Science education projects

Image courtesy of NASA

Building a space habitat Artist’s concept of

possible colonies on
future Mars missions

in the classroom

What does it take to live on the

Moon or even Mars? Erin Tranfield
suggests an interdisciplinary teaching activity
to get your students thinking about this – and
learning a lot of science along the way.

All sciences The activity could be used either in integrated science

Ages 7-19 lessons or to combine different science topics. If not
all of the students were studying all sciences, students
Two challenges that science teachers sometimes en- with different science backgrounds could be grouped
counter are making science relevant to students’ lives in teams. Although the main topic of the activity is the
and approaching science in an integrated way. This ac- basic needs for living, it can also be used to discuss the
tivity provides a feasible solution to both of these chal- cultural and behavioural aspects of living together in a
lenges. confined space.
To build the space habitat, students will have to re- The activity could be extended into a long-term project
flect on their daily needs and requirements, evaluate beyond the classroom. Perhaps it could be a competi-
their importance, and then find possible solutions (rel-
tion between teams that have to abide by criteria such
evance) by drawing on their knowledge of different ar-
as maximum weight and size of the habitat, as well as
eas of science (integrated approach). Given the novelty
REVIEW

the number of people, and the duration of the mission.

of the activity, I believe it would generate a lot of inter-
est and excitement among students. This is of course Other students could judge the habitat that best meets
an advantage but means it would need to be carefully the criteria.
managed to be finished in a reasonable time. Paul Xuereb, Malta

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 I 43

P
Image courtesy of NASA
The flow of
recyclable resources Processed air
lanet Earth is able to meet the on board the ISS
basic living requirements for
Tem-
perature & Air
humidity
trillions of organisms, includ- control
CO2
ing humans. The oxygen we need is
Cabin air CO2
removal
in the air around us, the atmosphere Condensate Waste Cabin return
manage- CO2
protects us from radiation, drink- ment
Fire detection & reduction
Waste
ing water can be found in rivers and products
supression

lakes, and food can be readily found Urine Oxygen

in most places. On Earth, cycles exist Urine H2
recovery
where one species’ waste products O2 / N2 Oxygen
generation
control
are used by another species, so that Processed
urine Nitrogen
the waste products do not build up to
high levels: an example of this is the Potable
Product water Product water
complex carbon cyclew1 in which oxy- Crew system water process-
ing
gen and carbon dioxide are alternately Water
produced and used by plant species
and animal species. Portable Hand Shower
Waste
water
However, in space, none of these
water dis- wash /
penser shaving
requirements for human survival are
met. Therefore, to live and work in
space, we have to take with us every- cost of 450 million USD and shuttles the primary system fails and a backup
thing we need, and we need to devise carrying an average of 26 000 kg of system is needed.
ways to recycle or dispose of the cargo plus astronauts). It will cost Getting your students thinking
waste we produce. We must do this much more to take 1 kg to the Moon about habitat design on the Moon or
while limiting the weight of material or to Mars. At such a great expense Mars can be a good way to consider
taken to space and building in backup and with the inherent difficulty of the challenges of living and working
safety equipment (redundancy). each mission to space, every kilogram in space as well as illustrating the
Weight must be minimised as trans- needs to be justified. Furthermore, critical role that the cycles on Earth
port into space is extremely expensive. backup equipment is required for play in the survival of all organisms.
It currently costs about 17 000 USD to every life-support system in space. It is an activity suitable for students of
lift 1 kg to the International Space Sta- Currently, on the ISS, there are three all ages (see the suggestions for differ-
tion (ISS) (based on an average launch levels of this redundancy, just in case ent age groups, below).
The introduction to the activity will
take about 2 hours, with at least a
Image courtesy of ESA

further 2 hours to design the habitat,

depending on its complexity. To build
the habitat could take 5-15 hours,
depending on how many students are
involved and how complex a habitat
they are building. If the students are
really enthusiastic about the idea, they
might want to invest even more time.
When you have finished, send a
photo of your completed space habitat
to [email protected] and we
will publish a selection of the photos
on the Science in School website.

