Expanding Humanity’s Horizons: Our Journey Beyond Earth

Exploration of multiple celestial bodies and habitation realities, quantum computing integration, skimming over Earth's health and possible issues.
Ranbir Singh Vikas Vinay
Grade 9

Problem

 

Problem Statement:

The primary objective of our project is to confront a series of pressing challenges associated with the colonization of Mars, with a strong emphasis on ensuring the long-term survival and well-being of humans. Establishing a human presence on Mars represents a vital contingency plan for Earth, particularly in the face of potential global catastrophes—such as climate change, nuclear conflict, or pandemic outbreaks—that could threaten human civilization. Additionally, this pioneering initiative responds to humanity’s inherent curiosity and ambition regarding astrobiology, the potential for extraterrestrial life, and the exploration of new frontiers beyond our home planet. By overcoming the hurdles of sustainability, habitat construction, and resource generation on Mars, we aim to open up a new chapter in human history marked by exploration, innovation, and resilience in the face of adversity.

Hypothesis:

The integration of cutting-edge, self-sustainable life support systems on Mars has the potential to enable human beings to establish a foothold on the planet and to thrive in its challenging environment. This hypothesis is based on the belief that the extraordinary advancements achieved by humanity—spanning technology, biology, and engineering—will facilitate the effective management of the numerous obstacles surrounding resource scarcity, environmental challenges, and psychological well-being. This advancement could lead to a self-sufficient civilization on Mars, where communities can flourish independently from Earth.

 

 

 

 

Method

Data Collection: 

To ensure our collected data is of the highest accuracy and quality, we implemented the following procedure:

  • Pinpoint a problem or an alternative approach to a situation
  • Identify what data could resolve the issue 
  • Cross-examine and identify the data from multiple verified sources 
  • Gather the intellect from multiple sources and revolutionize our understanding of the statistics
  • Properly cite our references

Data Interpretation:

The Information we present to you is derived from trusted sites. In the meeting of an intriguing ideology from a suspicious source, we have taken measures to cross-check the content listed with other reliable sources, such as government websites, scholarly articles, and well-known experts on the topic.  

Rather than directly copying down information from external sources, we accumulated the intelligence to foster the depth of our interpretation on the topic. This approach allows us to communicate prominent knowledge of the related scientific principles and thinking processes.     

 

Research

Research

 

Key Vocabulary

  • Habitable Zone: The orbital region around a star (in the centre) where conditions could allow liquid water; also referred to as the ‘Goldilocks Zone’
  • Terraforming: The process of modifying a planet’s environment to make it habitable for life to exist.
  • Quantum Computing (QC): A supercomputer using qubits (the basic unit of info in a QC) leveraging quantum mechanics for faster and deeper processing scales. 
  • Exoplanet: A planet outside the Milky Way.
  • Reusable Rockets: Rockets designed to return to Earth for reuse, reducing costs (e.g., SpaceX’s Starship).
  • ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization): Is the method of harnessing energy and natural resources in a local environment instead of taking it from Earth
  • Biodiversity: the variety of life in a given, environment, ecosystem, world, or habitat


 

Reasons to Colonize Celestial Bodies

Safehaven 

If catastrophic global adversity creates a significant negative impact on the Earth’s vitality, Mars could serve as a backup- an Earth 2.0 

Economy

This could spark new economic opportunities and give the chance for new industries to arise

  • Mining for rare minerals
  • Develop new forms of agriculture and sustainable living

Technological Advancements

Will drive innovation and discoveries in fields like medicine, engineering, and energy production

 

Cations in Mars 

  • Mars' soil contains a toxic and reactive substance known as perchlorate, which is harmful to many forms of life.
  • The thin atmosphere and the lack of a magnetic field make it vulnerable to collisions with interstellar asteroids. 
  • The lower gravity level could cause muscle atrophy, bone density loss, and bring up many other issues to the astronauts regarding their health.

