Terraforms I

TERRAFORMS I Process Book Fall Semester 2022 Reem Qushmaq

Reem Qushmaq OCAD University Graphic Design Workshop 1 Fall 2022

Terraform: (ter·ra·form)

The term Terraform comes from the combination of two words: terra, which is Latin for earth, and form, which means to shape or mold. In the context of science fiction, terraforming refers to the hypothetical process of transforming a planet or other celestial body to make it suitable for human habitation. This often involves modifying the planet’s atmosphere, temperature, and other conditions to make it more like Earth and able to support life. According to an article published in Wired in 2010, the term was first coined by science fiction writer Jack Williamson in a short story published in 1942. (Source: Wired)

Preface TerraformsI is a documentation process of the research that I conducted during the fall semester. This process book serves as a record of my research and documentation, including thoughts, images, and other materials collected during my research process. TerraformsI provides an in-depth look at the various aspects of my research process, including the initial stages of research and exploration, the development of ideas and concepts, and the challenges that arose throughout the process. The purpose of TerraformsI is to serve as a valuable resource for anyone interested in the topics and themes explored in my research. I invite you to explore the pages of TerraformsI and discover the rich array of research materials that I have collected.

Acknowledgments As I reflect upon the completion of this workshop class, I recognize the invaluable support and encouragement I have received from numerous individuals. Without their help and guidance, this journey would not have been the same. First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family, who have been a constant pillar of support throughout my time at OCAD University. Their unwavering belief in me and commitment to my education has made this journey possible. Special thanks to my parents I love you, Mama and Baba! I am also grateful to my dear friends, who have always been there to lend a listening ear and provide encouragement when needed. Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to Lewis Nicholson, who has generously shared his knowledge and expertise with me throughout this workshop. His constant support, patience, and guidance have been instrumental in elevating the quality of my work and enabling me to stay true to myself as a designer. Lewis’s dedication and mentorship have played a significant role in helping me achieve the level of quality I envisioned at the beginning of this year. Once again, thank you to everyone who has contributed to my growth and success during this workshop course. Your support has made all the difference.

Mars ...................................................Earth ..................................................Life Forms .........................................Precedent Research .......................Contents Mars .............................................. Earth ............................................. Life Forms .................................... Precedent Research ..................

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Mars

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MARS 13 Introduction The exploration of Mars and the possibility of human habitation on the planet have long captivated the imagination of scientists and science fiction writers alike. The concept of terraforming Mars, or altering the planets environment to make it more hospitable to life, has been discussed and explored in various works of science fiction. Some scientists are also working on developing technologies that could support human life on Mars in the future. One of the reasons that Mars is particularly appealing as a potential new home for humanity is that its orbit is similar to Earths, making it a more feasible option than some other planets.

14 TERRAFORMS I Image Description: MOXIE: The Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment

MARS 15 Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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MARS 17 Article MOXIE, a system developed by NASA, is helping the agency prepare for human exploration of Mars. The system converts carbon dioxide collected from the Martian atmosphere into oxygen and carbon monoxide, and it also checks the purity of the oxygen produced. Researchers believe that a larger version of MOXIE could be sent to Mars to continuously produce oxygen at the rate of several hundred trees, in preparation for humans to arrive on the planet. Overview: Nasa’s Moxie instrument successfully makes oxygen on Mars: Researchers hope scaled-up version could one day generate oxygen to sustain humans on Mars. The Guardian, Guardian News and Media 31 August 2022

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MARS 19 Original Article An instrument the size of a lunchbox has been successfully generating breathable oxygen on Mars, doing the work of a small tree. Since February last year the Mars oxygen in-situ resource utilisation experiment, or Moxie, has been successfully making oxygen from the red planet’s carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. Researchers suggest a scaledup version of Moxie could be sent to Mars, to continuously produce oxygen at the rate of several hundred trees, ahead of humans going to the planet. Moxie touched down on the Martian surface as part of Nasa’s Perseverance rover mission. In a study researchers report that by the end of 2021 Moxie was able to produce oxygen on seven experimental runs, in a variety of atmospheric conditions, including during the day and night, and through different Martian seasons. In each run it reached its goal of producing 6g of oxygen per hour – similar to the rate of a modest tree on Earth. It is hoped that at full capacity the system could generate enough oxygen to sustain humans once they arrive on Mars, and fuel a rocket to return humans to Earth. Moxie deputy principal investigator Jeffrey Hoffman, professor of the practice in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said: “This is the first demonstration of actually using resources on the surface

