Igloos on Mars. NASA surprises with the idea

One of the biggest obstacles to colonizing Mars is the problem of housing future pilgrims. NASA engineers facing difficulties have published a very interesting concept for a Martian base.

If man is to set his foot on Mars, which for many visionaryów is an essential condition for the survival of the species, it must first of all have a safe haven. Headóits main threats are extremely low temperatures and high-energy cosmic radiation.

NASA at the coóWorking with engineers from Space Exploration Architecture and the Clouds Architecture Office has developed a very interesting concept for a safe haven from the Martian environment – Mars Ice Home. Although it should be noted that this is one of many ideasóIn supporting life on Mars, however, it surprises its headówny building block. The base is to be built in deepóin large part from… ice. Yes, it is also designed to resemble an igloo.

The concept is that the walls of the igloo-like structure will be filled with water, whichóra thanks to prevailing temperatures on the Red Planet will freeze. LóIn addition to its stabilizing and structural function, the tower will also provide an excellent layer of protection against cosmic radiation. The construction itself is best illustrated in the following picture.

Photo. NASA Langley/Clouds AO/SEArch

The project has several advantages, które make it an attractive concept. The home’s structure is to be lightweight and can be transported and installed with simple tools, then filled with water before the crew arrives. The project also involves the use of materialóin occurring on Mars.

The space between the habitable zone and the outside of the ice dome is to be filled with carbon dioxide to provide thermal insulation. Researchers have calculated the operating time of equipment for extracting and processing ice and filling such a structure with water. Calculations show that it would take about 400 days to complete. So this work has to be done for people by robots.