3D-printed ice habitat using Mars’ water supply wins NASA’s habitat design competition

The newly found flowing water on Mars has inspired a team of designers to create a human habitat on the planet’s surface using its own water supply as the building material. The Ice House concept, a 3D-printed structure made from Mars’s water, won the recent 3D Printed Habitat Challenge Design Competition of the NASA, aiming to search for the best approach for its future exploration on the planet.

The contest aims to see 3D-printed architectural concepts that will primarily use the natural resources of Mars, which could be suitable to support human life on its harsh landscape and environment. Designers of the Ice House say that the structure would protect humans living on the planet from the impacts of cosmic and solar radiation.

The structure is planned to be built in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Ice House is made with multi-layered, pressurised dome of ice of about 5 centimetres thick, Science Alert reported.

Dwellers of the ice-made houses can work inside without wearing protective suits. The Ice House, aside from protecting its inhabitants, will also protect the planet from human contamination, the designers wrote on their Web site.

“By taking advantage of water-ice’s ability to filter the sun’s rays and protect against radiation, ICE HOUSE prioritises a life above ground and celebrates the human presence on the planetary surface,” the designers said.

The team that created the Ice House design was composed of 12 scientists and experts from other fields such as structural engineers, 3D printing engineers, astrophysicists and geologists. The concept was among 165 entries and 60 finalists selected by the NASA.

“The creativity and depth of the designs we’ve seen have impressed us,” said Monsi Roman, NASA’s programme manager for Centennial Challenges, in a press release. She described the teams that send their entries as “not only imaginative and artistic” but also “took into account the life-dependent functionality our future space explorers will need in an off-Earth habitat.”

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