Fusion/Science Planet Inhabitation

How big is the universe?

That is a question many individuals, specifically ones in the space industry, ask themselves. Who knows how many other planets there are in our infinitely expansive universe.

Are there any planets, other than earth, that can be inhabited?

That is another question that many contemplate upon. Can any planets become “liveable”?

In this Fusion/Science project, we are tasked with finding a celestial body (planet, moon, exoplanet, etc) that has hints of habitability and can become habitable by humans. Along with the task of finding an inhabitable astronomical body, we are also tasked with creating a vehicle prototype that could survive the terrain and environment of our chosen planet.

The celestial body I chose was Trappist-1e.

It is a red dwarf exoplanet that resides within the “Trappist 1 system”, a star system 40 light years away from earth and approximately 800,000 years away using current technology. Discovered in 2017, this exoplanet is considered one of the most Earth-like planets found to date due to its gravity, temperature, and physical appearance all being fairly similar to earth’s.

Extra details:

Earth’s Gravity = 9.8m/s^2

Trappist-1e Gravity = 9.12m/s^2

Many opportunities are present on my new home planet.

Research suggests that Trappist-1e orbits in its star’s habitable zone; the region around a star (in this case Trappist-1) where temperatures are suitable for liquid water to exist. Considering how Trappist-1e is the right distance from its star, it could potentially support life and contain liquid water.

Not only is Trappist-1e’s size and gravity similar to earth’s, its mass and density also appear similar to earth’s as well. According to scientists, Trappist-1e has a mass and density that suggests a rocky-ish composition, quite similar to earth’s. If true, this would allow humans to easily adapt to the exoplanet’s environment (unless other challenges exist which is elaborated on later).

Although there are many opportunities that suggest possible inhabitability, there are also many confirmed and unconfirmed factors that could pose challenges.

As mentioned previously, Trappist-1e lies within its star’s habitable zone. However, one side of the exoplanet is always facing its star, “Trappist 1”, while the other side faces away from the star. This causes extreme temperature contrasts between the day and night sides, which poses as a threat to any living thing on the planet. Hypothetically, if humans were to arrive on the planet’s “hot side”, they would be arriving on land with temperatures averaging at 275°C. The “cold side” has an average temperature of around -60 °C.

An unknown factor is Trappist-1e’s atmosphere. We have’t figured out yet whether Trappist-1e has a protective atmosphere or not, or if it’s been stripped away.

A thick, carbon dioxide dominated atmosphere like Venus or Saturn has been turned down by the “James Webb Space Telescope”. Here is a source elaborating more thoroughly on their findings and research: https://news.mit.edu/2025/study-finds-habitable-zone-planet-unlikely-have-venus-or-mars-like-atmosphere-0908

There is a possibility that this exoplanet possesses a secondary atmosphere filled and made with heavier gases such as nitrogen. There is also a possibility that Trappist-1e has no atmosphere at all, which means it experiences frequent extreme temperature swings, possesses no breathable air for life, and is exposed to radiation and vulnerable from impacts within space.

Due to the possibility of no atmosphere, we have to reconsider multiple factors for our vehicle design.

Our vehicle has to be resistant against radiation and will be required to have protective layers against the solar flares and cosmic radiation from Trappist-1e’s star, Trappist-1. Of course, if my exoplanet possesses a substantial atmosphere, these factors would be less critical as the atmosphere would reduce the amount of radiation reaching the surface. Otherwise, lots of exposure to radiation would pose a huge threat to both the vehicle and the person inside (don’t think there would an individual in the vehicle but if there was

As previously stated, the planet possesses extreme temperatures contrasting between the day and night. This means the vehicle would need adaptive heating and cooling systems for both contrasting sides of the exoplanet.

My vehicle will likely rely on nuclear, geothermal, or advanced solar power. Trappist-1e is a red dwarf exoplanet and emits infrared light. Unfortunately, standard solar panels cannot convert infrared light into electricity, which is why we would need advanced solar panels that can convert infrared light into electricity effectively.

Due to the suggested terrain of Trappist-1e (rocky composition), the vehicle will likely have wheels that can quickly traverse the exoplanet and easily stick to the surface without falling over. It is unlikely that the vehicle will float away as Trappist-1e’s gravity is fairly similar to earth’s. However, in the likely event that the planet’s surface is extremely uneven, my vehicle would need strong traction and, if necessary, implemented AI assisted navigation.

Scientists and astronomers have never physically visited Trappist-1e due to it being trillions of miles away from earth. However, we do know a surprising amount about it because of many years of detailed astronomical research and something called “the transit method”.

“The transit method”? What’s that? Apparently, it is an technique used by scientists and astronomers to detect planets outside of our solar system. As of November 10th 2025, over 4,400 exoplanets have been found using this method, which is quite a significant amount. When a planet/exoplanet passes in front of its host star (in this case Trappist-1e in front of Trappist-1), it blocks a small amount of the star’s light, causing a drop in the star’s brightness. Using this slight change in brightness, scientists have been able to determine Trappist-1e’s orbit, size, and whether it lies in the habitable zone (which it does).

NASA elaborates on the method and provides visuals: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/whats-a-transit

Additionally, scientists have been able to use advanced computer modelling and simulations (from the knowledge they already possessed thanks to the transit method) to find the mass of Trappist-1e. One of the most important tools is “Transit Timing Variations”, otherwise known as TTVs.

Tug of war is extremely popular in space, especially in the Trappist star system. The exoplanets within this star system are naturally packed tightly and closely together, which causes them to pull on each other due to gravitational force. This pull of gravity can cause changes in when the exoplanets cross in front of their star, Trappist-1. These variations and change help astronomers calculate the mass of Trappist-1e and understand how the other exoplanets in the system influence each other through gravity.

This website helped me understand it much more thoroughly: https://www.planetary.org/articles/timing-variations

I attempted to use minimal AI and rely on outside sources to fully educate me. However, for building the vehicle prototype, I asked AI how radiation and no atmosphere could possibly influence vehicle precautions in outer space, and how Trappist-1e’s environment might also require specific precautions as well.

Full link to our conversation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17uuZfIacMdGzRsV9q9geOlx5Xt_jCt8W4O5dDgT7zTg/edit?tab=t.0

Here are all the sources I used for gaining the information I needed:

Matthew W.(22.4.25).”Will we know if TRAPPIST-1e has life?”.Universe Today.https://www.universetoday.com/articles/will-we-know-if-trappist-1e-has-life

MIT News.(Date N/A).”Study finds exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e is unlikely to have a Venus or Mars-like atmosphere”.https://news.mit.edu/2025/study-finds-habitable-zone-planet-unlikely-have-venus-or-mars-like-atmosphere-0908

NASA Science.(8.11.25).”Whats a Transit?”.https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/whats-a-transit/

NASA Science.(7.7.25).”TRAPPIST-1 e”.https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/trappist-1-e/

NASA Science.(8.9.25).”NASA Webb Looks at Earth-Sized, Habitable-Zone Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 e”. https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-looks-at-earth-sized-habitable-zone-exoplanet-trappist-1-e/

NASA Science.(4.2.25).”Largest Batch of Earth-size Habitable Zone Planets Found Orbiting TRAPPIST-1″.https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/trappist1/

The Planetary Society.(Date N/A).”Timing Variations”.https://www.planetary.org/articles/timing-variations