Life on Mars Concept Takes Shape

New York-based design agency AI SpaceFactory won a NASA-organized competition for a habitat that could be used on the Moon or Mars and built using 3D printing technology. AI SpaceFactory received USD 500,000 for its efforts, while the second-place winner Penn State received USD 200,000. According to a statement from NASA, the awards came following a grueling 30-hour competition in which participants built one-third scale models of their architectural designs. Each team used robotic construction techniques with minimal human intervention, demonstrating that the process could work autonomously on other worlds. Called MARSHA by AI SpaceFactory, the habitat was designed to be long and narrow to reduce the transportation requirements needed for construction on unknown terrain. The structure is designed to be built vertically on a telescopic arm attached to a rover that remains stationary during construction. AI SpaceFactory plans to adapt the MARSHA design for an environmentally friendly Earth habitat called Tera; the design agency also announced in a statement that a crowdfunding campaign would launch soon. David Malott, founder and CEO of AI SpaceFactory, noted that the company can renew our planet by using natural, biodegradable materials grown from plants: "We developed these technologies for space, but these new technologies have the potential to change how we build on Earth as well." In a foreign environment 54.6 million kilometers away, construction and materials must be completely rethought. Any meaningful and sustainable-scale Mars exploration and settlement will depend on using materials found on Mars. This is enabled through in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. ISRU circumvents the harsh constraints of the rocket equation, where approximately 90 kilograms of propellant are required for every 10 kilograms of payload. Without ISRU, the cost of importing materials from Earth makes the project of off-world futures impossible. To overcome this, space agencies and companies plan to send machines before human teams to collect raw Mars materials and convert them into homes and other structures. Thus, using technologies tested first on Earth, our future Mars habitats can be created before our arrival. The economic case for settling Mars—and creating habitats of sufficient scale—rests on in-situ resource utilization. In collaboration with Techmer PM, an innovative basalt fiber composite is being formulated from Martian rock and renewable bioplastic (polylactic acid or PLA) processed from plants grown on Mars.

Key Features

• Basalt fiber is known for excellent tensile strength. It is comparable to carbon fiber and kevlar but much easier to produce. • Due to its low total atomic mass, plastics are effective shields for ionizing cosmic radiation. • PLA is a strong, recyclable thermoplastic and has in-situ production advantages. • PLA has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion among plastics—crucial for achieving positive effects with chopped basalt fiber, and it is also highly stable. • Emissions from 3D printing with PLA, a bioplastic, are benign, unlike petrochemical plastics such as styrene that emit high levels of toxic microparticles. • PLA is preferred for its low thermal conductivity, and basalt is among the most effective insulators known. Together, they provide protection against extreme external environmental conditions. MARSHA is a pioneering concept that reconceptualizes what a habitat on Mars could be. That is, MARSHA is not another low, broad dome or enclosed, semi-buried structure, but a bright, multi-story, corridor-free habitat standing upright on the Martian surface. Where structures on Earth are primarily designed for gravity and wind, Martian conditions require a structure optimized to handle internal atmospheric pressure and thermal stresses. MARSHA's unique egg-shaped vertical orientation minimizes mechanical stresses at the base and top while maintaining a small footprint that increases with diameter. Standing high above the surface gives the human crew a superior vantage point to observe dynamic landscapes with weather patterns, clouds, and shifting color tones. The long, narrow structure reduces the need for a construction machine to continuously move across the surface, reducing risk, and improving speed and accuracy. These innovations challenge the traditional image of "space age" domes, focusing on creating spaces adapted to both known and anticipated physical and psychological demands of a Mars mission. MARSHA uses a unique double-shell system to isolate habitable areas from the structural stresses caused by Mars's extreme temperature fluctuations. Through this separation, the interior environment is simply and effectively protected by the outer shell. Thus, the interior environment can be evaluated in traditional fashion and freely designed for human needs.

MARSHA's functional areas span four levels defined by a unique interior atmosphere that encourages mobility and prevents monotony. Through large ceiling windows at the top and intermittent windows, the space between the two shells serves as a light well that connects all levels with scattered natural light. This unique space allows stairways to gradually span floor to floor, adding dimension to daily life.

Optimized Crew Health

The relentless flow of space mission-specific tasks presents stresses and challenges that must be addressed spatially. However, since ongoing social and mental health are also critical priorities, MARSHA offers surprise room elements that allow crew members to escape an overly regimented environment. MARSHA's layout takes both of these principles into account. Each level has at least one window that together covers a 360-degree panorama. Light coming indirectly through intermittent windows fully illuminates the rooms while protecting the crew from harmful sunlight and cosmic radiation. Circadian lighting designed to recreate daylight is used to maximize crew health.

References

• https://www.aispacefactory.com/marsha • https://www.space.com/nasa-3d-printed-habitat-competition-winners.html • https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-home-marsha-ai-spacefactory-3d-printed-nasa-2019-6 • https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/centennial_challenges/3DPHab/19-017.html

Prepared by: B. Serhat Cengiz Photo Source: NASA