A photo of the Earth taken by ESA

astronaut André Kuipers out of the
window of the Soyuz capsule

44 I Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 www.scienceinschool.org

 Science education projects
Image courtesy of NASA

An inflatable habitat such as the one depicted here, 16 m in diameter, could accommodate the needs of a
dozen astronauts living and working on the surface of the Moon. Depicted are astronauts exercising, a base
operations centre, a pressurised lunar rover, a small clean room, a fully equipped life sciences lab, a lunar
lander, selenological (lunar geology) work, hydroponic gardens, a wardroom, private crew quarters, dust-
removing devices for lunar surface work and an airlock

Designing a space habitat bear in mind that the Moon has needs to provide (listed in the box
Begin by asking your students to greater temperature changes and no on page 46) and include them in
consider what humans need to stay atmosphere for protection but is closer the design of a planetary habitat
alive and work efficiently on Earth. to Earth. Mars has more moderate for at least two people.
How could we meet these needs in temperature changes and an atmos- 3. Build a model habitat out of
space? And how can we build space phere, but it is much further away cardboard and strong sticky tape.
facilities with the highest efficiency, from Earth, thus a Mars habitat will The habitat can be room-sized
lightest weight and longest durabil- need to be much more independent. or tabletop-sized. You may find
ity? See the box on page 46 for many the Worldflower Garden Domew5
ideas, together with links to more Activity for students aged 7-10 and Geo-Domew6 websites help-
resources, including many from the 1. Begin by discussing what humans ful for your design. Decorate the
European Space Agencyw2. Further need to survive on Earth and habitat to make it a liveable place,
background information can be then extrapolate the list to what for example by adding colour or
downloaded from the Science in School humans need in space. What is windows.
websitew3. essential for survival in space 4. Discuss with the group what each
Now the students can begin to de- and what can be removed to save student would take with them
sign and even build their own space weight and money? if they could only choose one
habitat. First, they will need to decide 2. Discuss how the requirements are personal item (e.g. a family photo,
whether to build their habitat on Mars important during the design and music recording or book).
or the Moon, because the design re- construction process. Pick two of
quirements will differw4. They should the requirements that a habitat

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 I 45

 Image courtesy of janrysavy / iStockphoto

Considerations for designing a space habitat

Earth requirements · Medical facilities for minor problems such as cuts,
What do we expect for our everyday life on Earth? rashes, infections, toothache and motion sickness,
and for more serious problems such as broken
· Shelter from weather – a home and clothing
bones, kidney stones and heart attacks
· Clean drinking water and a sanitary living
environment · Sleeping quarters

· Breathable air · Exercise facilities addressing cardiovascular, mus-

cle and skeleton maintenance
· Nutritious food
· Temperature regulation systems to compensate for
· Medical care the temperature extremes. Surface temperatures
· Adequate sleep and leisure time on the Moon can be as low as -270 °C in perma-
· Physical well-being. nently shadowed craters at the poles, and higher
than 121 °C in the full sun at the lunar equatorw12
Requirements for a planetary space habitat · Communication systems (contact with mission
Many of our requirements in a space habitat would be control as well as family and friends on Earth)
similar to those on Earth, but some would be specific · Recycling or disposal of liquid waste (urine) and
to the new environment. solid waste (general garbage, faeces)w10, w11, w13. This
· Shelter from radiation, micro-meteorites, dust, the needs to be done under the guidelines of planetary
surrounding vacuum and the extreme temperature protectionw14
environments · Monitoring systems for the life-support systems
· Significant reduction in standard water use, (air- and water-quality monitoring, radiation dose
increased water recovery and recyclingw10. This measurements)
includes hygiene facilities that use very little wa- · A food preparation and eating area
ter – for the astronauts to wash their clothes and
bodies, and a toilet
· Work areas for exploration experiments (geology,
biology, chemistry, etc.). This is a requirement to
· Breathable air – a way to either recycle old air justify long-duration space exploration.
(oxygen provision, carbon dioxide and contami- Many of these considerations were also important in
nant removal) or supply new airw11 the design of the ISS. For more details, see Hartevelt-
· Nutritious food – to be either brought and stored Velani & Walker (2008).
or produced in the habitat

