Challenge: Design a Martian

Ms. Mookini's Class, California
Shroom

1. Mars 'Shroom has to generate energy to maintain itself. The Mars 'Shroom generates energy in two different ways depending on where Mars is in its orbit around the Sun. When Mars is in orbit closer to the sun, Mars 'Shroom will be photosynthetic. When Mars is in its outer elliptical orbit, Mars 'Shroom will be chemosynthetic. When Mars is in it's furthest reach, and has no sunlight, Mars 'Shroom will move its gel like an escalator and pick up rocks. The rocks are taken up into the gel escalator (GE). As the rocks go up the GE, the gel removes the chemicals- O2 and iron found in the rock. The chemicals are sent to the Energy Power Packet, or EPP, which turns the chemicals into energy. This reaction creates the energy needed to keep Mars 'Shroom intact. The rock and what little bit of CO2 and iron is that is left is moved out the Rock Disposal System tube, RDS tube, which leaves the red rock on the surface of Mars. When Mars is in its orbit closest to the sun, Mars 'Shroom uses its Gel Escalator, GE, to separate CO2 from the rock instead of iron and O2. This CO2 when it mixes with the sunlight creates glucose and O2, which creates energy. The shell of Mars 'Shroom acts like O3 and dilutes the amount of sunlight through. The leftover rock is left on Mars' surface after being dropped out through the RDS tube.
   
   
2. Mars 'Shroom has to withstand changes in temperature. This is a function of the shell. The shell acts like O3 and lets a certain amount of heat through, enough to last a Martian half-year, and traps it in the gel outside of Mars 'Shroom. When Mars goes into the deeper space, the heated outer gel will keep Mars 'Shroom warm, so that the organism doesn't freeze.
   
   
3. Mars 'Shroom has to withstand changes in pressure. The gel surrounding Mars 'Shroom and the gel that is Mars 'Shroom are mixed with iron giving it substance, enough to stand.
   
   
4. Mars 'Shroom has to withstand changes in Sunlight. Mars 'Shroom is both photo and chemosynthetic. This means that without sunlight it will feed on the rocks and when it is close to the sun will be photosynthetic, like a plant. When it is close to the sun, Mars 'Shroom will collect heat in the outer gel. So, when Mars is far away from the sun, Mars 'Shroom will have heat.
   
   
5. Mars 'Shroom has to withstand changes in UV radiation. This is a function of the shell. The shell acts like O3 and dilutes the amount of radiation reaching through to the body of Mars 'Shroom.
   
   
6. The light blue line surrounding Mars 'Shroom, my organism, is the shell. The shell protects Mars 'Shroom from harmful UV radiation and keeps heat in for warmth when it gets cold on Mars. The heat is trapped in the outer gel, the dark red substance, which keeps the organism, which is made of gel, warm. The light red is Mars 'Shroom's gel, or inner gel, that, because of the iron, keeps it standing. The bright red tube branching off Mars 'Shroom is the RDS tube that disposes the leftover rock. The yellow blot in the inner gel is the most important part of Mars 'Shroom, the EPP. The EPP is like a planet; it has a moving core that creates an electromagnetic field that is powered up by all the energy it is getting, creating the shell. The EPP also controls the GE. The EPP chooses which chemicals the GE removes and sends to the organism, mainly the EPP.

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