Living on Mars as a Future Reality

VISUAL REPORT INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATION PROJECT

LIVING ON MARS AS A FUTURE REALITY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT A research project aiming to approach the next future alternative reality through examining Martian Architecture. Which would take place in the coming 40 years. In parallel, to comprehend our current living scope on Earth as a new opportunity for humanity to have a new beginning and a living alternative.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT WHY MARS?

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW MARS EARTH TIMELINE HOW?

CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDIES

SITE ANALYSIS CHAPTER 4 PROGRAM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND DRIVERS CONCEPTUAL EXPERIMENTATION AND DEVELOPMENT

REFERENCES APPENDIX

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACT During the past years, a tremendous amount of research and investment have been casting our knowledge of exploring space and Mars in particular. Why Mars? Recent studies of the Red Planet have shown intriguing potential and uncovered the possibility of inviting the life of humans to Mars. Therefore, the concept of having a Planet B now is clearer than it has ever been. Since these ventures are no longer considered Sci-Fi, this idea is becoming a global scheme where governments and enormous private enterprises like NASA, ESA, SpaceX, BIG, and a lot more are collaborating and sometimes competing to achieve.

FIGURE 1.1 : MARS FUTURE VISIONS

In parallel, life on Earth in the past decades has been experiencing an immense of major downfalls environmentally like climate change and in humanity practices like WWI, WWII and many other crises. Moreover, scientific studies have evidently proved that life on Earth is facing the danger of extinction in the future. That being the case, Mars as plan B is rendered as a realistic future.

One of the many necessary factors for the Mars Project is to work out the Architecture that will sustain itself and provide new solutions to maintain life requirements.

There are many visions for how the architecture would first be like. However, these visions almost agree it would start with a city that would host around 100 people by 2050. This united vision has led the world to create a plentiful amount of trials and proposals simulating and foreseeing the architecture of this leaping city where this research in turn aims to examine such an outcome.

WHY MARS ?

Centuries ago, Mars has been renowned to humans as the Red Planet. Two hundred years ago Mars was claimed as the most Earth-like planet that could harbor life.

(Murray, Malin and Greeley, 1981) During the last century, the dream of Multi-planetary species became a reality, and the impressions of the public intellect about Mars have been changed throughout the first glimpse at Mars by Mariner 4. However, when that first picture of mars was published in 1965, the New York Times editorial wrote “Mars is uninteresting, it’s a dead world, NASA should not spend any time or effort studying Mars anymore” But fortunately as Joel Lavine explained, NASA knew better. Hence, they continued their extensive study of the Red Planet. (TEDX NASA, 2009)

FIGURE 1.2 : MARS FACTS COMPARED TO EARTH.

“I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go to space� (Hawking, 2016) There are numerous scientific advances potentials that lie in exploring Mars. Comparatively, Earth is affected heavily by tremendous environmental and geological changes like catastrophic climate change and unexpected future natural disasters.

What is worth mentioning here is Earth and Mars have similar geological features, so what happens on Earth Could happen on Mars and vice versa. Furthermore, the man-made crises either political, economical or contributing to global warming, which often have disastrous results like wars are indeed a valid reason for humanity to think beyond our current planet away from these conflicts and incepting a new beginning for the human race. This evolution cannot be achieved without being up there studying Mars.

FIGURE 1.3 : MARS EARTH ATMOSPHERES

Research has shown that Mars was geologically like Earth billions of years ago, meaning it had an Atmosphere and contained oceans, seas and rivers. (TEDX Talks, 2015) The characteristics of the surface geod proved it has water, oxygen and many elements including carbon and iron. But there have been changes over time that have led life on Mars to its end. But the most important question is: Could what happened on Mars happen on Earth? And what happened millions of years ago for dinosaurs happen in the future and eradicate humanity? The answer is yes. The possibility of living on another planet reduces the possibility of having humanity extinct.

In 2014 Ban Ki-moon, the director of the United Nations declared strictly in a release that we need to take action towards climate change because there is no plan B. “Now if the existence of a Plan B causes people to be less diligent about saving this planet that would be a terrible tragedy. But is it is a far greater tragedy if humanity disappeared altogether.� (Romeo, 2015) That is why Mars is considered as a Planet B.

FIGURE 1.4 : MARS MILLION YEARS AGO.