 

 

Feasible Solutions:

  • Wearing proper equipment and growing plants using the process of hydroplaning, we could easily avoid interaction with the soil.
  • The construction of defense missiles could address the problem of external debris impacting Mars. To combat the radiation risk, humanity could establish habitats within large domes or entirely subterranean abodes.
  • Due to the significant difference in the gravity level, astronauts can participate frequent workout routines to maintain their physical wellbeing. 

The Role of QC on Humanities Mission

Enhancing Spacecraft Performance: 

  • Perfecting airborne vehicle trajectories 
  • Raising the bar and heightening the standard for modern propulsion systems
  • Assist in the invention of newer articles with more resistance to harsher conditions in space

Preparatory Simulations of Atmospheric and Geological Conditions of Exoplanets:

  • Through complex quantum systems, scientists can rationalize the reality of environmental conditions of planetary structures in and out of the Milky Way, deepening our knowledge and extending our limitations of the impossible regarding space exploration and biology

Aditional Uses 

  • Enhance Resource Management and use:
  • Quantum neural networks offer innovative solutions for classifying land cover, detecting cloud formations, and measuring ground motion. These capabilities enhance mission planning and logistics by providing critical data insights. Additionally, they can simulate the environmental conditions relevant to mining operations, facilitating more effective decision-making and operational strategies.

Terraforming Mars with Lasers

Our plan:

An ideal atmosphere would consist of: 

  • 21% oxygen
  • 79% nitrogen
  • 0.05% carbon dioxide
  • Average temperature of 14ºC
  • Under one bar of pressure

 

In the present, Mars contains a atmosphere which is far from being from an ideal atmosphere for human beings. Mars was once very similar to Earth having an oxygen-rich atmosphere and held countless bodies of water. Due to the Sun’s ultraviolet rays and solar wind, the water has been trapped beneath the surface and the oxygen along with the carbon dioxide has been confined in the Martian rocks.

Use of Lasers for Terraforming:

With futuristic technology enhanced with quantum computing, we can create a laser system to complete this process.

Solar-charged orbital lasers, combined with a sophisticated network of mirrors, are the most effective solution for rapidly terraforming the planet within a 50-year timeframe.

All the stored water on Mars will evaporate into water vapor, which will then condense into clouds and result in rainfall. This process will help remove harmful substances like chlorine.

As shallow oceans will soon arise, we can pave paths and shape large bodies of water like lakes, streams, and seas. 

 

 

Shipping Nitrogen from Titan:

Our next major process would be to import nitrogen into Mars’ atmosphere, as it otherwise would have an abundance of oxygen, still leaving it uninhabitable. 

Reintroducing Titan as part of the movement, we could take advantage of its major nitrogen supply and ship the resource Mars.

Powered by our lasers, we can construct automated factories upon Titan’s surface to absorb the gas in the atmosphere, compress the substance into a liquid which will finally be transported by a mass driver to Mars.

 

 

Finishing Touches:

We can gradually introduce phytoplankton into water systems and present plants that are native to volcanic areas. These plants will be placed in zones enriched with microorganisms to improve the soil and establish the foundation for new ecosystems. 

Lastly, to ensure the avoidance of solar wind and radiation from our Sun, we can position a large superconducting ring powered by nuclear facilities to act as an magnetic field for Mars.

By this stage, Mars’ transformation will finalized and ready for the first human colonies; this entire terraforming process could take anywhere from 100 to 250 years to put into place. 

 

Dome Eco-Systems:

 

Alternatively, instead of terraforming Mars in its entirety, we could adopt a targeted approach by focusing on specific plots of interest. This can serve as either a temporary solution or a permanent one until Mars is fully terraformed.

The concept involves creating domes or other structures that can maintain a stable environment by pumping in oxygen and other necessary gases. Within these domes, smaller living quarters can be built for people, alongside areas designated for farming and industrial activities.


