preparing for life on Mars
Overview of the challenges of human exploration of Mars.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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NASA/GSFC/Scientific Visualization StudioView of Mars created with data from Viking and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLAi) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor.
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSVideo captured by NASA's Perseverance rover, as the Ingenuity helicopter took the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, on April 19, 2021. The rover was parked at “Van Zyl Overlook,” about 64.3 meters (211 feet) away in Mars's Jezero Crater and chronicled the flight operations with its cameras.
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© Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)An overview of Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.NASA's Artemis program is looking to the Moon—and beyond.Media Editor: Lee Goldstein
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Transcript
Throughout history, humans have looked to the sky to wonder about its mysteries. In 1961, the first human space flight took place and shortly after, in 1969, humans walked on the moon.
Now, humans have set their sights on Mars, over 211 million kilometers away.
However, colonizing Mars sets entirely new challenges for humanity. Mars has toxic soil, low gravity, little water, extreme pressure and cold temperatures.
The journey to Mars will take astronauts 9 months. Due to the large distance astronauts will need to be self-sufficient. They will be unable to rely on regular resupplies or the possibility of leaving the planet once they land.
Humans will have to be innovative in their solutions and also find ways to solve problems once they are on the surface of Mars.
NASA is aware of these challenges and held a competition in 2019 in which organisations submitted designs for 3D printed habitats.
The goal of the multi-phase challenge was to advance the construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions in deep space.
Eleven organisations submitted proposals to create habitats and tools using 3D printing.
The 3D printed habitats will be created from Martian soil, called regolilth, that has similar properties to Hawaiian volcanic soil.
The organisations plan to send 3D printing robots to Mars before humans in order to prepare all the necessary materials and habitats beforehand.
The buildings produced by the robots and autonomous 3D printers will construct a variety of multifunctional rooms providing space for astronaut to sleep, exercise, prepare food, grow plants and work. They will be modular to allow for more buildings to be printed and joined as the colony grows.
3D printing can help to provide creative solutions to some of humankind's most ambitious endeavours.
Now, humans have set their sights on Mars, over 211 million kilometers away.
However, colonizing Mars sets entirely new challenges for humanity. Mars has toxic soil, low gravity, little water, extreme pressure and cold temperatures.
The journey to Mars will take astronauts 9 months. Due to the large distance astronauts will need to be self-sufficient. They will be unable to rely on regular resupplies or the possibility of leaving the planet once they land.
Humans will have to be innovative in their solutions and also find ways to solve problems once they are on the surface of Mars.
NASA is aware of these challenges and held a competition in 2019 in which organisations submitted designs for 3D printed habitats.
The goal of the multi-phase challenge was to advance the construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions in deep space.
Eleven organisations submitted proposals to create habitats and tools using 3D printing.
The 3D printed habitats will be created from Martian soil, called regolilth, that has similar properties to Hawaiian volcanic soil.
The organisations plan to send 3D printing robots to Mars before humans in order to prepare all the necessary materials and habitats beforehand.
The buildings produced by the robots and autonomous 3D printers will construct a variety of multifunctional rooms providing space for astronaut to sleep, exercise, prepare food, grow plants and work. They will be modular to allow for more buildings to be printed and joined as the colony grows.
3D printing can help to provide creative solutions to some of humankind's most ambitious endeavours.
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