Overview
It’s hard to imagine exactly what life on Mars would look like for humans. The environmental conditions are extremely harsh, to say the least. The planet is very cold and dry with an extremely thin atmosphere, and humans wouldn’t survive the intensity of its solar radiation. Thankfully, a new NASA project is offering the solution to human survival on the Red Planet: inflatable pods that support human life.
The science and other stuff to know
For years, NASA has been planning on building a human habitat on Mars. As part of the mission, they launched the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge in 2014, which challenged teams of designers to push the state of the art of additive construction to design and build sustainable shelters for humans to live on Mars.
The challenge sought ideas for 1,000 square feet (92.9 sq. m) of living space that could support four astronauts for up to a year. They also had to include plans for systems such as life support, mechanical and electrical, spacesuit and rover hatches, and plumbing.
And now, years later, NASA has finally picked its top design which was submitted by Hassel Studio, an architectural firm, and Eckersley O’Callaghan, an engineering design team.
According to Hassel, their aim for the project was to bring a more human element to space design, typically all about maximum efficiency and performance.
So what?
The inflatable pods are built to protect residents from harmful radiation and cosmic rays. “Our design goes far beyond just ticking the boxes for safety and survival. It’s a home away from home where astronauts can carry out the most important work in the history of space exploration,” the team says on their website.
While these pods are just concepts, they pave the way to new ideas and inventions that can help promote human sustainability on the Red Planet.
What’s next?
For years, humanity has dreamt of what the Red Planet might offer, and hopefully, we’ll see humans land there within our lifetimes. As we look forward to the Artemis Program sending humans back to the Moon, NASA hopes to send humans to Mars for 30 days by the late 2030s or early 2040s. Aside from inflatable pods, it has also initiated other Mars projects that will help accelerate this goal.