  • To temporarily pump oxygen into the dome, a groundbreaking discovery known as MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) was deployed on the Perseverance rover. 
  • Its purpose was to separate oxygen molecules from carbon dioxide through an electrochemical process. The experiment was successful and operated throughout the Martian year. 
  • Although the amount of oxygen generated was small, if enough devices are used, we can produce enough oxygen to fill our domes. 
  • Additionally, by planting trees in the dome using hydroponics the oxygen cycle can begin. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants with water and nutrient solution instead soil, and since Mars’ soil isn't capable of growing plants it is perfect for this situation.  
  • Another efficent method of faming is aeroponics- nutrient mist sprayed on plant roots instead of using water based solutions or dirty soil.
  • Benefits of integrating these processes include: higher yields compared to traditional farming, easy maintenance, more sustainable use of resources, year-round cultivation oppurtunities, plants are less prone to disease, and heightened exposure to oxygen allowing for faster growth; more details and common issues have been addressed in our logbook. 
  • However, this will not serve as a permanent solution due to the limited availability of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While carbon dioxide makes up about 95 percent of the Martian atmosphere, it is very thin, so there isn’t an abundance of carbon dioxide available.


An Image of MOXIE device being placed into perseverance

 

Climate Change:

  • 2024 was the hottest year recorded in the history of our planet, this happened precisely due to the greenhouse effect.
    • The greenhouse effect occurs when energy and radiation from the Sun reaches Earth's atmosphere. A small amount of that energy is reflected back into space and the remaining stays within the atmosphere which traps heat 
    • The natural greenhouse effect is required for our planet to stay warm and for use to live. But it has been modified and prolonged by human nature causing rapid temperature increase(s) which can lead to catastrophes like mass floodings, frequent natural disasters, submerged land mass. 


 

  • Oceans can absorb 25%-30% of CO2 
    • Consequences attached → vast amounts of CO2 absorbed can lead to ocean acidification
    • Harm marine life, especially those who need calcium carbonate to build shells + skeletons like corals, mollusks, and few plankton species
    • Eliminating various creatures from the lower levels of the food chain creates a chain reaction, leading to a lack of food for creatures higher up the chain, gradually resulting in the decline of ocean life.




 

Solution:
 

Our emerging planet must be capable of providing resources for future generations, and Mars could serve as an essential supplier. With the projected global population expected to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050, Mars offers the necessary landmass and space to expand our civilization. If the various challenges facing our current world become overwhelming, Mars may serve as the much-needed sanctuary we seek.

 

In summary it solves:

  • Overpopulation  
  • Resource Scarcity  
  • Potential as Earth 2.0  


 

Additional Research Conducted:

Components of Mars atmosphere 

 

Current atmosphere elements of Mars:

  • 95 % Carbon Dioxide 
  • 2.5% Nitrogen 
  • 2% Argon
  • 0.17% Oxygen
  • 0.33% Other gases 
  • The majority of Mars’ atmosphere contains carbon dioxide which not ideal for a habitable planet for mankind. If humanity is interested in long-term stays, we must consider environmental adaptation processes like terraforming.

 

NASA and Space X's Plan to colonize Mars NASA and Space X's Plan to colonize Mars

 

  • 2016: 
  • Elon Musk establishes the designing of Starship
  •  The Russians successfully sent a probe to orbit Mars 
  • 2018: 
  • NASA’s InSight lander was sent to Mars to collect data of the environment and for mapping purposes
  • 2019: 
  • SpaceX’s fleet of ships would endure several simulations in an controlled environment similar to that of Mars; the construction of full-scale prototypes is conducted
  • 2021: 
  • NASA and China had both sent separate rovers to Mars
  • SpaceX had completed a high-altitude test flight and landing of the Starship prototype; was tasked by NASA to construct a lunar lander
  • 2028:
  • SpaceX will send a crew of astronauts to orbit the Moon and another unmanned spacecraft to the lunar south pole
  • Collaboration between Canadian, European, American and Japanese space programs will establish a space station to be used as a refueling point for future missions
  • 2030:
  • Two Starships will be sent carrying a nuclear power reactor and a atmospheric propellant plant 
  • NASA will retrieve its findings from it's sent instrument(s) to transport back to Earth

