Scientists consider Mars as a shelter for humanity, an alternative or supplement Earth. The article by Noonpost magazine addresses the most promising projects that will make it possible to make a red planet suitable.
NASA launched a 3D Printed Habitat Challenge contest, its participants were to simulate the dwelling for four astronauts using 3D printing methods and materials that exist on the surface of Mars. The choice was due to the fact that the flight will have to take a large amount of fuel due to its duration, so on board the spacecraft there must be the most light load to reduce the cost of launch.
The first place was taken by the ICE House project created by the Space Exploration Architecture architects. The idea involves finding a sufficient amount of ice in the northern part of the planet to make an ice house from it, able to protect people from radiation, but at the same time save enough light and the ability to see the world around.
In second place was the option called Marsha. It involves the use of 3D printing and robotics, with the help of which structures from basalt fiber and vegetable bioplasty are created. On the third line was the Zopherus project. With the help of an autonomous printer robot, hexagonal structures inside a hermetic cabin made from materials found on the surface of Mars. The design process does not require human intervention.
Fourth place occupied Mars Habitat, his author became the famous architect Norman Foster, who had previously presented the dwelling option on the moon. He proposed the construction of durable dwellings from Martian stones with the help of robots operating half autonomously. In fifth place Mars Science City, developed by the team from the Space Center Mohammed Ibn Rashid, in collaboration with the BIG architectural bureau. Houses will be performed using 3D printing and sand from the desert.
Martian Seed Of Life Martian Seed. Architects from Malaysia Varis Zaki and Amir Amzar became authors of the project. They offered to build housing from bamboo, because it is easy to grow on Mars thanks to a large number of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The authors of the Noonpost article summarized that in a distant future, a person will be able to settle on the Red Planet, even though it seems fantastic at present. Nevertheless, life there will not be similar to earthly, since it is necessary to create life support systems and carefully monitor the habitat.
Earlier, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko called three obstacles to the development of Mars. He noted that astronauts may not return to the ground. In addition, there is a very large connection delay, and it is unclear how to adjust the flight under these conditions. There is also no scientific data about what will happen to a person when he leaves the radiation belt of the planet.