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

MARS EARTH TIMELINE In this part we will review the timeline for the main events that’s happened to Mars parallel to Earth. Showing the changing nature of Mars throughout the exploring expeditions and indicating the changes that occurred on Earth around the each time period.

FIGURE 2.1 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (MILLION YEARS AGO TO 18000 YEARS AGO)

FIGURE 2.2 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (1960-2000)

In 1965 the first close photo of Mars was taken by Mariner 4. Mariner 4 is the first successful spacecraft to fly by Mars, passing within 9,844 kilometers of Mars. The pictures showed that Mars was just a bigger replica of the Moon, where in fact, it is not. It turned out to have a new topographic form unrelated and different from the Moon’s. (Murray, Malin and Greeley, 1981) At the same period, Earth was witnessing the horrific and fierce Vietnam War which followed the miserable and disastrous WWI and WWII where millions of people were killed.

When the first human landed on the Moon by the end of 1969, thousands of people were being killed in the Vietnam war. However, this unprecedented event has increased people’s interest in space. Thence, space travel to Mars became closer to reality. Two years later, the first landing on mars was carried out by the Soviet Union in 1971. In November the same year, Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to go into orbit circulating the red planet. However, excitement for its arrival was subdued by a large dust storm that covered the whole planet. In this year the oil crisis in the Middle East occurred.

By the end of Vietnam war, the NASA mission viking 1 entered Mars orbits and began taking pictures and discovering the best places to land. Then, another successful Mars landing took place on July 20, 1976,and the result was to obtain the first chemical analysis for Mars surface.

In 1988 the spacecraft Phobos 2 was designed to orbit Mars and land a “hopper” and a lander on the surface of Mars. The spacecraft successfully went into orbit and began sending back preliminary data but in 1989 the mission was lost. In the same year the catastrophic nuclear accident occurred in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

The first Mars Rover was called the Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor in 1996 was the first successful completed mars orbiter since the Viking 1 after many failed missions. In the same year thousands have been killed through floods in Africa and India in addition to Epidemics in West Africa.

FIGURE 2.3 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (2011-FUTURE)

FIGURE 2.4 : MARS TRRAFORMING 1000 YEARS LATER.

To sum up, Earth and Mars have many common characteristics that in turn made Mars our focus of study and approach, which sets the need to explore it as a new beginning for architecture by taking the necessary expertise from the ground and being open to new conditions and solutions. In which, the remaining question is: How to proceed in this venture?

In 2001- 2003 Mars Express and Mars Exploration Rover Spirit was the second Mars rover that still exploring Mars surface until now. On the other side of our blue planet there was significant accidents happening like: The Trade center Act in Manhattan, Al-Intifada II in Palestine, Iraq war, India earthquake, 6.6 earthquake devastated the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, 31,000 people were killed and over 10,000 injured,. etc.

(Timelines.ws, 2018) On Mars surface between 2005-2007 a new mission Phoenix landed successfully using rocket propelled landing technique that uses the jetpacks. Where in 2004 the most powerful earthquake occurred in the Indian ocean that killed 230,000 people and one of the worst hurricanes Katrina hit the Gulf Coast near Buras, La. In November 2009 a photo for frozen water in crater has been taken. By 2011 the earthquakes Haiti and Tsunami struck leaving disastrous effects.

HOW ?

One of the first serious attempts that speculated life on Mars after scientific research was called ‘Das Marsprojekt’ by the German scientist Wernher von Braun in 1948. In this book, Braun describes in details how to build and run space rockets that will take us to Mars. His book was considered in the sixties as the master plan that Apollo Astronauts used to reach the Moon. (Von Braun, 1948) In Stephen Petranek’s book “How We’ll Live on Mars”, it almost seems as a realization effort of Braun’s Mars Project written in seventy pages. (Petranek, 2015) Where in the works of the 1971 born Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, it is clear that Braun project was his base inspiration where at this stage, Braun’s project is being implemented within the efforts and investment of SpaceX. (Romeo, 2015)

Life essentials like water, food, clothing, and oxygen are not why people cannot get to Mars. We have brilliant, relatively low-tech machines that can reliably make all the oxygen and water we need. The space station has shown that you can put astronauts in space for a long period of time. Ten years ago people thought nobody could survive a year in space in a weightless environment. Where now, astronauts do spend longer periods in space. (Romeo, 2015)

The only remaining significant problem is solar radiation. A technical solution would be shielding the structures on Mars with metal or water. Other suggest that architects should bring the caves in mars to use, since a six feet underground space is considered a safe radiation spot. However, scientists and architects are still wary in that matter, since radiation on mars could be fatal to humans after one minute of exposure.

