Marsformation
Develop a game that simulates conditions in an off-Earth located permanent or temporary colony. The game could be a sandbox that offers the possibility to simulate various facilities that would support a reduced gravity environment far from earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere. Users could be given power allowances, atmospheric conditions, and in situ resource options (using resources available on site for life support or other needs). The game could include a variety of scenarios including:
- Arranging a GPS-like system on the Moon or Mars to support navigation for the human inhabitants. The simulation could allow the users to explore different solutions such as a constellation of satellites, a network of masts or other Earth based methods at the challenger’s discretion.
- Players could build a habitat that could withstand the Lunar or Martian environment while also taking into consideration that its inhabitants need to have adequate power and supplies, be able to produce food, have locations sleep, live and work.
- Build a Virtual Moon telescope. The simulation could allow the user to conduct a research mission using a telescope on site near their habitat. Explore what instruments make sense for the location of the telescope (and what the user wants to observe). Game players could explore settings such as exposure times or wavelengths to observe. Observations could vary based on the position of the telescope on the Moon or Mars, and the relative position in the sky of the pointed object. After each simulated capture, show an appropriately generated image reflecting the exposure and wavelength settings.
Mars formation is an educational project about futuristic way of terraforming Mars with the help of simplest life forms.
Its main purpose is to show to the audience possible ways of changing conditions on Mars, making them more suitable for complex live forms. We are trying to implement realistic, but yet simple-to-understand model of astrobiological processes.
Our main goal is to popularize this theme and make more people aware of problems and possibilities on the way of making Mars the new Green Planet.
Our simulator consists of two main parts.
- Genetic lab. Here user can construct model of bacterium with required parameters. All parameters can be changed in some limits, but they are strictly coupled with each other.
- Mars simulator. The model of Mars with seeded bacteria on its surface. User can observe the state of several colonies, changing in time. Some bacteria would die, some would find better conditions and evolve. Their vital activity would change planet around them too.
User can pick samples from most successful colonies. These samples can be saved for future reuse. We are going to make it possible to experiment with bacteria during simulation, creating second, third and etc generations.
Software:
unity3d
Articles:
1. Sustainable life support on Mars – the potential roles of cyanobacteria. The International Journal of Astrobiology 15 (1): 65–92 (2016). Cyprien Verseux, Mickael Baqué, Kirsi Lehto, Jean-Pierre P. de Vera, Lynn J. Rothschild and Daniela Billi
2. Discrete Modelling and Simulation of Biological Systems. MOSIMBIO