use computer modelling soft-

Activity for students aged 10-14 3. In the design, incorporate features
1. As for the previous group, but pick warew7 to create their vision of a to support a sense of well-being
four to six of the requirements of a habitat. Take into consideration at such as windows, paint colour or
space habitat (see box above) and least eight of the requirements for leisure areas.
include them in a design for at a space habitat (see box above) for
four people. 4. Compare what the teams did and
least four people.
see if everyone likes the designs.
2. Give more consideration to the 2. Include a description of the dif- There will probably be differences
weight of the habitat and the ferent technologies needed for in what individuals consider ap-
associated costs. the habitat, e.g. an electrolyser to pealing. Discuss how to design one
produce oxygen from water, or habitat for many cultures.
Activity for students aged 14-19 a Sabatier reactor to split carbon
1. As for the first group, but instead dioxide into methane and waterw8, References
of building a cardboard model, technology that is being tested on Hartevelt-Velani S, Walker C (2008)
small groups of students should the ISSw9. The International Space Station: a
46 I Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 www.scienceinschool.org
 Science education projects

Possible extension: psychology · Safe – this is the most important consideration

Any crew on a long mission, for example to Mars, will · Robust – strong, reliable, durable, requiring minimal

Image courtesy of Luc Viatour; image source: Wikimedia Commons

be isolated from their loved ones and confined in a small maintenance
space with other crew members. Training in conflict
management is crucial, as is enhancing our understanding
· Lightweight – the average fridge weighs 100 kg and is
clearly not an option in a space habitat
of how humans respond under stress, in a confined space
over long durationsw15. · Launchable – the different elements have to fit an
available rocket in terms of weight, shape and power
The mental state of each individual is extremely important,
requirements
as it will affect the group mental state and ultimately even
the overall mission success. It is therefore important to · Effective – it must do what it was designed to do
ensure good mental support for the crew. · Affordable – space exploration is expensive, so all steps
On Earth, humans need a sense of mental well-being to reduce costs without compromising performance and
including interactions between people to be happy and safety must be taken.
productive. To achieve this, in addition to the points listed
above, a space habitat needs to provide: Designing an effective habitat
· Privacy for each crew member, even if the space is How can we meet the requirements of a space habitat un-
small der the constraints that are imposed? This is done by:

· A common area for interaction and leisure · Using a modular construction system, beginning with
the essential features and adding ‘rooms’ as needed
· Colour in the habitat, selected by each crew prior to
for particular purposes (e.g. research or space for more
launch
crew)
· Living things, e.g. plants or fish. Might there be ethical
· Developing technology to utilise the resources on
issues?
the Moon or Mars, e.g. making lunar bricks or lunar
· Windows. Being able to look outside is a very important cement, or using the underground caves on Mars for
psychological factor. From Mars, this will be harder habitats
than from the Moon, since Earth will look like just an-
other small star in the sky.
· Recycling (air, water, waste, parts of the landing space-
craft for construction, the oxygen and hydrogen in extra
To learn about life on board the ISS, for which these con- rocket fuel for water production)
siderations are important, see also Hartevelt-Velani et al.
(2008).
· Miniaturising as many things as possible, standardising
all tools, power connections, etc.
Design constraints · Making areas multipurpose, e.g. a dining table that
When a space habitat is designed, it is important that it folds away so that the space can also be used for other
should be: purposes.