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MARS 21 of another planetary body, and transforming them chemically into something that would be useful for a human mission.” The current version of the instrument is small by design in order to fit aboard the Perseverance rover, and is built to run for short periods. A full-scale oxygen factory would include larger units that would ideally run continuously. So far, Moxie has shown that it can make oxygen at almost any time of the Martian day and year. Michael Hecht, principal investigator of the Moxie mission at MIT’s Haystack Observatory, said: “The only thing we have not demonstrated is running at dawn or dusk, when the temperature is changing substantially. “We do have an ace up our sleeve that will let us do that, and once we test that in the lab, we can reach that last milestone to show we can really run any time.” If the system can operate successfully despite repeatedly turning on and off, this would suggest a fullscale system, designed to run continuously, could do so for thousands of hours. Hoffman said: “To support a human mission to Mars, we have to bring a lot of stuff from Earth, like computers, spacesuits, and habitats. “But dumb old oxygen? If you can make it there, go for it – you’re way ahead of the game.” The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

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MARS 23 Article Philip Ball presents examples of people discussing the idea of colonizing the planet Mars. Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking have both advocated for space colonization as a way to ensure the survival of the human race. However, not everyone agrees with this vision, with some arguing that space colonization is not a viable solution to the problems facing humanity and simply continues the fantasy of unlimited economic growth. Overview: Life on Mars? Sorry, Brian Cox, that’s still science fiction: The utopian vision of humans colonising the red planet to solve our energy and population crises is a misguided fantasy. The Guardian, Philip Ball 26 May 2019

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MARS 25 Original Article Who said this? “I’ve been having to say everywhere I go that there is no planet B, there is no escape hatch, there is no second Earth; this is the only planet we have.” If you’re a science fiction fan the answer might surprise you: it was the writer Kim Stanley Robinson, whose Mars trilogy is an ultimately utopian series of tales that describe the terraforming of Mars – planetary engineering to give it an Earth-like environment over the course of several centuries after the Earth perishes from overpopulation and ecosystem collapse. Robinson’s pessimism about planetary settlement seems out of step with the spirit of the times. Unveiling his Blue Moon project two weeks ago – a robotic lunar lander to deliver the infrastructure for a crewed moon base – Amazon’s chief executive, Jeff Bezos, portrayed it as the bold first step towards human colonisation of the solar system. That vision is endorsed by physicist and science populariser Brian Cox in his forthcoming BBC series The Planets, in which he advocates the human settlement of Mars. “There will be Martians if we are to have a future,” he says. “At some point we will be the Martians, that’s clear to me, because we can’t stay here for ever.” Cox is in good company. “The Earth is becoming too small for us,” wrote the late Stephen Hawking. “In the long run the human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on

