Concept for a Fully In Situ Resource-Derived Habitat for Martian Environment

摘要

To date, concepts for establishing long-term habitats for a human crew on Mars have revolved around the periodic delivery of wholesale systems built fully on Earth, which then dock together in a similar fashion to the International Space Station. While initial missions will require such rigorously-tested systems, this ‘plug-and-play’ method of pre-built systems from Earth becomes unfeasibly costly over time due to the high launch mass. In situ resource utilization (ISRU) provides a cost-effective, sustainable means of expansion and maintenance of a human habitat on Mars. In this paper, we propose a design for a Martian human habitat for a crew of four constructed exclusively with in situ resources, using existing technologies in robotics, materials processing, and additive construction. We further draw attention to livability and architectural considerations in the design which operate in tandem with engineering ones, as they are critical to long-term human habitation.