NASA Shows Projects of Homes for Future Mars Colonists (8 pics)

There are various engineering solutions: from 3D-printed structures to buildings grown from mushrooms.





NASA dreams of conquering the red planet. They believe that this will be a breakthrough in space exploration and a huge step forward for all of humanity.



But getting there is only part of the job, on Mars you still have to try not to die on the first day, for this you need to build a strong and reliable home. For this purpose, department officials regularly hold competitions and select companies offering the best solutions for colonists' homes.

Moreover, the mission to Mars is only a prospect for now, in reality no one will fly there in the next 5-10 years. But they are already preparing for it and quite thoroughly. So the Agency has chosen 4 best projects.

Beehives





They will be printed on a 3D printer from Martian materials. According to the creators, this will allow the construction of buildings without being tied to cargo deliveries from Earth. Such a house has several floors, it can accommodate 4 people.

Houses from regolith



Also a creation of a 3D printer, the material will be rock dust - regolith. It can be scraped right on the surface and darned houses with almost no restrictions. But such construction will begin on the Moon - in 2020, the company that authored this idea has already signed a contract with NASA to build bases on the Earth's satellite. The deal amount is 60 million dollars. 5 years have passed, there is not a single base on the Moon. Where the money is - is unknown.

Mushrooms



This is a project of so-called mycoarchitecture - when a building is literally grown from mycelium. Dried algae and mycelium will be brought to Mars, and carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen will be added to them on site. The mycelium will begin to grow and eventually turn into a house. Mushrooms are surprisingly durable, withstand temperature changes and are considered one of the main building materials of the future.

Ice House



A whole Martian igloo, only big. It will also be slapped together on a 3D printer and covered with a 5-centimeter layer of ice - it will protect the settlers from radiation and prevent the house from falling apart.

In short, there are huge plans for the development of Mars, a lot of money has been cut up, and there are no specific dates for the flight to the red planet. For example, Elon Musk said that this could happen in 2030 or "a little later." Experts give more realistic estimates: it will take at least 30 years to establish a viable colony there. And the funding needs to be truly cosmic.



And given that the Donald Trump administration recently proposed cutting NASA's budget almost in half this year - to $3.9 billion compared to $7.3 billion in 2024, a flight to Mars may not happen at all this century. Elon Musk's desire to carry out a Mars mission is not enough; government support is needed.



Then houses made of mushrooms, beehives and Martian igloos will be built on Earth - after all, they need to somehow justify the grants won and the money spent.