foothold in space. Science in School w2 - The European Space Agency w5 – The Worldflower Garden Domes
9: 62-65. www.scienceinschool. (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. website offers instructions for
org/2008/issue9/iss It is a member of EIROforum, the building a paper dome based on a
Hartevelt-Velani S, Walker C, publisher of Science in School. For buckyball. See: www.gardendome.
Elmann-Larsen B (2008) The Inter- more information, see: www.esa.int com/GD1.htm
national Space Station: life in w3 – Background information to
space. Science in School 10: 76-81. w6 – Further instructions for build-
support teachers in this activity
www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ ing a geodesic dome are avail-
can be downloaded from the
issue10/iss able on the Geo-Dome website:
Science in School website:
www.geo-dome.co.uk/article.
Web references www.scienceinschool.org/2011/
issue19/habitat#resources asp?uname=modelbuild
w1 – Learn more about the carbon cy-
cle on the Windows to the Universe w4 – For detailed information about w7 – For a list of free computer-aided
website: www.windows2universe. our Solar System, see: design (CAD) software, see
org/earth/Water/co2_cycle.html http://solarsystem.nasa.gov www.freebyte.com/cad/cad.htm
www.scienceinschool.org Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 I 47
 Artist’s impression of a lunar mining facility
Image courtesy of NASA / Pat Rawlings (SAIC)
harvesting oxygen from the resource-rich
volcanic soil of the eastern Mare Serenitatis
(Sea of Serenity) on the Moon
w16 – The report Luna Gaia – a closed
loop habitat for the moon can be
downloaded from www.isunet.
w8 – To learn more about the Sabatier the ISS, especially air, see: http:// eduw17 or using the direct link:
reaction for use on Mars missions, science.nasa.gov/science-news/ http://tinyurl.com/69bjugb
see: science-at-nasa/2000/ast13nov_1 w17 – To find out more about the
Richardson JT (2000) Improved International Space University, see:
w12 – For fact sheets on the planets
Sabatier reactors for in situ resource www.isunet.edu
and their satellites, see: http://
utilization on Mars. In Institute
nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/
for Space Systems Operations - Resources
planetfact.html
1999-2000 Annual Report. pp 84-86. NASA has developed a problem-
Houston, Texas, USA: University w13 – For more information on ESA’s based learning module on space
of Houston. www.isso.uh.edu/ life support and recycling systems habitats. Starting from a ‘sealed room’
publications/A9900/ for space, including French educa- introductory activity, four content
mini-richardson.htm tional materials on the MELISSA areas are offered, on ‘life in a sealed
project, see: http://ecls.esa.int/ecls container’, ‘healthy choices’, ‘air and
w9 – In 2010, a Sabatier system was
water’, and ‘trash or treasure’, explor-
delivered to the ISS for testing. w14 – For more information on how ing ecosystems, human nutrition and
See the NASA press release on NASA, the US National Aeronautics fitness, recycling of air and water, and
www.nasaspaceflight.com or and Space Administration, waste removal. See: www.nasa.gov/
use the direct link: reduces the risk of biological audience/foreducators/son/habitat
http://tinyurl.com/3su8p26 cross-contamination, see http://
The EU-funded CoReflect project
w10 – For an interactive online planetaryprotection.nasa.gov
has developed a teaching unit on
model of the water recycling circuit w15 – For information about Mars500, designing a Moon habitat for 10- to
on board the ISS, see: http:// 12-year-olds, available in English
a study done to understand key
esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/ and Dutch. See: www.coreflect.org/
physiology and psychology effects
issedukit/en/html/t030505t1.html nqcontent.cfm?a_id=15089
of long duration isolation and crew
w11 – To find out more about the flow dynamics, see: www.esa.int/esaMI/ To learn more about a potential
of recyclable resources on board Mars500 manned mission to Mars, see:
48 I Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 www.scienceinschool.org
 Image courtesy of NASA / JPL-Caltech