2032:

  •  Assemble a temporary human base on the Moon, allowing the astronauts to camp for long periods of time and conduct experiments and research
  • With the reclaimed findings, SpaceX will confirm the final area to set up the first human colony- Mars Base Alpha

2034: 

  • Multiple Starships will be sent with the necessary equipment to lay the foundation of Mars Base Alpha; rovers, solar panels, and mining robots will be transported upon the Starships

2038: 

  • The first humans accompanied with cargo spacecrafts will be sent to Mars; the cargo ships will be transporting an ISRU system with the capabilities to collect, process, store, and use materials found on Mars to replace construction supplies and propellants

 

Who are Nasa and SpaceX
 

  • NASA is a US-based government agency with the motive of exploring space and our beyond our universe. 
  • Founded in 1958, NASA has launched countless missions to study our home planet, and other celestial bodies. 
    • Perseverance NASA’s latest mission to Mars 
    • Apollo missions sent Humans to the Moon 
  • Voyager 1 the farthest man made object it was sent to explore extents of our solar 
  • Space X
  • SpaceX is a private aerospace manufacturing and research company founded by Elon Musk and aims to compose reusable space crafts with an ultimate goal of making humanity a multiplanetary civilization   
  • The spacecraft selected for the mission was SpaceX’s Starship due to its reusable design, payload capacity, and its ISRU system. 
  • To use as a waypoint, smaller side quests will completed on the Moon to establish a temporary camp (known as the Artemis mission)
  • Testing prototypes for Mars Base Alpha and studying effects of space on humans system and beyond

 

Celestial Body: Titan

 

Pros:

  • Thick atmosphere protects from radiation.
  • Subsurface bodies of water and organic dust may hold key ingredients for life.
  • Seasonal weather patterns offer insights into climate and atmospheric dynamics.
  • NASA’s Dragonfly mission in 2027 will explore Titan’s habitability potential.

Cons:

  • Extremely cold temperatures (-290°F/-179°C) + Low gravity (14% of Earth’s) causes powerful dust storms and large tides.
  • Limited sunlight due to its distance from the Sun.
  • 95% nitrogen & 5% methane atmosphere lacks oxygen, crucial for Earth-like life.
  • Methane-based conditions restrict Earth-like cell membrane formation.

 

Celestial Body: Proxima Centauri-B

Proxima Centauri-B is one of the exciting discoveries in recent times. Scientists say that is one of the most earth like planets ever discovered and is the closest to Earth. 

Pros:

  • It is supposedly earth like and scientists have detected earth like components which could support life 
  • This planet revolves around a red dwarf (star) which has a long lifespan (billions years) 

Cons:

  • It’s 4.24 light years from the Milky Way 
  • Due to its distance from Earth, we haven’t gathered much reliable information on the planet; no guarantee of survival and realistic conditions
  • Proxima Centauri B - AMAZEF

 

NOTE: ADDITIONAL IN-DEPTH RESEARCH CAN BE FOUND IN THE COMPRISING DOCUMENTS IN THE LOGBOOK

NOT ALL SOURCES LISTED WERE DIRECTLY RESEARCHED, SOME OF THEM HAD THE PURPOSE OF SIMPLY DEEPENING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PRESENTED TOPICS

 

 

 

 

Data

Graphs and Data 

 

Above is the current data on the atmospheric components of the respective planetary systems.

Statistics -  Earth vs. Mars

 

EARTH

MARS

GRAVITY

       1G

            0.371G

MOONS

      One

                Two

WATER

    Abundant

       Scarce (hidden)

TEMPERATURE

     13.85ºC

          -55.15ºC

DAY DURATION

    24 hours

     24 hours, 39 minutes and 35.244 seconds

 

