Mining+the+Solar+System+Project

Step by Step Project Start Page

Introduction

The year is 2040.

On October 12th of 1999, the sixth billionth inhabitant of the world arrived. Projections for population growth were made many years ago. We are currently approaching a world population of 10 billion. The population growth on earth has caused concern for possible catastrophe on our planet.

Concerns include:
 * even more deaths from famine
 * energy crises
 * fighting over scarce resources such as water and land for farming

Resources from the whole solar system might help solve these problems. Currently plans are underway to mine and colonize other locations in our solar system. Mining will finance and supply needed resources to these colonies. This mining and colonization must support itself and not continue to use resources to make the problems listed above worse. Miners and colonizers must survive the hazards and hash conditions of life in the solar system while being self supporting. Colonizing the solar system will follow logical steps based on the resources out there and their distance from Earth.

Your team will be exploring the following questions in detail:
 * Where in our solar system are valuable resources and locations to live found?
 * What is required for people to survive on space stations, bases, and at mines located out in our solar system?
 * Where will the resources and energy required to survive and establish an economy out in the solar system come from?

Your Task SSCP

Your team is associated with a nonprofit organization that has the goal of mining valuable places in the solar system to finance the colonization of the solar system. These colonies will also have to be established near resource that enable their survival. Eventually these colonies will help each other by trading needed and valuable resource to help each other survive. The goal of the organization is to have many self sufficient colonies spread through out the solar system.

Your team's goal is to determine the best locations in our solar system to build space station, bases, and mines. Determining the order that these station, bases, and mines will be build based on available resources and energy will also be a survival factor. These space stations, bases, and mines will be built to help with the problem of over population, so people must be able to live in them.

These questions should be used to guide your research:

1. Where in our solar system should space station, bases, and mines be built and why? 2. In what order will these stations, bases, and mines be built and why? 3. How will the stations, bases, and mines help support each other and trade resources as people spread out through the solar system? 4. What adaptations will need to be made at each location to support life? 5. Where will the energy come from to survive in and move around the solar system?

Your team will include an astronomer, a meteorologist, a geologist, a psychologist/sociologist, and a biologist. Your findings will be presented to an expert in the form of a presentation. Other teams will evaluate your findings and decide which team's space station to fund.

Process SSCP

The Process

Five big steps will be necessary to accomplish this task:


 * First, your team will need to decide what is necessary to sustain life.
 * Second, your team will need to investigate our solar system and decide on locations with important resources and the greatest possibility for sustaining life.
 * Third, your team must determine the adaptations that will need to be made to sustain life at the locations you chose for your stations, bases, and mines.
 * Fourth, the order in which stations, bases,and mines will be built must also be determined. This should be based on how the stations, bases, and mines in different locations can support each others by trading important resources.
 * Fifth, your team will create a presentation to describe where you think space stations, bases, and mines should be built and why. Providing the legitimacy of your sources will be important when presenting and/or debating your plan.

Background SSCP

Collect Background Information:

What information do you think will be needed to mine and colonize the solar system? Is this the kind of information that would be needed?
 * What is necessary to sustain life?
 * What bodies are in the solar system?
 * What are these bodies like?
 * Where are these bodies are in the solar system?

Would you need to research the following items?
 * Research what people will need to survive out in the solar system.
 * Research what the places in the solar system are like and their size.
 * Research the distance between these places and between these places and Earth.

-First you will determine what is necessary to sustain human life. -Next you need to know the main facts about the solar system. -Then you will need to determine what people need to survive in other locations round the solar system.

Collect this research in your notebook. 30% for the facts that are just copied another 50% for understandable notes on the facts in complete sentences. another 20% for well written notes organized by topic with sources noted.

Use the questions below if you need more specifics. Questions to answer (use your Science notebook):

1. First, use yourself as a resource and answer the following question:

As you go through a day what do need? Make a list of those things.

2. What do experts agree are basic requirements for human survival?

3. What research has been done on survival? Has anyone been able to colonize an inhospitable place on earth successfully?

4. How do distances play into the survival question? If you would encounter problems, would returning to earth be possible? (In space, you could travel 25,000 miles per hour).

Follow these directions when you click on the link below. First click enter the Site. Then, at the bottom, click on the planet you want. When you get to the planet you want, click Planetary Facts. Here you'll find the distance from earth in km and miles. []

5. Write down five to ten facts about each planet. If there are moons orbiting, give at least three facts about each planet's moon or moons. This information will be useful as you begin to think about where you think a space colony should be built.

6. Make a map of the planets with diameters and distances to scale. See this page: http://physicalsciencecottrell.wikispaces.com/+Solar+System+Map Make a better distance map: Mark the relative distances between the planets on 2 meters of string.

Write and answer at least four of your own questions about survival.

When we finish, we will come together as a group and decide what we need to survive. This will be a basis for you to use as you explore different locations in the solar system.

Mission Part 1 SSCP

At this point in the project each member of your group will have a different role. Decide who in your team will be the astronomer, meteorologist, geologist, and biologist. (All team members will be psychologists and sociologists.)

For this part of the project you will work in teams with the same role. The astronomers will work together. The meteorologists will work together. The geologists will work together. The biologists will work together..

In this teams, your task will be to study planets from each of these perspectives and to gather, evaluate and present data. Once complete, each group member will bring this information back to their original team. Then the orignal teams will decide on a location for a space colony and create a presentation that will:

1. Describe the location you chose for your stations, bases, and mines. 2. Explain your reasons for choosing the location from each role's perspective 3. Explain your reasons for the order in which these stations, bases, and mines will be built. 4. Describe adaptations that will need to be made for survival at these stations, bases, and mines..

