Hassell and Eckersley O’Callaghan NASA Mars Habitat
AMAZING NASA MARS HABITAT
HASSELL & ECKERSLEY MARS HABITAT
I’ve been talking about Mars colonisation and future plans for Martian base since I’ve started this channel, but none have inspired my confidence to such completeness and answered all my questions that I am left speechless as this project I am about to talk about.
Hassell and Eckersley O’Callaghan Partnered to come with what I can best describe as most plausible, most logical and most thought out plan for future Martian habitat, from how the base will be built, what is needed to build an such base and what sort of technology is needed to implement the said idea.
Although I’ve seen ESA’s own plans for Moon Village which are impressive to say the least, and can see how the designs will be implemented, and the fact ESA is already working on the basic framework, the fact the said principles are at least decade away, it is hard to imagine actual implementation in real time
What Hassell and Eckersley O’Callaghan demonstrated here, and I am very hopeful they can produce practical demonstration of said technologies, what in particular I am interested is the autonomous droids that can work together as one unit or separately as specialized individual unit.
The principles can be demonstrated here on Earth with relative ease, even with basic LEGO programing skills one can create set of instructions for little droids to complete, these require constant updating and constant vigil, as things often don’t pan out as planned. More complex programing in Python, C# or even C++ could create relatively smart AI that could potentially execute set of instructions, but again this will require frequent adjustment and some sort of control from Earth based control centre. The fact Mars is very far.
Ok, programing and complications with AI aside, which I must admit is a major problem that needs to be solved before any droid is sent over to Mars, the implications of what Hassell and Eckersley O’Callaghan are proposing is something of a home away from home. A very comfortable housing with all the modicums of Earth home, just on Mars.
The backbone of entire design are small multi-versatile autonomous rovers that can be made to do number of tasks from carrying stuff to more complex operations, a scout, logistics, excavation, builders, battery storage to a 3rd printing and so on. The rovers will be sent few years ahead of any future human mission to Mars with task to build using 3D printing technology a first Martian habitats.
As rovers literally can do several task and operations, and with many redundancies due to modular robotic swarm design it is expected quite possibly the 3D printing phase could be done without major human involvement other than ensuring everything runs according to schedule, however in case of loss of damage rovers can easily be replaced by another rover.
The first task will be to construct a large shield like structure from Martian regolith that will provide sufficient protection from the radiation and small meteorite impacts as well as cover from heavy sand storms that are frequent on Mars. The shield will be sufficiently strong to provide necessary protection offering great deal of light to pass through various openings in the structure.
The inflatable pressurized habitats sent from Earth can be inflated underneath the shield cover and offer protection comfort and plenty of natural light. Once the Martian crew arrives they won’t need to worry and look for deep hole or a lava tubes to build initial colony, but be provided highly functional habitat.
Each inflatable pressurized habitat can customized according to needs of the base, with living quarters, greenhouse, labs or workshops. The power will be provided by several Kilopower nuclear reactors, each capable generating up to 20KWh and large solar array, presumably the battery storage will also be in place as well.
From what I saw here, I am really impressed and would certainly want to see this system being tested somewhere in a desert, and see if rovers can perform well in dust and how well and fast 3D printing rovers and other rovers perform. Indeed if only we can embrace such innovative and relatively cheap solutions here at home.