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MARS 27 one planet.” If we’re to survive, Hawking said, “I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth”. “Bezos's 'artificial planets' sell the falsehood that space is just the next frontier in the manifest destiny of the US” Why this insistence? For Hawking and Cox, the horribly real threat of environmental breakdown looms large. But there the timescales aren’t on our side. Robinson doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility of terraforming Mars (although according to the latest research it seems to lack the basic resources, such as carbon dioxide, needed to warm it to an Earth-like state), but he’s right to suspect that at best it would probably take a few millennia. Today’s climate crisis will surely have played out, for better or worse, by that time. It’s the same for nuclear Armageddon – if Earth collapses in the next century or two, a small colony subsisting precariously on the red planet won’t last long by itself. And even with boltholes from our own destructive urges, why would we be any wiser and better behaved – in the psychologically as well as physically pressurised environment of space – than we have been here on the welcoming Earth? Bezos thinks that space colonisation is urgent because of the finiteness of energy and resources. “We will run out of energy on Earth – this is just arithmetic,” he said at the Blue Moon launch. But it’s not. For one thing, some demographic projections suggest that population will peak at about 12 billion around 2100 and then decline. And if nuclear fusion becomes viable, it should transform the energy economy. Diminishing resources of all kinds are undoubtedly a cause for concern. But Bezos’s vision, for all the windowdressing about “unleashing creativity”, is not an escape from the fantasy of unlimited economical growth but the continuation of it. His answer to the problems of growth is more growth – forever. “We have to use the resources of space,” he insists. “There are going to be thousands of companies doing this work – a whole ecosystem of entrepreneurial activity.” You can imagine how that goes down in Silicon Valley. It’s the same old promise: there’s gold in them thar hills. “If we move out into the solar system, then for all practical purposes we have unlimited resources,” Bezos said. It’s fascinating to observe the inversion that this narrative requires. Rather than being a blue oasis in a bleak and barren cosmos, the Earth becomes a depleted land, its soils leached of nutrients and its rivers dry, while over the cosmic horizon lie abundant riches – if only we can get there.

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MARS 29 And in case we should worry that it’s all about mammon, Bezos reassured us that if “we can have a trillion humans in the solar system”, then “we would have a thousand Mozarts and a thousand Einsteins”. For they too, it seems, come off a production line; this is just arithmetic. It’s hard to shake off the feeling that, beneath the claims that we have to get out there for the sake of humanity is a space-cadet fantasy that living on Mars or a giant spaceship would just be, like, really cool. Bezos projected images of the “artificial planets” he envisages: gigantic space stations housing millions of people, rotating to produce artificial gravity. They are soothingly familiar idylls: basically the cities, wheat fields and national parks of America, complete with clouds, elk and waterfalls, Photoshopped on to a backdrop of stars. For sceptics like me, it was those pictures that were the real giveaway. They are, in style, composition and message, almost identical to the space colonies depicted by Nasa during the Apollo era, and what they sell is the falsehood that space is just the next frontier in the manifest destiny of the United States. In reality, space is cold, bleak and deadly beyond belief; humans cannot live there. Planets, meanwhile, are immensely complex economies of energy and matter that cycle between vast reservoirs in the oceans and atmosphere, the cryosphere, geosphere and biosphere. They are not structures you can assemble like a theme park. These are not the visions of nihilists who turn their back on our planet. There is real passion in them. Bezos was at pains to stress the importance of preserving the natural integrity of Earth, and Cox has consistently called for action on the climate crisis and environmental despoliation. We should not be sniffy about the inspirational value of space exploration, not least because many a scientist was shaped by it. But the idea that humans can and will thrive in space, and that furthermore our future depends on making that happen as soon as possible, is, in the end, a dangerous one, all the more so when sold with utopian imagery. It’s the technocratic version of a promise of eternal bliss after we depart this vale of tears. I don’t mean that as idle or even as cynical analogy: Bezos’s presentation was a vision of rapture, reinvented via Stanley Kubrick with a big dose of the American sublime of Frederic Church and Ansel Adams. Those trillion people populating the solar system: how better to fulfil the injunction to go forth and multiply? When John Wyndham ended his 1959 novel of space colonisation The Outward Urge with the image of a space captain brought out of suspended animation hunting through the universe for his lost soul, at least he knew from which well he was drawing. If we’re going to turn

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MARS 31 human space exploration into displaced religion, at least let’s not dress it up as rationalistic entrepreneurialism. As it is, there is enough material in Bezos’s Blue Moon presentation to keep semioticians busy for years. Imagining terraformed worlds as a new home “makes a good novel”, Robinson admitted, “but it’s not a plan”. Dreams of colonising Mars or building artificial worlds in space might make good television, TED talks and sales pitches to venture capitalists. But they’re not a plan.

