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Sept. 25, 2018

posted Sep 25, 2018, 2:35 PM by James Falletti

Planetary Colony Project: 6th Grade

Planetary Colony Specifics

Staying Alive

Think of traveling to another Planet, Moon, or Dwarf Planet as going camping with the nearest store several million miles away. If you didn't bring it, and can't make it, you'll have to do without. To prosper, your Mars Colony will need to "solve" the problems listed below (more or less in order of importance).

  1. Air Supply -- If you run out, you're in big trouble.

  2. Water Supply -- Where is the next drink of water going to come from?

  3. Food Production -- Will you grow your own, or live on freeze-dried Big Macs?

  4. Waste Management -- Recycling is key and nothing can be wasted.

  5. Heating and Cooling -- How does the colony keep from freezing to death?

  6. Energy -- Will you rely on solar, atomic, or wind energy, or on something else?

  7. Living Quarters -- Above ground or below the surface?

  8. Factories -- How do you make the thing you need?

  9. Transportation -- How are you going to get around on Planet, Moon, or Dwarf Planet? Walk, fly, or drive?

  10. Communication -- How will you stay in touch with the folks at home?

  11. Laws and Government -- Who's in charge?

  12. Recreation Areas -- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Build It on Paper

Students are capable of creating complex and thoughtful designs with littlemore than a pen, pencil, graph paper, and imagination. It's not absolutely necessary to understand every detail of a system's operation to incorporate it into your colony's plan. A waste recycling center could be as simple as a box labeled "Waste Conversion," or it could contain detailed plans for filtration beds, atmospheric CO2 scrubbers, and the works. A side benefit of this process is that kids begin to learn the basics of blueprint and map reading.

Students may draw on many sheets of paper before he arrives at a design he's happy with. Once the design has been created, students will build a 3D Model of their Planetary Colony.

Build Your 3D Model

A rough scale model of the colony can be built using found objects ranging from blocks, cardboard, and Lego pieces, to recycled plastic soda bottles and plastic cake and pie covers for domes. As in any project involving imagination and discovery, the sky is literally the limit.

Remember that the project is Due on April 30th, 2019 Welcome to the Solar System!

Check out some of these sites to help you with you journey: