Mars Millenium WebQuest Task

You will be working in one of several departments. Each department will have to answer some very specific questions, in order to make sure the colonists will form a stable community. Before answering the questions, though, each team must do thorough research and have as much evidence as possible to support their statements. Your conclusions may be questioned and debated when you report to the whole group. Be prepared to defend your position.

Team 1 – Political 
Question: What political system should your colony adopt? Justify your answer with examples from the past to prove that your choice is the best. Give examples of what worked and what didn’t work and why.

Team 2 – Environmentalist 
Question: What type of infrastructure should be built into the colony, to guarantee hygiene, endless source of energy, food, air, water, tolerable temperature, etc.? Where would the colony be built? What geological structures or formations on the planet would be more favorable for them? What should they be looking for? What data supports your choice?

Team 3 – Social/Cultural 
Question: What life style will the colonists have? What cultural aspects should be taken in consideration? What types of professions will they have? What moral system should they adopt? Will they have a religion? Will there be an educational system? What will the family units look like? Will there be children? Families? Or only professional relationships? Why? What about music, art, sports? What will they do for recreation? Justify your choices. Explain your choices based on aspects you observe in your own community.

Team 4 – Accountants 
Question: Calculate and plan monetary as well as energy expenditures for your colony, coming up with a plan for self-sustainability. Make sure to have a backup plan in case your calculations are off. Publish your results in Excel, on the website. Use graphs as well as tables and charts.

Team 5 – Technical Engineers 
Question: What types of equipment will the colonists have to have to be able to carry out the plans on Mars? Would these have to be adapted to the new environment? In what way? What materials would they be built of?

In the first phase of the project, your team will prepare a presentation using PowerPoint or Web pages to debate with your other colleagues from other teams, to make sure that you’ve fully covered everything and all agree that you’ve come to the best model for a working colony. Be prepared to defend your position with concrete data and evidence from research.

Read the document on How to Make Decisions by Ana Cristina Camargo. This will help guide you in working in groups and in completing your research.

After the teams have come to a consensus on the model of the colony, you will then move on to the implementation phase, where you will work together to build the colony virtually. This is the most challenging phase, because it will require that you learn a bit of programming, though the interface is graphical and not hard to learn. Be prepared to meet the challenge. The results will be well worth the effort! In the end, your colony will be exhibited on the official Mars Millennium Project Gallery, to be judged by the official committee. If accepted, your plans may be even implemented and sent on a capsule to Mars, together with the colonists! In this sense, this is not a simulation! You’re ideas will truly be taken into consideration!