we could possibly learn about the history of Mars, and possibly even more about the history of Earth(Beyond). I also think that when children in the future wake up in a world where people are on Mars, or better yet, wake up on Mars, it would be heavily inspiring for their generation to do great things for humanity.

Challenges of Space Travel

Although going to Mars would be amazing for the entire world, it's not all fun and games- and space can be a very deadly place. Just about everything that the Earth protects you from down here, will kill you up there. One of the biggest challenges in space is the radiation. On Earth, there is a magnetic field that protects us from the sun’s radiation, in space there is nothing to protect you from that radiation. This leaves astronauts exposed to it. Radiation is dangerous and deadly because you won’t be able to tell it is there, without the proper equipment, so if you don’t have that equipment, then you’re in trouble. Radiation can cause personality shifts, loss of motor functions, and a highly increased risk of cancer later in life. Another Problem with space travel is weightlessness. It can seem fun and cool at first, but it has bad side effects. Being in no gravity or smaller amounts of gravity requires you to work less with your muscles and bones, therefore, your bones become brittle, and your muscles become very weak. Although astronauts don’t really notice it in space, once they get back to Earth, they can barely walk, and their bones break easily(5). The third major problem with long space travel is space in the ship. Since the mission is so long, the astronauts could get cramped and crowded, being in the same space with the same people for so long. This would end badly if someone lashed out because of stress. Being in a closed environment could also cause homesickness, and lead to depression in some astronauts(Wall). Because the journey is so long, they will need lots of food, water, and oxygen. There will need to be a lot of space for all of the food and water, and if there isn’t enough then the mission will be a failure(5). The need for oxygen and water is extremely crucial and cannot be looked over, because astronauts will die without them.

My solutions to those problems

To prevent these problems from happening, I am incorporating my own solutions to the problems within my design, to handle the challenges. A possible solution to the radiation in space, are a wall of water, a wall of plants, and an artificial magnetic field. Because water lessens and absorbs radiation, if the walls on the outside of the building were hollow and filled with water, it could greatly reduce the effects of radiation on the astronauts. A plant wall is putting live plants right near the wall, all around, because plants also absorb radiation. Plants do not, however, absorb as much as water, so if I were to do a plant wall, I would likely need water walls as well. The third idea is an artificial magnetic field. This type of technology is still being researched, so it is not official. The second problem is gravity, or lack thereof(Joel). For this problem, I could make the ship designed to be able to function while rotating, so it creates an outward force that simulates gravity. Another solution could be to have magnetic suits, with magnetic floors, to simulate working against gravity as well. The final problem that I would be solving is how the Astronauts have enough space for themselves and storage. To have enough water, they would start off with a certain amount, and use a filtration system to keep using it. I would do the same thing for air so they don’t have to worry about either of those. For the food, I am going to have vacuum sealed meals, that you can eat straight out of the bag, or just add water. This way, they still have plenty of food that takes up a minimal amount of space. For the astronauts, I would make a very large area for them to roam around in their free time. They will also have their own rooms to have time to themselves(Joel).

This research about Mars travel has helped me to learn about how the journey will be extremely difficult, and will cost a lot of money and require a lot of resources. I have also learned that to solve challenges is the most important thing on a mission like this. The main thing I will apply to my project is the problems and challenges we will face in space. I am going to come up with my own solutions to those problems, and incorporate those solutions into my design, so it is safe for astronauts on board. This topic is very important, not only because I think space and Mars are extremely interesting, but because going to Mars could be the “Next Step” for humanity. We would be able to make all sorts of revolutionary discoveries, and if we found life, or even water, that could lead to a huge advancement in humanity and technology. Going to Mars will be the next “giant leap for mankind”.

Works cited

“A Brief History Of Space Exploration.” Aerospace, June 1, 2018, https://aerospace.org/article/brief-history-space-exploration. April 24 2020

“Moon to mars overview” NASA, n.d., https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars/overview. April 24. 2020

Joel Achenbach. "Elon Musk." ​National Geographic,​ November 2016, 41-43.

“Making life multiplanetary” SpaceX, n.d., https://www.spacex.com/mars. April 24, 2020

“5 Hazards of Human Spaceflight” NASA, n.d., https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/5-hazards-of-human-spaceflight. April 24, 2020

“Beyond Earth.” NASA, n.d., https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/why_we_explore_main.html#.XqN93y8iehA. April 24, 2020

Wall, Mike, “Astronauts will face many hazards on a journey to Mars.” Space.com, August 27, 2019, https://www.space.com/crewed-mars-mission-astronaut-

dangers.html. April 24, 2020.

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