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

»Subscribe to Seeker! http://bit.ly/subscribeseeker
»Watch more Focal Point | https://bit.ly/2M3gmbK

Correction: We forgot to add our amazing videographer, Scott Elliott, in the credits! Find more of Scott's work here: https://www.590films.org/

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
https://www.aispacefactory.com/marsha
“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
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spa...
"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
http://nautil.us/blog/how-to-give-mar...
"A potential result: an end to large-scale stripping of the Martian atmosphere by the solar wind, and a significant change in climate."


____________________

Our scientific understanding of the universe is advancing at an unprecedented rate. Join Focal Point as we meet the people building tomorrow’s world. Witness the astonishing discoveries that will propel humanity forward and zero-in on the places where science-fiction becomes science-reality.

Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.

Visit the Seeker website https://www.seeker.com

Seeker on Facebook   / seekermedia  

Focal Point on Facebook   / focalpointshow  

Seeker on Twitter   / seeker