This Page About Martian Dry Ice Skiing

Martian Dry Ice Skiing

The sport I selected was skiing in all forms; cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Alpine skiing, and freestyle skiing. In other words, my research surrounded the general aspects of skiing on snow, rather than focussing on a particular type of skiing. After choosing the sport, I decided that Mars would be a suitable planet, as Northern and Southern polar ice caps exist there.

The principal scientific factors related to the sport of skiing, linking to Mars, are:

• providing vitals, ie. Oxygen, water
• varying temperatures
• exposure to, and strength of, sunlight
• change in gravity
• water ice vs. dry ice

A discussion of the physical conditions of the location:

Mars is similar to Earth in many ways, yet its varying features play a vital role in skiing. To begin with, the physical conditions of Mars are such that providing oxygen and water would be vital in order to sustain skiing.

Mars is also much colder than Earth and this physical condition would make skiing on Mars different from the way it is done on Earth. The temperature on Mars, although it can reach a maximum of 27C, is on average -23C. It can even get as cold as -143C at the polar ice caps, where the sport would be played. The cold climate is, in part, due to the distance from the Sun.

As briefly mentioned above, Mars" level of exposure to the sun is less than Earth"s. This results in the sunlight on Mars being weaker than on Earth, thereby affecting the temperature; it is much colder on Mars than on Earth.

Another difference between Earth and Mars is the change in gravity. Compared to Earth"s gravitational pull of 9.75ms/s, Mars" is just over a third at 3.71ms/s.

It is impossible for water to exist on Mars, and very likely that no liquid exists at all on the surface of Mars. The medium the skiers would use would be dry ice. The expression "dry ice" refers to carbon dioxide which exists in the solid state instead of the gaseous state. The different properties of dry ice would have a profound effect on skiing. This is because ice, which is water in solid form, starts to melt, ie assume the liquid state, when, for example, pressure is applied, whereas solid carbon dioxide changes straight to its gaseous form, bypassing the liquid state.

A basic outline of what your sport involves and how it relates to your investigation:

Skiing is basically where the person glides over the snow on two long, thin rods [skis] with the assistance of two poles. Although the sport may be played on flat surfaces, there are usually slopes to help the skier move faster. Gravity, as well as potential and kinetic energy, are involved. Different waxes are applied in different conditions to provide extra grip, or to make gliding easier. As outlined above, different physical conditions exist on Mars. Because of these differences, the factors involved in skiing would still apply there, but with different results.

A discussion of your scientific investigation, how you investigated it, any data or modelling you develop and your key findings.

I investigated my topic by researching both my chosen planet [Mars] and sport [skiing]. I found connections between the two sets of information to see how the sport would be affected by a different planet. The scenario of skiing on Mars would require the following adjustments to be made: providing vitals, ie. Oxygen, water; adjusting for Mars" much lower temperatures; adjusting for its lower level of exposure to the sun and weaker sunlight; adjusting for its lower gravity; and adjusting for the absence of water.

In reality, humans cannot possibly survive on Mars independently, as the red planet lacks vitals such as oxygen and water. This problem cannot be easily dismissed; although it does not link directly to the sport of skiing, it must still be considered as it does affect the participants in the activity. Furthermore, we cannot imagine that humans would evolve and adapt to the new environment, and have no need for oxygen and water. The obvious solution and means of providing such necessities would be in transporting them to Mars However, even if a sufficient amount could be moved to Mars, how would it be supplied to skiers, particularly when at the polar ice caps?

"Space suits" commonly used in space expeditions seems a fitting solution, but these come with faults. The space suits are extremely bulky and unwieldy - skiers aim for a sleek aerodynamic form to combat wind resistance. As it is, skiers wear helmets with that same thing in mind, and assume a special crouch for that purpose. The shape of the space suit could be altered to suit the aerodynamics and reduce air resistance.

Another problem with the suit is the weight. The skier would need to carry enough oxygen to last them at least the whole race, and cross-country skiing in particular requires a long duration of time. Weight would slow them down, and skiers would want the minimum amount of oxygen needed so they would not be encumbered. An idea to provide oxygen during the race, would be adopting the same tactics as applied in motor racing. The race course contains "pit stops" which allow the driver to refuel his car. Strategy and careful planning is needed to pit at the right time to gain an advantage over competitors. In the same way, skiers could have "pit stops" throughout the course where they could replenish their oxygen supply. This would add another level to the sport.

Mars - though relatively small compared with other planets, such as Neptune - has a freezing climate and it is a lot colder there than on Earth. The temperature on Mars can reach up to 27C, however this is only during a few days of the year, and a few hours of those days. The temperature of the polar ice caps on Mars would be colder than this. Mars" average temperature, not only for the ice caps, but for the whole planet, is -23C. It is known that ice cannot melt in temperatures under -20C. These extremely low temperatures are because Mars, as compared with Earth, has much weaker sunlight due to its lower level of exposure to the sun.

As discussed in the previous paragraph, Mars is further from the sun than Earth, resulting in colder temperatures and climate as well as a diminished quantity of sunlight. Thus, an alteration in the usual tactics used in skiing would need to be made. Normally, the sun would compensate for below-average temperatures - combined with black skis, the sunlight would eliminate any difficulties caused by a cold climate. The black colour of the skis accentuates the strength of the sun - black absorbs heat from the sunlight. This additional heat would melt a thin layer of water for ease in gliding. The layer is essential for speed of the skier. However, with less sunlight [ie. the Sun having a comparatively weaker effect on Mars], other methods would need to be devised to create the layer. Pre-existing methods would need to be more powerful and effective. Continue to learn more about skiing, please visit Outreach and Education.

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