It's the year 2080. With Earth falling victim to the effects of climate change, the planet is quickly becoming inhabitable. With expeditions on Mars underway, you have been selected from an elite team of scientists to lead the first group of humans to our new potential home. But oh no! While in induced hibernation, a small meteoroid hits your ship! The power begins to flicker and autopilot disengages. Your ship begins to veer off course. Luckily, you wake up just in time to realize something is going wrong. Simultaneously panicked and groggy, you stumble around in the dark to try and activate the backup system through the computer.
<script>
function randomName() {
var nameList = ['Jim', 'Pam', 'Michael', 'Dwight', 'Creed', 'Phyllis', 'Kevin', 'Oscar', 'Angela', 'Stanley'];
var index = Math.floor(Math.random() * Math.floor(nameList.length));
return nameList[index];
}
</script>
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><b>
<label for='inputName'>Enter your name:</label>
<input type='text' id='inputName'></input>
<button onClick="generateResponse()" type='button' id='submitButton' label='Submit'>Submit</button>
<div id='response'></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
function generateResponse() {
var text = 'Welcome, ' + randomName();
document.getElementById('response').innerHTML = text;
}
</script>
</span></b>
[[That's odd...|Page 2]]
</span>
You go to input your name one more time...
<script>
function randomName() {
var nameList = ['Jim', 'Pam', 'Michael', 'Dwight', 'Creed', 'Phyllis', 'Kevin', 'Oscar', 'Angela', 'Stanley'];
var index = Math.floor(Math.random() * Math.floor(nameList.length));
return nameList[index];
}
</script>
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><b>
<label for='inputName'>Enter your name:</label>
<input type='text' id='inputName'></input>
<button onClick="generateResponse()" type='button' id='submitButton' label='Submit'>Submit</button>
<div id='response'></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
function generateResponse() {
var text = 'Welcome, ' + randomName();
document.getElementById('response').innerHTML = text;
}
</script>
</span></span></b>
The computer seems to only recall names from an odd TV show from nearly a century ago...
You shake your head and mutter under your breath, "I don't have time for this."
But finally the system lets you in and the emergency power turns [[on|page 3]].
</span>
As you start to snap out of your stupor, you realize you are passing through System 55. A system consisting of a sun-like star orbited by five planets. Some of the planets even have moons. You go to check how much fuel you have...its only barely enough to make a single crash-landing. You go to check if your ship was able to collect any information before impact. </span>
<center>
<span style='font-family:courier'><b><span style="background-color: black"> [[<span style="color: green;">Sensor Information|page 4]] </b></span></center>
</span>
<span style="background-color: black">Scanning through the information from your ship's sensors, you click on the most recently collected data. Thankfully, you find some information on each of the five planets within System 77. The information seems a little bit sketchy, but it's all your ship was able to collect before it went offline after the impact.
<span style='font-family:courier'><b><span style="color:green;">
<center>
[[<span style="color:green;"><span style="background-color: black">Planetary Analysis|page 5]]You can't be sure how quickly you'll be rescued after your crash landing, so you must try to pick the best of the five options for human life. You begin to feel a little overwhelmed, until you remember what you learned in Ms.T's class about the conditions necessary to support on-going life on a planet, all those years ago.
You start off by looking at the first two planets.
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><span style='font-size:12pt'><b>
=||||=
Planet A (closest to the star)
Mass: 1.5 (Earth = 1)
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: CO2, N, and H20
Average Temperature: 651 degrees C
Description: Thick clouds surround the
planet. No surface is visible through the
clouds.
=====||||
Planet B
Mass: 0.5
Tectonics: No activity detected.
Atmosphere: Thin CO2 atmosphere
detected.
Average Temperature: 10 degrees C
Description: Polar ice caps, dry riverbeds,
and many craters can be seen from orbit.
|==|
</span></span></span></b><BR> After looking at the collected data for both planets, you choose
[[Planet A|planet A no]]
[[Planet B|planet B yes]]
Planet D
Mass: 1.5
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: N, O2, and ozone layer
Average Temperature: 2 degrees C
Description: Cold oceans, covered with ice
along much of the globe. Some open water
around equator.
Planet E
Gas Giant with one large moon.
Moon: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) atmosphere.
Many volcanoes and hot springs on
surface. Temperatures in hot spots can be
up to 600 degrees C. Other spots away
from volcanic heat can get as low in
temperature as 145 degrees C.
Planet F:
Gas giant with four large, rocky satellites
(moons). Moons have no appreciable
atmosphere. Ice detectable on one.
Planet G (furthest from the star):
Gas giant with two large moons.
Moon 1: Thick methane atmosphere with
high enough pressure to keep a potential
methane ocean liquid underneath.