You may now click on your role to continue with this mission:

Astronomer Astronomers will study the movements and locations of bodies in space. You will examine both inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) and some moons. You'll need to know about things like the gravity and density of each planet. You'll also need to know about each planet's rotation, solar day and planetary year.

Questions you'll need to answer are:

1. Which planets or moons have enough density to support a the weight of a colony?

2. Can an adaptation be made to make this possible? How?

3. Which planets or moons have enough gravity to hold a colony down? How does the gravity compare to the gravity of earth? What could we do to create gravity if there was not enough?

4. How long would a day be on any of the planets or moons? Would the sun rise in the east or in the west? How would we adapt to a longer or shorter day?

5. How long would a year be on any of the planets or moons? Would there be any affect on the people of the colony or the plants grown as a result of the length of the year?

Write and answer at least four (one good question and answer from each group member) of your own questions from the perspective of an astronomer.

Meteorologist Meteorologistswill study the weather and atmospheric activity. We learned in the Great Solar System Rescue temperature on the surface of a planet comes from a combination of heat from the Sun and heat from inside the planet. We also learned that atmosphere consists of the gases that surround the surface of planets. You'll need to know about the atmosphere, and the weather features of various planets and moons.

Questions you'll need to answer are:

1. Which planets or moons have an atmosphere that would support life? How do they compare to earth? Adaptations? How?

2. Would the temperature on any planets or moons permit a colony to be formed? How do the temperatures compare to earth? Could they be controlled?

3. What other weather features, such as winds, storms, etc. do the planets or moons have? How do those features compare to earth? How would those features be controlled?

4. Are there seasons on any planets or moons? How would seasons compare to earth? How would the seasons or lack of them effect a colony?

5. Would the weather on any planets or moons permit any agriculture? How does the weather compare to earth? Could the weather be adapted to permit the growth of plants?

Write and answer at least four (one good question and answer from each group member) of your own questions from the perspective of an meteorologist.

Geologist Geologists will study the solid matter of a planet or moon. Their task will be to decide whether or not the surface of a location of a location is suitable for colonization. You'll be examining the terrestrial planets and the gas giants. You'll want to examine some of the moons of the gas giants, also.

Questions you'll need to answer are:

1. What surfaces might you see on a terrestrial planet or moon? How do these types of surfaces compare to what we see on earth? Could these surfaces somehow be adapted for colonization? How?

2. What surfaces might you see on a gas giant? How do these types of surfaces compare to what we see on earth?

3. If a planet has rings, how bright are they? What is their width? What is the size of the material found in the ring? How would this information affect the possibility of colonizing a planet or a moon of a planet?

4. Does the surface of the planet or moon indicate that there may be water there? Is there evidence that there may have been water there at one time? What does this mean for the colony?

5. Would the surface support any type of agriculture? Could the surface be adapted to support agriculture? How?

Write and answer at least four (one good question and answer from each group member) of your own questions from the perspective of an geologist.

Biologist Biologists will determine how various locations in the solar system would affect human physical health. They will be the expert on what the human body need to survive and thrive with a minimum of illnesses and loss of physical abilities. In groups of 4, these roles will blend together. In groups of 5, each role will be played by different students.

Questions the biologist will need to answer are:

1. Would there be health risks on a planet or moon? What would they be? How could we adapt?

2. How would basic needs be met (food, water, air, sunlight)? What adaptations would work for human survival?

3. How will illness be dealt with? How will health and wellness be maintained?

McMurdo Station, Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable place on Earth. A few questions about survival are answered at this link.

4. How many people would be needed to colonize the planet? What happens if someone dies? What individuals would be necessary for the colony to maintain health?

Write and answer at least four (one good question and answer from each group member) of your own questions from the perspective of a biologist.

Everyone's Secondary Role (Psychologist Sociologist) Psychologist/Sociologist will determine how the various locations in the solar system would affect human mental health. Their task will be to study social systems that would make various locations in the solar system adaptable to human needs for structure, communication, work, and play.

Questions the psychologist/sociologist will need to answer are:

1. What systems would need to be in place so that the people of the colony would feel that their community was safe and organized? 2. How would the people of the colony communicate? Would they be able to communicate with earth? If not, how could they adapt? 3. What jobs would need to be done on this planet or moon? How would they be organized and done? 4. What opportunities for fun and play would their be on this planet or moon? How would that be structured? 5. How many people would be needed to colonize the planet? What would be the maximum? What would be the minimum?

Write and answer at least four (one good question and answer from each group member) of your own questions from the perspective of an psychologist or sociologist.

Regroup SSCP Time to Regroup!

You should have data in hand, gathered from the perspective of your role. Now we will regroup. You will be in a new group that will include a astronomer, meteorologist, geologist, and and biologist. In that group, you will need to collaborate, share ideas, and come to a consensus about how to mine and colonize the solar system. Here are some additional sites that may prove helpful as you work on your presentation:

Finished Project SSCP Check to see if you accomplish the five big tasks.


 * First, your team will need to decide what is necessary to sustain life.
 * Second, your team will need to investigate our solar system and decide on locations with important resources and the greatest possibility for sustaining life.
 * Third, your team must determine the adaptations that will need to be made to sustain life at the locations you chose for your stations, bases, and mines.
 * Fourth, the order in which stations, bases,and mines will be built must also be determined. This should be based on how the stations, bases, and mines in different locations can support each others by trading important resources.
 * Fifth, your team will create a presentation to describe where you think space stations, bases, and mines should be built and why. Providing the legitimacy of your sources will be important when presenting and/or debating your plan.

Give your presentation. The End.

SOURCE OF THIS PROJECT: http://www.intime.uni.edu/lessons/026iams/Solar_System_Webquest/INDEX.HTM

Another project Kevin Honeycutt's [|Doomsday1 Project]