In the event of a manned Mars mission, the first landers would face inhospitable conditions. NASA’s Habitat Centennial Challenge is aimed at designing structures to help them survive. (Image courtesy of USGS Astrogeology Center.)
This week, NASA announced the five finalists in its challenge to design 3D-printed habitations for Mars. These finalists will move on to the next stage of the challenge, which involves building physical models of their designs, and will share a $100,000 prize.
The Habitat Centennial Challenge began back in 2014, as part of an effort to envision what life might look like for the first colonists to reach Mars. Two phases of the challenge are already finished: Phase 1, where teams had to submit architectural renderings, was completed in 2015 and Phase 2, where teams had to submit structural/material components appropriate for building on Mars, was completed in 2017. In Phase 3, teams must fabricate actual models, starting with a digital BIM model.
Participants were asked to submit models for buildings that could house four people for a year, with at least 1,000 square feet of living space. The models also had to consider Martian conditions like temperature, pressure and atmosphere, and include plans for systems like life-support, electricity, plumbing and rover hatches.
“This stage of the competition asks the participants to design habitats that will combine shelter with critical survival systems,” said Monsi Roman, the program…