Space Station

Space Station

A WebQuest for Biology

Debbie Massengill

Due to overpopulation, global warming, and other environmental problems, the US government has decided to choose a team of scientists to plan a habitat for humans on Mars. You and your team decide that you want to be considered for this multi-billion dollar project so you decide to come up with an ecosystem. NASA says that the habitat can either be enclosed or on Mar’s surface. The habitat should be able to support at least 100 people comfortably. Everything in this system should be self-sustaining since NASA would only be able to provide small shipments once every year and large items only every ten years due to cost. The team needs to consider ecological concerns as well as health concerns. NASA will only choose a project that would give the inhabitants the best quality of life.

The Task

Each person on your team will be assigned a job. Each job will need to research their component of the project , and then the team will have to work together to design the habitat.

Job Descriptions:

Nutritionist /Farmer: It is your job to decide what the people’s diet will be. You need to consider nutritional requirements as well as energy needs. You will be in charge of deciding what plants and animals to have on the farm. You need to be careful not to mess up the carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle, but to try to increase the amount of oxygen and decrease the amount of carbon dioxide. Also consider soil, food, and water needs of the organisms picked.

Ecologist: It is your job to decide what biomes to put in your ecosystem. You also need to look at the carbon dioxide and water cycle and need to choose biomes that will help regulate all cycles. You also need to consider waste disposal as well as purification methods.

Scientists/Weather Man: Your job is to control the cycling of all of the necessary elements. You also need to decide how to regulate the climate in your ecosystem. This can be achieved by manipulating the cycles. Along with cycles, you also need to worry about your ecosystems energy needs.

Manager/ Designer: Your job is to coordinate all of the actions of the other three workers so that no one’s actions can mess up another’s. You also need to worry about the design and placement of your ecosystem. This involves researching the differences between Mars and Earth in order to correctly regulate the design.

The Process

First you'll be assigned to a team of 4 students
Once you've picked a role to play ,research as much as possible for that role.
Have your team meet and decide where your station will be and whether or not it will be enclosed.
Make a group decision on foods that they want to eat and biomes that they want. Then do research on the nutritional value of each food item.(nutritionist) Look at the space and nutrient requirements needed to grow each food and make sure that they are good choices.(scientist and manager) Look for the environmental effects of growing each type of food. ( scientist and ecologist)
Have the team decide on the biomes and then research what is in each biome that will help cycle nutrients, provide food, and help with the quality of life on Mars.