Temperature: -200 degrees C
Moon 2: Covered in water ice. Ice appears
cracked and re-frozen in parts, indicating a
potential liquid ocean underneath. Surface
temperature -100 degrees C<center>
<img src=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Artist%E2%80%99s_impression_of_Corot-7b.jpg/480px-Artist%E2%80%99s_impression_of_Corot-7b.jpg></center>
Given its close proximity to the centre star, active seismic activity, extremely high temperatures, and seemingly lack of a surface...there is a good chance this planet is a lava planet. Perhaps [[Planet B|planet B yes]] might be a better choice? At least you won't burn on impact.
Now that you've eliminated Planet A, you begin to compare Planet B and Planet C.
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><span style='font-size:12pt'><b>
=||||=
Planet B
Mass: 0.5
Tectonics: No activity detected.
Atmosphere: Thin CO2 atmosphere
detected.
Average Temperature: 10 degrees C
Description: Polar ice caps, dry riverbeds,
and many craters can be seen from orbit.
=====||||
Planet C
Mass: 1
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: CO2, H20
Temperature: 30 degrees C
Description: Liquid water oceans cover
much of the surface. Volcanic island chains
make up most of the dry land.
|==|
</span></span></span></b><BR> After looking at the collected data these two planets, you choose
[[Planet B|planet B no]]
[[Planet C|planet C yes]]
<center>
<img src=https://img.purch.com/w/660/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzAyMy8yOTMvb3JpZ2luYWwvbWVyY3VyeS1tYXJpbmVyMTAuanBn></center>
Planet B has a habitable temperature, and polar ice caps might indicate a potential source of water. However due to its small size, the planet cannot contain much of an atmosphere. Once you run out of oxygen supplies, the lack of an atmosphere would be like living in a vacuum. You would also be subjected to large amounts of radiation as the atmosphere acts as a filter for solar radiation. You'd rather not risk the possibility of living in a vacuum and having my lungs pop, so maybe [[Planet C|planet C yes]] is better.
Moving along within your data files, you compare Planet C and Planet D.
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><span style='font-size:12pt'><b>
=||||=
Planet C
Mass: 1
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: CO2, H20
Temperature: 30 degrees C
Description: Liquid water oceans cover
much of the surface. Volcanic island chains
make up most of the dry land.
=====||||
Planet D
Gas Giant with one large moon.
Moon: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) atmosphere.
Many volcanoes and hot springs on
surface. Temperatures in hot spots can be
up to 600 degrees C. Other spots away
from volcanic heat can get as low in
temperature as 145 degrees C.
|==|
</span></span></span></b><BR> After looking at the collected data these two planets, you choose
[[Planet C|planet C yes2]]
[[Planet D|planet D no]]
The lights on your ship begin to flicker again. Good thing you only have one more planet to look at.
<span style='font-family:courier'><span style="color: green;"><span style='font-size:12pt'><b>
=||||=
Planet C
Mass: 1
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: CO2, H20
Temperature: 30 degrees C
Description: Liquid water oceans cover
much of the surface. Volcanic island chains
make up most of the dry land.
=====||||
Planet E
Mass: 1.5
Tectonics: Active volcanoes and seismic
activity detected.
Atmosphere: N, O2, and ozone layer
Average Temperature: 2 degrees C
Description: Cold oceans, covered with ice
along much of the globe. Some open water
around equator.
|==|
</span></span></span></b><BR> After looking at the collected data these two planets, you choose
[[Planet C|planet C no]]
[[Planet E|planet E yes]]
<center><img src=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/planetstar/images/5/5f/Sulfur_planet.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120127000556></center>
Planet D isn't all bad. It's conditions are similar to the habitats of some organisms we see here on Earth...however those are limited to primarily microorganisms and more specifically ones that are extremophiles. There could be some life here, perhaps animals that have adapted to the sulfur atmosphere. For us Earth humans though...maybe we should stick with [[Planet C|planet C yes2]]
<center><img src=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/kepler186f_artistconcept_2.jpg?itok=DK4vTrXr></center>
Planet C is one of the best choices. It's a little warm, but looks quite similar to earth due to its oceans of liquid water. The volcanic island chains could prove to be a bit problematic long term, especially with active volcanoes and seismic activity. [[Planet E|planet E yes]] looks like our best planet for survival - at least until rescue comes. <center><img src=http://www.astronomy.com/-/media/Images/News%20and%20Observing/News/2017/11/ross128b.jpg?mw=600></center>
Planet E is probably your best choice. While it's a little cold (making Planet C seemingly more attractive), the oxygen in its atmosphere could be a good indication that there is already life on that planet. The presence of an ozone will also offer protection from UV radiation.
Prepare for landing!