There is no doubt about links between mathematics and astronomy. One particular project that struck me immediately, was the Mars One mission. I decided to look into further and find out how mathematics could be involved in this project and how it can be used for my future practice as a teacher. This particular mission could be used in schools, to make the study of different planets more interesting and relevant to students by giving a concrete example.

Mars One aims to establish human settlement on Mars (Mars One, 2015). From 2026 onwards, crews will depart for Mars in this one-way mission to live in space. Thousands of people from all around the world have applied to take part in this project and as of February 2015 this selection has been narrowed down to 100 applicants (Mars One, 2015).

I wanted to find out about the conditions participants of the Mars One mission would face. Mathematics is clearly involved when comparing the conditions of Mars to those of earth. The diagram on the left emphasises this comparison. Mars has a considerably lighter gravity (Tate, 2015). A little over a third than that of earth. Temperatures on Mars are on average minus 64°C, while on earth they are an average of 16.8°C (Tate, 2015). Days as well as years differ on Mars, as it takes mars longer to orbit the sun than the earth (Tate, 2015). All these concepts could be explored further in the primary school setting. For example, the concept of time or temperature could be taught using these comparisons as questions to discuss or further analyse.

It should be noted that this the Mars One mission brings about many risks. There is great controversy about this mission, as potential risks include social isolation, loss of privacy and lack of mental health services (Chambers, 2013). These issues could be discussed further in a classroom setting. For example, students could debate whether it is morally correct to send people on this one way mission to Mars.

References 

Mars One (2015) Mars One. Available at: http://www.mars-one.com/about-mars-one (Accessed: 1 December 2015)

Tate, K. (2015) ‘How Living on Mars Could Challenge Colonists’, Space, 17 February. Available at: http://www.space.com/27202-living-on-mars-conditions-infographic.html (Accessed: 1 December 2015)

Chambers, C. (2013) ‘Mars One: The psychology of isolation, confinement and 24-hour Big Brother’, theguardian, 9 September. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/sep/09/neuroscience-psychology (Accessed: 1 December 2015)