Katelyn’s fascination with space inspired her Mars project

When it came to deciding on a project for this year’s Young Scientist Exhibition, Loreto College Mullingar student Katelyn Dunne turned her sights skywards to focus on the possibility of developing a new type of rover for the planet Mars using artificial intelligence and ensuring that the design was the most sustainable possible.

“My motivation is fuelled by a deep passion for space exploration and a commitment to making both our planet and the universe a better, healthier place,” says Katelyn, going on to reveal the shock fact that human littering affects not just earth but also space: “Debris from machinery and leftover spacecraft is now found on the surface of Mars and floating around in orbit outside Earth.”

Fascinated since childhood by everything to do with space, Katelyn says she has a growing concern about the impact of humankind’s actions on the future of humanity.

“Mars is littered with more than 15,000 pounds of human rubbish from 50 years of exploration through robotics from 18 recorded human objects created specifically for Mars.

“This rubbish comes from crashed spacecraft, spacecraft that have been broken down and abandoned since they can’t be returned or brought back to Earth.”

Katelyn has chosen to look specifically at ways of making the process of entry, descent and the landing of the rover more environmentally friendly.

“I don’t want to rewrite everything that’s already been done, I want to adapt and improve it,” she explains, adding that to that end she has been researching and comparing different sustainable materials based on their environmental impact.