FIGURE 2.5 : ECOSYSTEM MANAGMENT.

Multiple solutions have been introduced to deal with the ultra violet radiations.

A perfect way to convert Mars into an Earth-like environment is to thicken up the existing atmosphere and obtaining the greenhouse effect that reflects harmful radiations. To achieve that, it is needed to release the ice water and CO2 by heating up the poles using solar mirrors, then plants would provide oxygen and diminish CO2, so by then, one would walk outside with no suite. This process is called Terraforming Mars or as J.Lavine likes to call it “Planetary Engineering Mars”. (TEDX Talks, 2015) yet, such a process may take ten centuries to achieve.

As for the soon future, Martians “multi-planetary species” can live in an indoor environment. That is why architects have started to think about the first city going to be formed on Mars in the first stages of colonizing Mars. Living indoor should not be a problem for the humans of this generation because “According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors.

87% of their life is indoors, then another 6% of their life in automobiles.” (SnowBrains, 2018) This study came to reassure architects that people will coop physically and psychologically with totally indoor living spaces on Mars.

A lot of people compare colonizing Mars to Discovering America. So, N.Romeo writes “One hundred and two people came over to America on the Mayflower. Only 20 years later there were 30,000 Europeans in the Americas. It went from a few ships to 700 ships a month within 20 years. The size of colonies on Mars will also grow quickly.�(Romeo, 2015) No one agrees with this more than E.Musk who estimates getting one million people on Mars by the end of this century, where a one-way ticket to go to Mars around 2034 would cost about $400,000. This gives an indication of the timeline of the expected population in the future and what type of city would be needed to accommodate their needs.

FIGURE 2.6 : BUILDINGS TECHNOLOGY.

But first, it is needed to learn from previous architectural proposals and case studies like the concepts that SpaceX is working on and another example would be the work of BIG architectural office in designing the first Mars colony and its model in Dubai, also the recent works of Foster+Partners Architectural office in simulating robots to build on mars. The research and experimentation carried out by Nader Khalili. 3D printing robots and other related design competitions that have really interesting and creative solutions for life on Mars. All this is expected to form a vision for Mars first city and lead to start forming a program for the city with a concept through scientific analysis with creative architectural practice.

CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDIES

CASE 1 MARS SCIENCE CITY

FIGURE 3.1 : MARS SCIENCE CITY IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (BIG ARCHITECTS).

In this case it is clear that BIG architects group have took an approach to revive vernacular architecture in modern techniques. The projects is aiming at the year 2117 to begin construction on Mars. However, a simulation model is being constructed in the UAE.

FIGURE 3.2 : BUILDING TECHNIQUES IN MARS.

As a start, Martian architecture would not have the support of modern industries and complicated building techniques. Hence, the existing materials on Mars are considered the base for constructing vernacual habitats.

FIGURE 3.3 : EXISTING MATERIALS ON MARS.

The environmentless condition of Mars have pushed architects to engineer a new man-made ecosystem in order to be habitable, especially to respond to the high radiation levels.

FIGURE 3.4 : MAN MADE ECOSYSTEM TO BE SELF SUSTAINED IN MARS.

FIGURE 3.5 : BUILDING TECHNOLOGY ON MARS TO BE COMFORTABLE TO LIVE.

To live in an enclosed envirnoment protected from radiation an interior lifestyle was introduced.

FIGURE 3.6 : HYBRID MODULE BY BIG ARCHITECTS.

FIGURE 3.7 : HI-SEAS PROJECT/ HAWAII.

CASE 2 HI - SEAS PROGRAM

The University of Hawaii has been recently known for this program which sets a successful model on earth in experiencing Mars life conditions. Located in the Mauna Loa side of Hawaii gives the researchers similar working environment and climate.

However, this case is considered the best way to predict and experiment human and social behaviours living in such conditions.

Where in this model participants are not allowed to leave the habitat. Phone calls are also prohibited.

Each misssion has six Astronauts. A very good idea have been formed over the past six years on what type of research can be done and how much effort does it need per person.

STAGE 1 ARRIVAL OF ROBOTS CASE 3 MARS HABITAT FOSTER + PARTNERS have previously worked on projects in extreme environments and extra-terrestrial locations.

