mars

Human Mission to Mars

No Prior Orbit Experience Necessary

This one-of-a-kind course at FAU is open to all undergraduate students willing to be crew members for the University’s expedition to Mars. Plan your mission with faculty from across four colleges. Learn about propulsion when lifting off from Earth and landing on Mars, the psychological and physiological impacts of the 100 million mile journey, colonizing and surviving on the red planet and much more.

FAU Presents ‘Mission to Mars: An Out of This World Proposition”

Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science presents the panel discussion “Mission to Mars: An Out of This World Proposition,” on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. in the FAU-BC Higher Education Complex, Gallery 131, 111 East Las Olas Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale. Learn more and register.

Download the event flyer.

Watch the Human Mission to Mars Class Feature on CBS 12 News West Palm Beach (Fall 2019)

PBS Star Gazers: Mission to Mars

NASA Scientist Jim Rice, Ph.D., Speaks to FAU Human Mission to Mars Class

Robert Zubrin, Ph.D., Speaks to FAU Human Mission to Mars Class

Star Gazers brings you Star Gazers: Mission to Mars!
An all-star panel of space experts will discuss what it takes to travel to Mars.

Scientist Jim Rice, Ph.D., spoke to the inaugural Mission to Mars class in Fall 2019.


Click here to watch Robert Zubrin's public talk, The Case for Space, at Florida Atlantic University on November 15, 2019.

REGISTER HERE

Visit the Registrar for information.

Course Information: Fall 2023 Human Mission to Mars   |  Subject: IDS |  CRN: 15673  |  Course Number: 2382  |  Section: 001  |  Credit Hours: 3  |  Meeting Times: Wednesday and Friday from 2:00-3:20 p.m.  

Note: The Human Mission to Mars course credits count towards the Intellectual Foundations Program (IFP) requirements for a student's degree.

Key Elements of the Mission

Propulsion

Liftoff from Earth, landing on Mars, liftoff from Mars and landing on the Earth

Timing of Mission

Minimize travel time – use of the Hohmann transfer orbit

Psychology

Effects of long-term spaceflight on human consciousness

Sociology

Effects of long-term spaceflight on human relationships and groups of humans

Nutrition

Food and nutritive sustenance on the way there

Physiology

Physical effects of extended spaceflight on the human body

Creating a Colony

Key components of building and functioning a Martian colony – building materials, design, functionality

Food on Mars

Growing food on Mars – within the atmosphere-controlled colony

Ethics

Are there ethical issues related to a human mission to Mars?

Project Driven

Each student will join a small group to collaboratively develop efficient and systematic solutions to problems being posed. Each group member will have opportunities to serve as the project lead, coordinating activities of the group.

The course is taught in a non-lecture, active learning format. Time spent in class is centered around group discussions, projects, and developing the deductive thought process that scientists use to solve problems.

Mission Objectives:

  • To explore the challenges and opportunities offered by the planned human missions to Mars.
  • Explore the process of scientific inquiry and creativity (including failures) to address a problem or challenge.
  • Apply the scientific method to embrace uncertainty associated with the critical evaluation of a problem or challenge.
  • Develop hypothesis-driven solutions integrating multiple disciplines.
  • Communicate scientific outcomes through team work and community building.

Proposed Mission Schedule

Module 1

Why Mars? Why colonize? Why is the multidisciplinary approach being taught in this course so important? What are the student learning outcomes and why are they important? Brief history of Mars exploration from the ground and in space.

Module 2

Introduce the “Mars Direct” argument and the general strategy for a sustainable Mars mission, including issues such as propulsion, and using Martian resources to sustain life as well as to create fuel for the return trip.

Module 3a

Effects of extended spaceflight on the human body covering topics such as landbased modeling of spaceflight and NASA exercise countermeasures program.

Module 3b

Effects of extended spaceflight on the human body covering the topic of engineering the gut microbiomes of astronauts.

Module 4

Effects of long-term spaceflight on human consciousness and on human relationships and groups of humans.

Module 5

Key components of building and functioning a Martian colony – building materials, design, functionality, atmospheric control.

Module 6a

How to harness the water required to grow food on Mars.

Microbiomes in the gut. Overview of Earthly origins, microbes in Man and Mars, emphasizing the indispensable roles human microbes play on earth, in space and Mars? Strategic solutions for human microbiome issues - depletion, low diversity, virulence, stress, mood changes and social impact, etc. 

Module 6b

Growing food on Mars within the atmosphere-controlled colony.

Module 7

Influence of Artificial Intelligence on a human mission to Mars.

Module 8

Ethical and political issues related to a human mission to Mars.

Module 9

Poster presentations.

Contact

For information about the course, please contact Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., at asarajedini@fau.edu.

Check out the Human Mission to Mars Class Research Symposium Photo Album Here! 

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Student-led teams from the Human Mission to Mars course presented their research on Mars exploration at a research symposium.