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MARS 33 Article In this article, Zahaan Bharmal discusses the concept of colonizing Mars. The Mars workshop organised by Elon Musk›s SpaceX signals the growing momentum and reality behind plans to send humans to Mars. However, some scientists argue that humans should not be sent to Mars due to the risk of contamination, the capabilities of robots and the fact that Mars may not be habitable. These arguments are based on the potential contamination of the Martian ecosystem by human microbes, the inherent advantages of robots such as their low cost and immunity to cosmic radiation, and the lack of a breathable atmosphere and liquid water on Mars. Overview: The case against Mars colonisation: Plans are being made to colonise Mars. Zahaan Bharmal unpicks the arguments against the idea. The Guardian, Zahaan Bharmal 28 August 2018

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MARS 35 Original Article Earlier this month, a group of 60 prominent scientists and engineers met behind closed doors at the University of Colorado Boulder. Their agenda: Mars colonisation. Organised by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and attended by members of Nasa’s Mars exploration programme, the goal of this inaugural “Mars workshop” was to begin formulating concrete plans for landing, building and sustaining a human colony on Mars within the next 40 to 100 years. This workshop signals the growing momentum and reality behind plans to actually send humans to Mars. But while SpaceX and partners ask whether we could live there, others still ask whether we should. A Pew Research Centre survey carried out in June asked US adults to rank the relative importance of nine of Nasa’s current primary missions. Sending humans to Mars was ranked eighth (ahead only of returning to the Moon) with only %18 of those surveyed believing it should be a high priority. We have known for some time that the journey to Mars for humans would be hard. It’s expensive. It's dangerous. It's boring. However, like so many advocates of Mars exploration, I've always thought the sacrifice was worth it. But – to test this belief – I wanted to look at the case against Mars; three reasons humans should leave the red planet alone.

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MARS 37 Humans will contaminate Mars It is hard to forget the images six months ago of Elon Musk's midnight cherry Tesla floating through space. Launched atop the Falcon Heavy, SpaceX hoped to shoot the Tesla into orbit with Mars. A stunt, for sure – but also a marvellous demonstration of technical competence. But not everyone was happy. Unlike every previous craft sent to Mars, this car – and the mannequin called Starman sitting behind the wheel – had not been sterilised. And for this reason, some scientists described it as the “largest load of earthly bacteria to ever enter space”. As it happens, the Tesla overshot its orbit. At the time of writing, it is 88 million miles from Mars, drifting through the darkness of space with Bowie on an infinite loop. But the episode illustrates the first argument against human travel to Mars: contamination. If humans do eventually land on Mars, they would not arrive alone. They would carry with them their earthly microbes. Trillions of them. There is a real risk that some of these microbes could find their way onto the surface of Mars and, in doing so, confuse – perhaps irreversibly so – the search for Martian life. This is because we wouldn't be able to distinguish indigenous life from the microbes we'd brought with us. Our presence on Mars could jeopardise one of our main reasons for being there – the search for life. Furthermore, there is no one way of knowing how our microbes may react with the vulnerable Martian ecosystem. In Cosmos, the late Carl Sagan wrote, “If there is life on Mars, I believe we should do nothing with Mars. Mars then belongs to the Martians, even if the Martians are only microbes … the preservation of that life must, I think, supersede any other possible use of Mars.” Robots are better than humans Of course, one easy way to minimise the risk of contamination is to send robots to Mars instead of humans – the second argument against a manned trip to Mars. Robots have several inherent advantages. They are much cheaper than humans because they don't require a vast support infrastructure to provide things like water, food and breathable air. They are immune to the risks of cosmic radiation and other dangers inherent to space travel. And they won't get bored. Over the last 40 years, the international space community has an extraordinary legacy of robotic missions to Mars. A few weeks ago, the European Space agency's Mars Express identified liquid water buried in the south polar region of Mars. The Curiosity Rover recently celebrated its sixth birthday with the discovery of organic molecules and methane variations in the atmosphere – both positive signals of life.

