ODE TO LIFE

ODE TO LIFE “Extinction is the rule; survival is the exception” Carl Sagan

Life is rare in the universe.

It took billions of years to evolve and take the form it took today on planet Earth. This is a process that still continues. Yet, we did not discover the “life” as we know it, anywhere else in the universe.

On the other hand, as a species, we, “Homo Sapiens”, are destroying the vast biodiversity on Earth. While talking about colonizing other celestial bodies for the survival of our species, we tend to forget that our very survival depends on the survival of the biodiversity of our planet.

During its 4,5 billion years’ history, the planet Earth has faced five massive extinctions. These extinctions have wiped out millions of species. We may argue that we are on the process creating a sixth extinction by ourselves. There are about 1,75 million species on the planet Earth (UNEP 1995). This number however decreases every year. Mankind is using the Earth’s resources 1.3 times faster than the planet is able to provide them (WWF). So it is inevitable that at this rate, while destroying the biodiversity, we will be destroying ourselves before even ensuring our survival on another planet or moon.

The justification for our own survival is being argued for decades. The most common reasoning is the vulnerability of our planet against the asteroids or some “outer forces” that we would not be able to escape. Therefore, based on our concern about the biodiversity above, these questions arise here:

What if we focus on the survival of life itself, elsewhere?

What about sending a portion of Earth’s biomass to outer space, creating an environment that would ensure their survival along with ours? How about we pay our dues to the environment we destroy on earth? How about thinking about a Noah’s ark in space?

Ode To Life is a research / science city that is made to honor, contain and protect « life ».

Ode To Life aims to be a system to observe the evolution of life in an extraterrestrial environment. It is to ensure that in the worst case scenario for the planet Earth, the « life of Earth » will continue to evolve elsewhere.

Ode To Life is an architectural « organism » that adapts itself to its environment.

It has a differential growth mechanism that is operated by « digger robots », that are connected to its main brain zone. The growth is programmed to be executed in 3 phases.

Biodiversity and biomass on the planet Earth Arthropods 1 billion tonnes carbon 42% of animal biomass

Annelids

450 Gt C (billion tonnes carbon) 82.4% of total biomass

0.2 billion tonnes carbon 8% of animal biomass

Bacteria

Molluscs

70 Gt C 12.8% of total biomass

0.2 billion tonnes carbon 8% of animal biomass

12 Gt C 2.2% of total biomass

Archaea 8 Gt C (billion tonnes carbon) 1.5% of total biomass

Animal

ANIMAL BIOMASS

Fungi

2 billion tonnes of carbon (0.4% of total biomass)

Plants

Cnidarians 0.1 billion tonnes carbon 4% of animal biomass

Humans 0.06 billion tonnes carbon 2.5% of animal biomass // 0.01% of total biomass

Wild Mammals 0.007 billion tonnes carbon 0.3% of animal biomass

2 Gt C (billion tonnes carbon) 0.4% of total biomass

Wild Birds 0.002 billion tonnes carbon 0.08% of animal biomass

Virus

Nematods

0.2 Gt C (billion tonnes carbon) 0.04% of total biomass

0.02 billion tonnes carbon 0.8% of animal biomass

Protista

Livestock

4 Gt C (billion tonnes carbon) 0.7% of total biomass

0.1 billion tonnes carbon 4% of animal biomass

Fish 0.7 billion tonnes carbon 29% of animal biomass

With these summary graphics of Earth’s biomass, we try to illustrate how it is distributed between taxa (the taxonomic group of organisms).

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This summary is based on the findings of research by Bar-On, Phillips & Milo published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).1 The following informations make the basis of the artificial ecosystems of Ode To Life.

1 2

// Plants (mainly trees) dominate life on Earth: they account for more than 82% of biomass; // In second place is the life we cannot see: tiny bacteria sum up to 13%; // Whilst our perceptions are often focused on the animal kingdom, it accounts for only 0.4%; // Humans account for just 0.01% of biomass, yet with a huge impact on the rest of the biomass. 2

Bar-On, Y. M., Phillips, R., & Milo, R. (2018). The biomass distribution on Earth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201711842. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/115/25/6506 Ritchie, Hannah, Humans make up just 0.01% of Earth’s life – what’s the rest?, 2019, https://ourworldindata.org/life-on-earth

Phase 1 // Arrival

Phase 2 // Developement

Phase 3 // Evolution

Duration: 10 years

Duration: 50 years

Duration: Not defined

Number of Scientists: 4

Number of Scientists: 20

Number of Scientists: ~50

Samples of Life Forms: Prokaryotes, Extremophile Annelids, Single cell Eukaryotes, Simple plantae, Fungi

Samples of Life Forms: Protista, Cnidarians, Arthropods, Fish, Nematodes, Mollusks, Complex Plantae

Samples of Life Forms: Livestock, Wild Mammals, Wild Birds.

Number of Flights: Not defined

Number of Flights: Approximately 5 Cargos Consists of: Drilling robot, inflatable structures, polymers for ISRU 3D printing.

Number of Flights: Approximately 10

Cargos Consists of: Inflatable structures, polymers for ISRU 3D printing

Cargos Consists of: Drilling robots, inflatable structures, polymers for ISRU 3D printing

Required Program:

// Habitats for Scientists: Common living areas, Private areas, Sanitary areas, Eating areas, Pressure rooms, Emergency exits.

