Map Making Competition To Help First Human Outpost On Mars Mission, You Can Take Part Too

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) is going to hold a competition for designing the best map for astronauts, who will be spending around a year on the surface of Mars, as a part of the Mars Mission in 2030s. The competition will reportedly give a chance to the layman, comprising of graphic artists, cartographers and even you, to create maps that will help astronauts survive in an alien landscape.

One of the most interesting aspects of the competition is to create a map that, in all possibility, will be displayed with technology that is still to be invented. "The field maps will most likely be digital dynamic maps, shown on display, VR glasses, projected onto the helmet or made visible by a yet-to-discover technology," as per the instructions of the contest.  A NASA planetary scientist has described the project as being a blend of science, graphic arts, game design and sci-fi, which is somewhat akin to cartography.

Participants can use free mapping software with high-resolution surface images and information about resources and geology on the red planet. The competitors can choose one among the 47 exploration zones, each of which is 200 kilometers wide, and make a map according to what would be important for the astronauts staying there. Therefore, map competition enthusiasts will have to keep the requirements of the astronauts in mind, such as which areas would be best as a power plant, habitat or greenhouse; the ideal place for conducting researches like geological outcrops; areas with necessary resources for survival, including water, dirt and loose rocks for building roads; areas perfect for mining aluminum and iron; and navigational landmarks.

The task will need a lot of creativity and mapmaking skills, as it is not easy to imagine what it is like to inhabit and work on an entirely different world. A report published in the National Geographic offers helpful tips to eager participants. Enthusiasts can check out the Curiosity rover's view of Mars, and gain more knowledge about the planet's topography through the thousands of photos taken; especially those of its drilling activities considering humans on Mars have to do the same. The perspective of the Curiosity is also important because proximal humans, which incidentally is the name used by NASA for future inhabitants, will have rovers with them.

According to the report, prospective competitors can also gain ideas from the experiences of the Apollo astronauts who stepped on the Moon, because the situation would be quite similar when there is no familiar object in sight, like a house or a tree, and all rocks look similar in shape and size from a distance. Brushing up on science fiction that describes life on other planets can also be helpful.

According to a NASA representative, there are good chances that the elements and concepts from the submitted maps will be incorporated in the final products, that the astronauts will be taking along. The maps can also be examined much sooner on our planet itself, in places like the Mars Desert Research Station Utah which have simulated Martian environment. The contest will also award prizes to winners, apart from sending the prize winning maps to the researchers in charge of the exploration zone they mapped. Currently, the ICA is in trying to make the competition an official collaboration with NASA through a NASA Space Act agreement.

A helpful video for those who want to take part in the competition.