Research and Development Sphere

Before attempting to terraform Mars, the scientists in the R&D sphere want to know how the Martian environment affects life and how things grow. For example, they want to find how the lower gravity affects the growth of animals and plants. One of the problems that they foresee is that the lower gravity means that the children will have weaker bones, and not develop properly. Using the scientific method, they test these conditions. Though they would prefer a different method, the scientists must use laboratory animals to produce offspring.

They start out by developing a hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis would be that the Martian environment will produce weaker bones and muscles in offspring. The next step in their testing would be to collect as much background data as they could. They would try to find out the normal strength of the animals' bones and muscles, as well as how long it would take them to develop. They might use computer simulations as well to collect background data. Next, they would develop a procedure.

A possible procedure for this hypothesis would be to expose the animals to different strengths of gravity for a set period of time. They could do this in the same way that they train astronauts for higher gravity, by spinning them quickly in a centrifuge-like device. They would collect data from this experiment, and use that data to see if their hypothesis was true. For example, if they found that the animals with the most exposure to the high gravity had the strongest bones, they could conclude that the Martian atmosphere decreases the strength of animal bones. Such experiments could be used to test the atmosphere and soil and its effect on life.

Activity:

Try conducting your own experiment. See the activity at the bottom of the page on photosynthesis for a procedure.