Science education projects

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ box like the one used for experi- www.scienceinschool.org/2008/

planetary/mars/mars_crew.html ments on board the ISS. See: issue8/bernardopatti
ESA’s ISS education kits are freely www.esa.int/SPECIALS/
Williams A (2008) The Automated
available for primary- or lower- Education/SEMTBS4KXMF_0.html
Transfer Vehicle – supporting
secondary-school students (ages 8-10 Educational DVDs about the ISS for Europe in space. Science in School
and 12-15) in all ESA member state students aged 12-18, explaining 8: 14-20. www.scienceinschool.
languages. They offer teaching activi- basic concepts such as the effects of org/2008/issue8/atv
ties, background notes for teachers weightlessness on the human body For a complete list of ESA-related
and students, and much more. with simple demonstrations, were articles, see: www.scienceinschool.
The primary-school ISS educa- produced with the help of European org/esa
astronauts during their missions on To browse all space-related articles
tion kit includes activities such as
board the ISS. The free materials can in Science in School, see:
building a model of the ISS from
be downloaded online or ordered www.scienceinschool.org/space
recycled household materials,
on DVD. See: www.esa.int/esaHS/
planning the amount of water and
SEMZTFYO4HD_education_0.html Acknowledgement
weight of other materials to be
taken onto a space mission, or creat- ESA’s teaching materials on the ISS The author would like to thank Scott
ing an astronaut menu. See: www. also include the 3D teaching tool Hovland from the European Space
esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/ ‘Spaceflight challenge I’ for second- Agency for valuable comments and
ary-school students, which can be advice.
SEMN3A5KXMF_0.html
used either as a role-playing adven-
ture game or as a set of interactive Erin Tranfield completed her PhD
An outpost on the Moon could produce exercises. It features science topics in May 2007 in the Department of
lunar oxygen, conduct long-term surface from across the European curricula,
operations, and reveal issues before humans Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
with scientific explanations and at the University of British Columbia,
begin the journey to explore Mars. The
Moon’s proximity, only several days from background information. To down- in Vancouver, Canada. She then spent
Earth, allows the testing of systems that will load the software or order your free two years at NASA Ames Research
enable months-long round trips to Mars copy, see: www.esa.int/esaHS/ Center in Moffett Field, California,
SEM3TFYO4HD_education_0.html USA, investigating the effects of
ESA’s ‘lessons online’ for primary- lunar dust on human physiology and
and secondary-school students and pathology. Erin is currently at the Eu-
their teachers include text, short ropean Molecular Biology Laboratory
videos and graphics. Topics covered in Heidelberg, Germany, working on
the three-dimensional reconstruction
include ‘life in space’, ‘radiation’,
of the mitotic spindle using high-reso-
‘gravitation and weightlessness’ and
lution electron tomography.
‘bugs in space’. See: www.esa.int/
Erin was an author of Luna Gaia – a
SPECIALS/Lessons_online
closed loop habitat for the moonw16, a
Simulate flying over the surface of student research report of the Inter-
Mars with Google Mars: national Space University (ISU)w17 in
Image courtesy of Pat Rawlings and Faisal Ali / SAIC www.google.com/mars 2006. She is now adjunct faculty at the
ISU and will be the chair of the space
Here is a selection of space-related
The lower-secondary-school ISS life science department at the ISU
articles previously published in
education kit offers videos, back- two-month space studies programme
Science in School:
ground reading and interactive in summer 2011 in Graz, Austria.
Warmbein B (2007) Down to
online materials about building
Earth: interview with Thomas
the ISS, life and work on board, as
Reiter. Science in School 5: 19-23.
well as classroom activities such
www.scienceinschool.org/2007/
as investigating and filtering your
issue5/thomasreiter
local fresh water, designing a space
station bathroom, studying how the Wegener A-L (2008) Laboratory To learn how to
environment affects materials, or in space: interview with Bernardo use this code, see
designing and constructing a glove Patti. Science in School 8: 8-12. page 1.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School I Issue 19 : Summer 2011 I 49