In the air teasing the possibility of a manned mission to Mars in the near future, and the recent call for NASA astronauts, attracted a record 18 300 applications. But anyone who missed their opportunity (or has no desire to stay around seven to nine months in a cramped spacecraft with three other people), gives you another opportunity to participate in this magnificent journey: to make a map for the astronauts, who will use her on Mars.
Of course, NASA has a darkness, several thousands of scientists who work hard on mapping the Geology of potential landing sites on Mars. But designing a card that will help people in navigation, learning, and surviving on an alien surface, will require very different skills — the skills that cartographers, artists and lovers cards just can not miss.
Therefore, the international cartographic Association holds a competition to create the best cards for the astronauts who will spend about a year on the surface of Mars, in a mission scheduled for 2030-ies.
One of the most interesting parts of this contest includes the development of maps, which, in all probability, will be shown by using not yet invented technology. “The wild card is likely to be a dynamic digital maps that will be displayed on the screen, glasses virtual reality, projected on the helmet or visualized with the help of yet not developed technology,” according to one of the instructions of the contest.
“This project is located on the border between science fiction, game design, graphics, and science of cartography,” says NASA planetary scientist Henrik Hargitai. Hargitay is the chair of the ICA Commission on planetary cartography. Sounds cool.
Participants can use a free mapping software with images of surfaces at high resolution and information on the Geology and resources on Mars. They will have to select one of 47 possible areas of research within 200 miles wide, and to map everything that might be important for astronauts, known in NASA jargon as the “proximal people”, whatever that means.
This list should include things, the necessities of life: housing, power unit, and a greenhouse; places for research like geologically interesting places, and other points that scholars might want to explore; areas with the resources necessary for survival, like water, loose rocks and dirt for road construction and metals like iron and aluminum that can be extracted; also landmarks for navigation.
Obviously, this task requires some skills of a cartographer. But more importantly, it will require a remarkable manifestation of creative abilities: we’ll have to imagine what it’s like to live and work on the surface of another world. If you think you are ready to take part in this contest, you have no limits. Where to start?
First, review the types of “Curiosity”, collected during a visit to the Red planet. This Rover rolls around Mars for four years and doing what people will do in the future — for example, drill rocks — documenting my actions thousands of photos. People on Mars will also take a few Rovers, making a point of “Curiosity” is even more important.
You can then examine the experience of the astronauts of Apollo who walked on the moon. For example, here is an excerpt from the description of David Scott from the documentary “In the shadow of the moon: “One of the problems on the moon that there is nothing familiar in size — no trees, houses, roads — so it is difficult to distinguish a large rock away from the small boulder next”.
Finally, be sure to read the classics of science fiction on the theme of Mars and other planets, real and fictional. In the end, these authors predicted very well the development of future technologies.
Hargitay says that there is a good chance that the ideas and design elements from the bids will be included in the final product, which will be in the hands (and helmets) astronauts flying to Mars. For example, you need a well-designed symbols for such things as housing in deep space, where will be housed the astronauts. “We hope that we have chosen the designs of the cards will have the response in end products that will be made 20 years later”. In addition, very soon the cards will be tested in a simulated Martian environments on Earth, like station in the desert in Utah.
In addition to opportunities to participate in planning the first human mission to another planet, the competition offers prizes for the winners of the three categories: pupils of middle and high school students and young professionals aged 18-35, and “citizen scientists” of all ages.
You can participate in the creation of the first maps for people on Mars
Ilya Hel