BBC Knowledge April 2017

COULD MARTIAN SETTLERS LIVE

IN ICE HOUSES?

Step aside, Nanook: NASA has announced a Mars base

concept that reinvents the igloo. The variable distance

between Mars and Earth means astronauts may have

to stay on the surface of the Red Planet for many months.

That means living quarters are required to keep the crew

safe from wildly varying temperatures and radiation.

Dubbed the Mars Ice Home, the new structure consists

of a doughnut-shaped inflatable living area, surrounded

by a dome filled with water. This freezes to form a thick

wall of ice, providing more than enough protection from

the dangerous levels of cosmic rays that bombard the

surface of Mars – and, if split into hydrogen and oxygen,

the water can double as fuel for the return rocket.

“All of the materials we’ve selected are translucent,

The Mars Ice House
is just one of several
ideas for constructing
temporary shelters for
astronauts on possible
future Mars missions

SPACE

so some daylight can pass through and make

it feel like you’re in a home and not a cave,”

said lead researcher Kevin Kempton.

Because the structure is light plastic, this base

would be easy to transport, while the heavy content –

the water – could be sourced on Mars. The habitat

would be sent ahead of the astronauts and gradually

filled from water deposits on the planet. It’s estimated

that, at a likely cubic metre a day, this would take

400 days.

The Ice Home is just one of the base concepts

investigated by NASA’s Langley Research Center,

holding out the hope of a comfortable stay on Earth’s

nearest planetary neighbour.

| SPACE

DISCOVERIES

30 April 2017

NASA