This design has won the prize NASA presented for 3D printing projects on Mars. The reason lies in the multiple design considerations that were taken along the whole process.

The process consists of “an array of pre-programmed, semi-autonomous robots prior to the eventual arrival of the astronauts.” knowing that the model would fit four persons as a start.

STAGE 2 ARRIVAL OF INFLATABLE MODULES

STAGE 3 ARRIVAL OF ASTRONAUTS

FIGURE 3.8 : MARS HABITAT BY FOSTER + PARTENER

SITE ANALYSIS

In the case of this project it is needed to go beyond the macro scale analysis to jump to the planet analysis in order to create a zoomable scope of information about the site selected for the first landing and city installment. Since the sixties space agencies has been gathering information about the red planet. This has indeed affected their knowledge of the planet and modified their perspectives in terms of next landing sites and possibilities.

Mars Offers: Carbon Oxygen Frozen Water Metallic Recourses Daylight Cycle Safe for Plants Solar Energy Wind Energy Geothermal Energy

Summary of the life essentials on Mars.

Disadvantages:

Radiation Pressure Temperature Breathable Air Ready to use Water

FIGURE 3.9 : THE ESSENTIALS OF MARS.

Radiation is considered the most critical factor to consider when designing an operational ecosystem and a livable environment on Mars.

FIGURE 3.10 : PHOTO FOR THE EARTH SUNSET FROM SPACE.

The Blue Planet has a Red Sunset

FIGURE 3.11 : PHOTO FOR THE EARTH SUNSET FROM GROUND.

FIGURE 3.12 : PHOTO FOR THE MARS SUNSET FROM SPACE.

The Red Planet has a Blue Sunset

FIGURE 3.13 : PHOTO FOR THE MARS SUNSET FROM GROUND.

Where would we go on Mars?

40 degrees

Equator

FIGURE 3.14 : MARS HABITABLE ZONES.

It is evident now that the northern hemisphere of Mars is more habitable since any place above 40 degrees or less than the Equator is rendered too cold or too dark.

So this creates a band of interest that in fact most landings were within this band.

There are some extra drivers to pick a better region. For example, it is more suitable to pick a low altitude region to obtain maximum pressure and increase the possibility of finding frozen water. There are more advantages for lower altitudes such as finding geothermic pools and avoiding duststorms. Moreover, a flat region would be better for the accessibility of the robots and humans where it could be a perfect foundation for a martian base especially when locating the bedrock.

40 degrees

Equator

40 degrees

Equator

40 degrees

Equator

FIGURE 3.15 : MARS MAIN FEATURES AND TOPOGRAPHY.

FIGURE 3.16 : INTERESTING SITES ON MARTIAN SURFACE.

40 degrees

Equator

Possible Landing sites and explored areas by Mars Rovers

Interesting areas for research and of rich values

40 degrees

Equator

Levels:

0 km

-2 km

-4 km

The topographical map above shows an evidently interesting area, in which it clearly shows that there has been rivers pouring into the ocean (the blueish area).

The strategic significance of this area is the coast line between the green bedrock area and the blue vast smooth area which is clear from cosmic impacts. The site selected should have relatively close distances from these features in order to allow researchers to reach such places. Altitude is also considered best in these areas since it provides maximum pressure and temperature.

It is worth mentioning that there exists places on earth that are very much Mars-like environments.

Antarticas Upper dry Valleys are considered a similar case to Mars in terms of its water sacracity since any drop of water there is frozen. Wadi rum is the most similar place in terms of the environment forms and accessablity. Moreover, the Atakama desert is considered the driest place on earth and have scattered rocks on its surface. To Sum up, some of the site and environmental aspects can be understood and analysed on Earth.

FIGURE 3.17 : Antarctica Upper Dry Valleys

FIGURE 3.18 : Wadi rum Jordan

FIGURE 3.19 : Atakama Desert Northern Chile

CHAPTER 4

PROGRAM

our vision based on sending 100 person to mars through build first completed city on martian surface the program will be on stages to be completed and the areas needed for 100 person on earth as western europe 150 m2 for each person but on mars half of this area needed 75 m2 for each person so the total area for 100 person is 7500.

