NASA’s Challenge to 3D Print Future Habitats on Mars

NASA invited engineers and architects from around the world to design future habitats for Mars. Here’s what they came up with.

NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is a 4-year long competition centered around engineering habitats for deep space exploration, in this case Mars.

Mars has captivated our imagination for hundreds of years. The planet’s proximity and striking resemblance to Earth, and its potential to harbor life, has made Mars the target of many robotic missions.

But the surface of Mars is not as Earth-like as it might seem. With temperatures drastically changing each day, an inability to retain heat, and Mars’ total lack of a magnetosphere—there is almost no protection against dangerous solar radiation or cosmic radiation. This means we have to be able to build a futuristic habitat on Mars that can protect us from the extreme environment.

Enter: The brightest space architects and engineers from across the globe competing to prove they have what it takes to build a Martian home for humanity.

Two teams went head to head to print their designs and work out various complications, like what materials would work best on Mars (hint: thermoplastics), to prove they have what it takes to build humanity’s future home on Mars.

To learn more about the competition and what a future habitat might look like on Mars, check out this episode of Focal Point.

#NASA #Mars #Space #FocalPoint #Seeker #Science

Read More:

MARSHA by AI SpaceFactory
“In Space architecture, every design decision is of great consequence to the success of a mission. Since sustained social and mental health are also mission-critical, Space habitats must be designed to be rich, useful and interesting worlds onto themselves. Marsha, AI SpaceFactory’s Mars habitat design, illustrates that the result can be both visionary and credible with an alien yet familiar beauty.”

NASA's Centennial Challenges: 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge
"The multi-phase challenge is designed to advance the construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond. "

How to Give Mars an Atmosphere, Maybe
"A potential result: an end to large-scale stripping of the Martian atmosphere by the solar wind, and a significant change in climate."

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[Seeker]

Would you want to live in a 3D printed home? 🤔

[S]

I want to know how "using the resources we have on Mars in situ" to "we printed with thermoplastics" are actually related?

[Nephlim]

Absolutely fantastic, 3D printable structures are so fascinating. Congrats to AI SpaceFactory!

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Build them on earth please.
I would love to live in one on earth !

[AnthonyAllenJr]

He's right about the false dichotomy. We have enough minds, time and resources to address both, but we have powerful entities that want us to believe otherwise.

[Lezzylree]

"May be decades till humans go to mars"
Elon: no

[rajivmvg]

Thats why i like seeker, its amazing videos, are priceless

[LikeTheBuffalo]

I may never get to Mars but living in the same type of 3D printed house they _have_ on Mars is close enough.

[CuddleTrouble]

Would have liked to have seen a pressure test.

[sebastianelytron]

A friend tried to impress me by building a gun with his 3d printer. I'm not impressed.



I've had a Canon printer for years.

[TommoCarroll]

This was one of the best videos I’ve seen on YouTube all year. Absolutely loved it! I’ve been waiting for an update on AI space factory for a few months so this was perfect!

[elkapitan]

Interesting. I always thought a geodesic dome would be the most efficient design in terms of strength and stability to counter dust storms on Mars.

[Pyriphlegeton]

We live in the most interesting time since the dawn of humanity.

[hellcat]

I KNOW I've seen this episode before. Why the re-up?

[ktwei]

Looks like the more challenging part would be to build the giant 3D printer on mars.

[greyareaRK]

Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing this technology used to create a moonbase.

[alvermillioncranky]

Please correct me if I'm off, but if Mars has iron oxides, would it be possible to weld it? As opposed to printing? Feasibility? Questions.

[resistireland]

Great documentary. Absolutely brilliant, ingenious way to build a house etc. And what a beautiful house the Tera House is, like a beehive concept. Beautiful, practical and no Quarrying or Chopping Trees down etc. The way forward. I want one! Respect.

[antonnym]

I really like AI Space Factory's habitat design. The choice of materials is excellent, as certain polymers have a lot of hydrogen in them, and therefore block radiation. Also, I think they were very creative with the interior as well as exterior design. Well done!

[maxthemax]

When i first saw pictures of this I couldn't believe it would be able to sustain pressure and life inside, because it looked so fragile and janky. But now I see that even an early, rushed, underfunded prototype looks pretty damn solid for what it is. Looking forward to seeing you grow.