OPENING QUESTION: We humans here on Earth are born and live our lives in an environment where we constantly & consistently experience air pressure of 14.7 lbs per every square inch of our body.

Where does that pressure come from?

Why don't we notice it (Or do we?)

LEARNING GOAL: The surface of Mars is much more hostile than it might appear. In fact, if you were walking around in your jeans and a t-shirt your blood would *ahem* boil away <that would be bad>

Inquire of your most gracious and humble study person as to why your blood would boil on Mars without an appropriate space suit?

WORDS O' THE DAY:

CALENDAR:

 

WORK O' THE DAY

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You may recall that I've mentioned this a time or two:

Your blood would boil because there isn't enough air pressure to keep your blood/plasma molecules close enough together to form a liquid. Without that pressure, the blood/plasma molecules would drift away from each other and *poof* you have a gas.... instant boiling blood. *yeeeccccccchhhhhh*

That means we've got to have some sort of protective suit to wear on Mars... which is easier said than done!

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♦ SpaceSuit Investigations: Why would we need a space suit on Mars?

Do a quick search for actual photos from the surface of Mars

• Atmosphere (or lack there of)
• Temperature (think: Antarctica)
• Dust (powdered sugar sized grains of sand that will get into everything)

→ Analysis: Compare & Contrast

• Consider this image of the spacesuit used by our hero in the movie The Martian on the surface of Mars:

 

The costume designers worked closely with NASA engineers to develop that costume.

It might interest you to know that we haven't actually been able to develop such a suit (yet)... Although we're getting close.

Take a moment to jot down some notes about the design features that you see there

Let's discuss!

Now take a look at THIS Moon Suit used by NASA Astronauts since the Apollo days (with a few refinements along the way)

Let's take a quick look at what goes into making a Space Suit

But WAIT -- That doesn't do anything to help with the muscle loss and bone loss that comes from living in 1/3 gravity that we'll experience on MARS

It turns out that there are engineers around the world (and ESPECIALLY with NASA) who are working to develop a true 'suit' that we would wear on Mars (just for walking around/living that would help reduce that bone/muscle loss)

What do you notice about that suit?

 

→ Watch THIS Spacesuit Analysis TED Talk by MIT Aerospace Biomedical Engineer Dava Newman (yup, that's all... just WATCH it)

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Here is the FIRST PART of the "My Room on Mars" project