ON EARTH

ON MARS

75 M2 / PERSON

the functions chosed by defining the jobs for 100 person like researchers, scientist,... ect . the common functions between them like homes and living speces will be the first stage in construction the second step will be the technecal and production part then the social space

HOUSING PRODUCTION

TECHNECAL

SOCIAL SPACE

WORK

EXPLORING

BUBBLE DIAGRAM

REFERENCES

SnowBrains. (2018). Brain Post: How Much Time Does the Average American Spend Outdoors?. [online] Available at: https://snowbrains.com/brain-post-much-time-average-american-spend-outdoors/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Hawking, S. (2016). I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go to space. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/26/i-think-the-human-race-has-no-future-if-it-doesnt-go-tospace [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Murray, B., Malin, M. and Greeley, R. (1981). Earthlike planets. 1st ed. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman, pp.36-37.

Planetary.org. (2018). Missions to Mars. [online] Available at: http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/ space-missions/missions-to-mars.html [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. (2018). NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. [online] Available at: https://mars.nasa. gov/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Pearson, T. (2018). What Happened in 2003 inc. Pop Culture, Prices and Events. [online] Thepeoplehistory.com. Available at: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/2003.html [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Petranek, S. (2015). How we’ll live on Mars. TED Books.

Romeo, N. (2015). How We’ll Live on Mars. [Blog] Daily Beast. Available at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-welllive-on-mars [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Tech Insider (2018). NASA Got People To Live On A Fake Mars For 8 Months. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8EwL2_WmD4 [Accessed 3 Nov. 2018].

Tech Insider (2017). Watch Elon Musk Reveal SpaceX’s Most Detailed Plans To Colonize Mars. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSv0Y7qrzQM [Accessed 3 Nov. 2018].

TEDX NASA (2009). Why we need to go back to Mars. [video] Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/joel_levine?language=en#t-955145 [Accessed 3 Nov. 2018].

TEDX Talks (2015). The Exploration and Colonization of Mars: Why Mars? Why Humans? | Dr. Joel Levine | TEDxRVA. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzhSmnGcSkE [Accessed 3 Nov. 2018].

Timelines.ws. (2018). Timeline Disasters and Tragedies. [online] Available at: https://timelines.ws/subjects/Disasters.

HTML [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].

Von Braun, W. (1948). [Das Marsprojekt.] The Mars Project. 1st ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

APPENDIX

FIGURE 1.1 : MARS FUTURE VISIONS. FIGURE 1.2 : MARS FACTS COMPARED TO EARTH. FIGURE 1.4 : MARS MILLION YEARS AGO. FIGURE 2.1 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (MILLION YEARS AGO TO 18000 YEARS AGO) FIGURE 2.2 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (1960-2000) FIGURE 2.3 : MARS-EARTH TIMELINE. (2011-FUTURE) FIGURE 2.4 : MARS TRRAFORMING 1000 YEARS LATER. FIGURE 2.5 : ECOSYSTEM MANAGMENT. FIGURE 2.6 : BUILDINGS TECHNOLOGY. FIGURE 3.1 : MARS SCIENCE CITY IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (BIG ARCHITECTS).

FIGURE 3.2 : BUILDING TECHNIQUES IN MARS. FIGURE 3.3 : EXISTING MATERIALS ON MARS. FIGURE 3.4 : MAN MADE ECOSYSTEM TO BE SELF SUSTAINED IN MARS. FIGURE 3.5 : BUILDING TECHNOLOGY ON MARS TO BE COMFORTABLE TO LIVE. FIGURE 3.6 : HYBRID MODULE BY BIG ARCHITECTS. FIGURE 3.7 : HI-SEAS PROJECT/ HAWAII. FIGURE 3.8 : MARS HABITAT BY FOSTER + PARTENER FIGURE 3.9 : THE ESSENTIALS OF MARS. FIGURE 3.10 : PHOTO FOR THE EARTH SUNSET FROM SPACE. FIGURE 3.11 : PHOTO FOR THE EARTH SUNSET FROM GROUND. FIGURE 3.12 : PHOTO FOR THE MARS SUNSET FROM SPACE. FIGURE 3.13 : PHOTO FOR THE MARS SUNSET FROM GROUND. FIGURE 3.14 : MARS HABITABLE ZONES. FIGURE 3.15 : MARS MAIN FEATURES AND TOPOGRAPHY. FIGURE 3.16 : INTERESTING SITES ON MARTIAN SURFACE. FIGURE 3.17 : ANTARCTICA UPPER DRY VALLEYS FIGURE 3.18 : WADI RUM JORDAN FIGURE 3.19 : ATAKAMA DESERT NORTHERN CHILE