Comparison between multiple factors of the environmental circumstances between Earth & Mars. Note: Mars has snow on its North and South Pole, similar to Earth as well as properties allowing for reintroduction of the water cycle to create sufficient water bodies. As mentioned in our presentation, '1G' represents the current gravity level we as humans experience on our Earth, on the same scale, humans and other various life forms on Mars would experience roughly 37%-38% of the gravity levels we experience on our home planet. Due to Mars being further from the Sun than our Earth, it is safe to state that respectively, Mars would be colder and dimmer (in terms of luminosity) than Earth, and therefore, the potential for solar energy (through solar panels) would also be significantly lower, highlighting the neccesity for humanity to explore other energy generation forms to sustain distant life on this celestial body. One huge benefit that Mars has compared to other researched planets is that it isn't tidally locked. For a planetary system to be tidally locked, one side of the surface always experiences day, and the opposite, eternal night and darkness; when dealing with tidally locked structures the only hope for colonization is to establish property and settlements on the dividor of the two eternal zones. 

 

 

Above is the projected amount of people we believe will travel to Mars; the first settlers will be of scientific profession likely having experience in biology, engineering, and medicine to establish foundations for future pioneers. Note: For the event that a major catasrophe impacts Earth in a negative manner making life unsuitbale for humanity (Ex. the conseuqences of Climate Change are irresolvable in terms of applicable human measures), the values in the chart are subject to change. 

 

The diagram above represents the minimum amount of life support resources and supply needed for humanity to thrive on Mars. We will gather oxygen from MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) to generate oxygen; the system generates 10 grams of oxygen in an hour . If we upscale and use multiple units per living quarter, we can gather enough oxygen for the growing population on Mars. If a long-term situation is desired, then we should look forward to the process of terraforming Mars with the ultilization of lasers, imported gases, and an artificial magnetic field as the major key components of this operation.

 

This is the amount of oxygen required per day proportionate to the amount of people with settlements or property on Mars; achieveable through enhanced and multiple variations of NASA's MOXIE oxygen generation system. The above graph would not apply in the case that the scientific community chooses to pursue the long-term process of terraforming Mars, as the atmosphere would contain of a large supply accomadating for the neccesary amount of oxygen needed to support life, similar to our current Earth-like conditions. 

Conclusion

Since the birth of mankind, our passion always lied in the stars of the night sky before us, our curiosity met with our strong will and determination is what has led us to our present innovations, discoveries, and realities. With the rapid advancements in technology, especially since the late 20th century, we have made significant advancements in many fields of science including astronomy, biology, and medicine. Recent advancements like the boom in quantum physics and computing will enable us to open and explore multiple verisimilitude we could have never imagined before. As of now, we haven’t seemed to uncover any visible planet similar and with the current capabilities of sustaining life with ideal conditions, only highlighting the uniqueness of our home planet we call Earth. We shouldn’t take uncalculated measures and risks unnecessarily considering the drastic environment we would have to adapt to; preserving Earth should become a heightened priority.  

 

Future Considerations:

  • Meeting with and grabbing the perspectives of multiple professionalized individuals with experience and direct relations with companies or programs associated with Space exploration (Ex. To name a few: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Space X)
    • Although not as informative or beneficial compared to the previous suggestion, we could have taken the measure to interview people of the public and their opinion on the necessity of inhabiting Mars
  • While presenting our research project, the slides should be more brief as the majority of the explanations should be spoken aloud while evaluating and examining the selected topic currently viewed by our audience
  • Integrate more developed data graphs allowing the enhancement of the connections between our real-world situation (present) and our scientific forthcoming aspirations 

 

 

Citations

Our Listed Referential Citations:

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgments:

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the following individuals for their invaluable support and guidance:

- Angela Grammtikos, our Humanities teacher at Fairview School, for her insightful advice, mentorship, and diverse perspectives regarding our research project.
- Robert DeGelder and Jennifer Shoults, our Science and Math teachers and members of the Science Fair team, for their assistance and clarification regarding the Science Fair outline, registration, and submission process.
- Our parents, peers, and other students in the class who have provided us with constructive feedback on our work.

The collective contributions of these individuals have been instrumental in our Science Fair journey, enabling us to present a project of high quality. We greatly appreciate their mentorship and support.