The idea of putting humans on Mars for first-time exploration isn’t too far-fetched. Space agencies and large commercial space agencies alike share this common goal, and this means there’s a lot of potential for this to happen.
Common goals aside, sending humans to Mars isn’t as easy as just packing astronauts on a spacecraft and shipping them off, as they’d quickly perish on Mars due to the lack of resources and the harsh environment. That’s why scientists, engineers, and renowned designers are working together in an effort to conceptualize a livable and sustainable habitat on Martian grounds.
Most agree that a Martian habitat would require some kind of 3D-printed cave-like shielding that would protect astronauts from solar and cosmic radiation. Moreover, inflatable modules could then be placed inside of this cave-like structure to sustain breathable air and an atmospheric pressure akin to Earth’s. Autonomous robots could be deployed on Mars to get the building started, even years before humans ever set foot there.
In this video, we see some of the best concepts spring to life as life-sized examples. From folding labs to furniture crafted from the recycled plastics of water bottles and candy wrappers, this concept has it all. It brings into light the reusability of materials and keeps NASA’s core value of traveling light close to heart. It also integrates the infamous idea of “work smarter, not harder.”
Those associated with the concepts shown say that it’s viable with current technologies, or with emerging technologies that should be available within the next 5-10 years. Using technologies that are currently in reach ensure that these concepts are as realistic as possible, allowing for real-life demonstrations here on modern-day Earth.
Indeed; it seems that those behind this conceptualizing are being quite realistic in their designing process, and we like what we see thus far.