Required Program:

// Laboratories: Astrobiology Lab, Chemistry Lab, Observation rooms.

// Laboratories: Astrobiology Lab, Chemistry Lab

// Laboratories: Astrobiology Lab, Chemistry Lab, Observation rooms.

// Ecosystem Chamber 1: A controlled environment for the survival of selected species.

// Ecosystem Chamber 2 and 3: Controlled environments for the survival of selected species

// Genome Library Chamber 1

// Genome Library Chambers 2 and 3

Required Program:

// Habitats for Scientists

// Habitats for Scientists

// Artificial Ecosystem zones: Controlled environments where selected species are mixed in order to create artificial ecosystems that evolve by themselves.

The space-time line // Differential growth is a type of bio mechanism that describes surface growth at different rates in different zones. Some plants for instance, while growing towards light, may expand faster on one side than the other. // Ode To Life imitates biomechanics of leaf venations.

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

// Like auxin canalizations, Digger robots scanPHASE the chosen implantation zone to PHASE 1 flux PHASE 1 2 PHASE 2 - Arrival of the "digger" find the light rich zones and frozen water areas.

PHASE 3 PHASE 3

- Arrival of the "digger" - Arrival of the "digger"

// The robots then dig the soil and create a troglodytic city under the lunar surface, by forming a leaf-like circulation net.

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

- Arrival of the "digger"

Phase 1 : The Arrival

Phase 2 : The Development

[Microscopic Ecosystems]

[Basic Ecosystems]

Main Tunnel

Habitats Habitats

Habitats

Habitats Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Ecosystems Laboratories

Ecosystems Laboratories

Laboratories Genome and Seed Library

Laboratories Genome and Seed Library

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Genome and Seed Genome Library and Seed Library GSPublisherVersion 0.3.100.100

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Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

[Complex Ecosystems] Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel Main Tunnel

Phase 3 : The Evolution Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

Main Tunnel

Why Moon? // “The first site for OTL is The Moon. With its proximity to Earth, the Moon is a perfect starting point for setting sails to other celestial bodies.

The proximity can be advantageous for cargo missions, as well as for emergency situations. // The Moon’s physical conditions are very different from those of Earth. // The low gravity, the lack of an atmosphere , the vulnerability with the meteorites and radiation makes it an obligation to re- think the architectural and design elements on the Moon.

North Pole of the Moon // Peary Crater site

Peary Crater site // Peaks of Eternal Light

// The circadian cycle, which is vital for all living beings on Earth, is also an important element to take into consideration. // For these reasons, the system of OTL is about the creation of a troglodytic ensemble, situated inside of the Peary Crater on the North Pole of the Moon. // Peary Crater is one of the craters that has proximity to the ice water reserves and the « peaks of eternal light ». // A peak of eternal light (PEL) is a part of a celestial body that receives continuous sunlight. Lunar poles have numerous PELs. // Having continuous sunlight can be advantageous for creating an artificial circadian cycle for the survival of the species that will live inside OTL: The Moon’s actual day/night rhythm would not be easy to adapt with. // Hence one of the peaks on the Peary Crater, which receives light %89 of the year, is chosen to settle the OTL system.

Tilting of the Moon on its axis and its orbit around the Earth (Image is not to scale) (The PELs are a natural result of the slight tilting of the Moon on its axis.)

How to construct? // “Digger” is the constructing + digging robot. It has a machine learning mechanism that’s connected to the main brain of the OTL. It “knows” the attractive elements like the light and water resources, as well as repelling elements like structurally dangerous areas or pitch dark areas.

Waterbomb Tesselation Model (Origami Magic Ball)

// It has a flexible mechanism based on a specific origami that can expand and retract itself. Thi way it can control the diameter of the tunnel it digs. // It “eats” the lunar soil while it bores the tunnels. It keeps the extracted material in its stomach until it reaches the maximum capacity.

Movement of “Digger” inside the tunnel it creates

// It uses a certain amount of the extracted soil to 3D print the reinforced walls of tunnels. 3D printing is executed with polymer stocks it carries along in its Rover. // Some of the extracted material is used to 3D print the “Monument” along with the polar ice, when the “stomach” is in the maximum capacity. // “Digger” charges itself with its solar panels on its surface.

Light Chimneys

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Digged Tunnels

Entry

Monolith

Phase 3 Tunnels

B Phase 2 Tunnels

A

C

Phase 1 Tunnels

3D printed Structural Reinforcement Arches

D

Entry and Monolith

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC VIEW

Artificial Ecosystem 1

Crew Quarters Airlock (Suit Port)

Airlock (Suit Port)

Common Area

Control Laboratory

Crew Quarters

Astrobiology Laboratory

Light Reflecting Surface (EVA Zone) Light Reflecting Surface (EVA Zone)

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A // HABITATS FOR SCIENTISTS

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B // ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM ZONES AND LABORATORIES

Vault Room 2 - Seed Storage Vault Room 1 - Genome Storage

Control Room

C // GENOME LIBRARIES

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C // ARCHES

SKETCH MODELS AND RESEARCH MODELS