MISSION TO MARS -THE SEARCH FOR LIFE
 
                 

                     Scientists James & Jimmy
        Authors of the proposal submitted to NASA
 

photo courtesy of NASA (http://www.nsip.net)
          The purpose of the Mission to Mars is to land on Mars, put humans on Mars, and collect samples. The collection of rock samples will be done on the first day that the astronauts walk on Mars. It will be the first part of the EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity). The act of collecting materials should take up day one. Examination of the samples will take place on day two. As the samples are examined, the astronauts will look for building blocks of life (oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, etc.) and any signs of organic material. This will not be an in depth analysis because further scientific analysis will have be take place on Earth. Only one of the astronauts will be participating in the EVA and collecting samples. The second astronaut will have the necessary materials to look for signs of water. The second astronaut will also have the responsibility of surveying certain areas and marking potential places where water could possibly be found. The map may not be precise, but coordinates will be marked so radar and other means can be used to return to specific places on that map. That will allow the astronaut to continue a search for any signs of water. The astronaut will be equipped with a special machine similar to a jack-hammer, with a drill-like device on the front. With this machine the astronaut will be able to drill into the ground by pressing a button. If the machine works correctly, it will tell you if there is water in the area within 200 feet. (There will be a device to analyze the material for signs of water). The astronauts will then record the results.

    For the Mission to Mars, a shuttle will launch 4/28/2000. Its payload will include the Mars Walker and the Mars Cruiser 2. When the Shuttle leaves the earth's atmosphere, it will orbit Earth once. The purpose of that orbit will be to double check all its systems, the Mars Walker, and Mars Cruiser 2 which are on board the Space Shuttle. Once the orbit around Earth is completed and systems have been checked, a space vehicle carrying the Mars Cruiser will be launched from the Shuttle towards Mars at full speed. A crew to explore Mars will be on board. Mars Cruiser 2 will be launched to Mars once the space vehicle is several miles above the planet Mars. The Mars Walker and Mars Cruiser 2 pilots will get into space suits and step into the cargo area. The other crew members will secure (lock) the doors to the cargo area, making sure the area is air tight, and then open the roof of the cargo area. The two astronauts will step into the Mars Cruiser 2. The cabin will have to be pressurized and the environment stabilized before the pilot can take off his space suit in the Cruiser. The crew member in the Mars Walker will have to keep the suit on, but will be able to remove his helmet for a while. (The suit might be too difficult to remove alone, and therefore the astronaut needs to keep it on.) Inside another part of the space vehicle, other crew members will control the huge Canadian Arm to pick up the Mars Cruiser 2 and hurl it into space. The Mars Cruiser 2 pilot will start the engines and blast off towards Mars. When the two astronauts reach their destination, the bottom of the Mars Cruiser 2 will open a special compartment which serves as a shelter. The foldable, fireproof shelter is lowered onto the surface, which attaches to the ground. Then 2 pumps are lowered onto the shelter which are full of air which is to last for 3 days on Mars and a few extra days in case of emergencies. These pumps are later attached properly to the shelter and turned on by the astronauts. These astronauts have been specially trained to handle these pumps and equipment and are veterans of other missions in space. The suits they are wearing are also safe because of all the previous testing they have undergone.

    During the time the astronauts are in space, there has been constant communication with Earth, with the many people in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Houston, Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, and the Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Data is being collected and conditions are being monitored at all times. We feel that the Mars Cruiser 2 will be successful and is a great idea. What the astronauts find on Mars will provide enough material and information for scientists to form new hypotheses. Astronauts will also record their observations and make decisions in the way they collect samples that will help scientists on Earth to draw other conclusions and formulate new questions. The collection of materials and the return of the mission is enough to consider the launch and the mission a success.

    We are very interested in sending humans to Mars because NASA has already sent up a robot to Mars to take samples and record sounds. The search for water is also underway. Humans are to go on this mission in order to complete what has been started. We also feel a human will best be able to determine why communication was lost and perhaps can best fix the problem. This has been evidenced by missions to repair the Hubble, and other repairs made by crew members in space. By adding people to the exploration of Mars, we believe that NASA will be able to gain new information that machinery alone cannot provide. The Space Shuttle was one way to make space exploration cheaper and use a vehicle over and over again. Now it's time to add this sort of mission to explore Mars. We hope you will consider this proposal.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE MISSION TO MARS
1. Internet sources: www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/23/mars.orbiter.04/
2. Internet sources: www.mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/why.html
3. Internet sources: www.nationalgeographic.com/mars/qtvr.html
4. Internet sources: www.nsip.net/
5. Graph made in Microsoft Excel
6. Typed in Microsoft Word
7. Mars Cruiser 2 graphic done in Kid Pix Studio
8. Proposal posted on the web at http://home.att.net/~n.alperstein/marsmissionsite.html
9. Link to proposal can be found on class link at http://home.att.net/~alperstein