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MARS 39 And while most of its targets are chosen by humans, Curiosity also uses artificial intelligence to autonomously analyse images and choose targets for its laser detection system. With the rapid pace of progress in robotics and AI, it is likely that the effectiveness of these non-human explorers will only increase. Robots on Mars will be to able to carry out increasingly complex scientific research, accessing craters and canyons that humans might find too difficult to reach – and perhaps even drilling for Martian microbes. Let's fix the Earth first The most polarising issue in the Mars debate is arguably the tension between those dreaming of a second home and those prioritising the one we have now. Before his death, Stephen Hawking made the bleak prediction that humanity only had 100 years left on Earth. Faced with a growing list of threats – climate change, overpopulation, nuclear war – Hawking believed that we had reached "the point of no return" and had no choice as a species but to become multi-planetary – starting with the colonisation of Mars. Elon Musk has also said on numerous occasions that we need a “backup planet” should something apocalyptic – like an asteroid collision – destroy Earth. However, not everyone agrees. In the Pew survey mentioned earlier, a majority of US adults believed that Nasa’s number one priority should be fixing problems on Earth. The billions – if not trillions – of dollars needed to colonise Mars could, for example, be better spent investing in renewable forms of energy to address climate change or strengthening our planetary defences against asteroid collisions. And of course, if we have not figured out how to deal with problems of our own making here on Earth, there is no guarantee that the same fate would not befall Mars colonists. Furthermore, if something truly horrible were to happen on Earth, it’s not clear Mars would actually be an effective salvation. Giant underground bunkers on Earth, for example, could protect more people, more easily than a colony on Mars. And in the event of apocalyptic scenario, it is possible that the conditions on Earth – however horrific – may still be more hospitable than the Martian wasteland. Let's not forget that Mars has next to no atmosphere, only one third gravity and is exposed to surface radiation approximately 100 times greater than on Earth. So, what's the verdict? The arguments above show that we are perhaps not ready to go to Mars – at least, not today. We need to first update our policies on planetary protection and apply them fairly to both

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MARS 41 public and private sector entities. We need to understand humans' unique role in exploration, beyond robots. And we can't lose sight of challenges on Earth, nor use the promise of Mars as an opportunity to deflect responsibility from Earth. But for me, the issue comes down to timing. The technology will not be ready to send a human to Mars for at least another 10, perhaps even 15 years. This is a good thing. We should use this time carefully to make sure that, by the time we can go to Mars, we really should.

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MARS 43 ain't your kids. to raise of (Taupin, Rocket Man, 1972, as performed by Elton John)

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MARS 45 Initial Concept The fall semester had begun, and I was in the process of choosing a topic for workshop. Being interested in the future of humanity, I briefly explored the theory of humans colonizing Mars and sent an email to Lewis to discuss it further. My intention was to investigate the possibility of a future where Earth is no longer habitable, and humans must rely on technology to move and survive on Mars. However, Lewis raised some valid concerns and challenges that I might face if I decided to pursue this topic. During our in-person meeting, we discussed the negative impact of such an idea on Mars, and how it might be perceived as a selfish act. Additionally, research on colonizing another planet is still in its infancy, making it a challenging topic to explore thoroughly. After our discussion, we agreed that it would be best to look into another topic. I shifted my focus towards climate change and its impact on the Earth's condition, which was a more feasible and relevant topic to explore.

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EARTH 47

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EARTH 49 Introduction In this section, I will demonstrate the information that I was able to collect related to the condition of the earth. This research process will aid in determining the direction I will take for my thesis regarding understanding the condition of our planet. how environmental issues could very well affect the future existence of living forms on Earth. How all these environmental issues are affecting us currently, and what are their long-term consequences. The research process began with an examination and understanding of current environmental issues, their existence, and the speed rate at which these changes are occurring. Throughout the process, I envisioned how the Earth might look in the future. Will the existence of these environmental crisis consequences affect the state of the earth in the future, and if so, in what way? Will these issues have an impact on humanity and other living species’ existence? This research has aided in understanding the current environmental crisis and how it will affect the condition of our planet’s future.

Genetic Modification • Contamination • WasteDisposal • Population Gr• Drinking Water Contam• Urban Sprawl • OveOzone Layer Depletion • Air Pollution • LoweNitrogen Cycle • Natur• Transportation • PolaChange • Public Health IsEcosystem Destruction •Energy • Food Safety • MNanoparticles • Light Po