Mars Colony

thingiverse

A 7th grade project showcases student creativity and technical skills as they design models for a future Mars colony. Inspired by proposed structures from organizations like NASA and Mars One, students let their imagination run wild with designs based on pure ingenuity. Large-scale vehicles need careful planning to print without support, so precision is crucial. **Lesson Plan and Activity** Use the Internet to explore various types of structures that could be part of a future Martian colony. Students draw and describe the structure they will design, as seen in the accompanying PDF file. Then, build your structure on Tinkercad, a web-based 3D modeling platform. Students revise their designs if necessary before printing them. Finally, each student presents their design to their classmates, and the assembled structures come together to form a model Martian colony. **Project: Design a Mars Colony** Objective: Design a structure that could be part of a future Mars colony. Target Audience: This project was tailored for 7th-grade students but can be adapted for grades 4 through 10. Preparation: The project took place at the end of a science unit on our solar system, when students had limited experience with Tinkercad.com. Steps: 1. Conduct Internet research to uncover structures that could be part of a future Martian colony. 2. Students draw and describe their chosen structure in a PDF file. 3. Build your 3D model using Tinkercad, considering any necessary revisions. 4. Print the designs if needed, taking into account support requirements for large-scale vehicles. 5. Students explain their design concepts to classmates before assembling structures. **Results** By designing and printing 3D models of a structure, students showcased their mastery of Martian conditions and the implications on human survival. Their understanding of planetary challenges led them to creative solutions for life beyond Earth's orbit.