http://www.marsicehouse.com/habitat daily 0.75 2015-10-23 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5604032fe4b0cb7ca5db33dd/1444623824054/mars_section+02_Rev1.jpg The Habitat - A Vertical Habitat The vertically oriented lander, which contains the mechanical services of the habitat, inherits the likely orientation of the crew’s (MTV) Transit Habitat to ease the crew’s adjustment to life on the Martian surface. The habitat’s stacked levels organize core programs by activity within the lander, introducing a spectrum of private to communal interior spaces. Interior efficiency creates sizable storage pockets at the base of the lander to house both the bots as well as the four Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Once the lander has deployed the inflatable ETFE membrane, pre-fabricated bridges unfold from within the lander, creating ‘pockets’ for inserted program. A spiral stair at the core of the lander provides circulation to the upper levels of the habitat, while simultaneously offering the crew a means for exercise when ascending levels. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5606e7d9e4b0afe8da3a8a94/1444682032966/plans3.jpg The Habitat - LEVEL THREE 3A. Crew (100 SF) 3B. Hygeine Area Two 3C. Greenhouse 3D. Intermediate Containment Zone https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5604ae96e4b0be7e3d4d9599/1444623880472/mars_INT-greenhouse-UP_dark-weird.jpg The Habitat - Oxygen Gardens Between the lander core and the ICE HOUSE interior, verdant plant life surrounds the inhabitants. The vertically growing hydroponic gardens serve as the recreational ‘parks’ within the habitat, disrupting the alien monotony of Mars’ landscape while also supplementing the crew’s food and oxygen. The gardens enable the growth of experimental consumable produce, and their placement between programmatic zones offers the crew contact with natural plant life and colors throughout their daily scheduled activities. The resulting variegated “dappled” light effects benefit the crew’s psychological and mental well-being and the ‘yard’ provides space in which to vent any excess oxygen produced https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5604ae9ae4b074d62d874bdb/1444623919762/Mars_Bedroom.jpg The Habitat - Spaces "Hollowed-Out" of Ice The interior volume of ice is printed as a series of conceptually excavated or “hollowed-out” programmatic spaces to form the walls and divisions of the habitat volume. The curvaceous rooms create an illusion of cycloramic space, enhancing perceptions of boundlessness, making a small space seem quite large. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5604ae99e4b0be7e3d4d959c/1444623849957/mars_X-Yard-1_pale.jpg The Habitat - Intermediate Zone Thermally separated from the habitat interior, the occupiable “front yard” pocket just inside the outer shell provides a truly unique protected neutral zone that is not entirely interior or exterior; it enables the astronauts to experience the “outside” without ever donning an EVA suit. This interstitial zone space demonstrates a new, liberating and revolutionary definition of living extra-terrestrially—one that celebrates the novelty and wonder of living on Mars. Additional light qualities, including alternating color therapies, are achieved via robotic printing of the shell’s surface to create a “Fresnel lens” effect, refracting and concentrating the light within the interior surface of the domed structure. The lander’s yard exists where a secondary, semi-independent shell of ice peels away from the exterior shell. The protective redundancy of the double skin creates two layers of space between the ETFE membrane and the lander, that while sharing a common pressure boundary, also creates a distinct temperature and air make-up zone. This creates a hereto-unimagined plant filled green courtyards experience on Mars. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5603b755e4b0aacbd51e1f4d/1444623783218/Mars-Ice-House_Dusk+02_lr.jpg The Habitat - "The Universe is Awash with Water" In probing the galaxy for knowledge about our universe and it's origins, humanity has investigated various possibilities for enabling human habitation beyond Earth. Recent discoveries of water and water-ice in our solar system, such as water deposits on the Moon and Mars, give great promise to uncovering the presence of life forms as we understand them. As water is the baseline resource for future outposts on a number of extra-terrestrial carbon-bodies, NASA has adopted a “follow the water” approach towards exploration. As such, water, the essential building block of life, is our Team’s primary material resource in the formation of the ICE HOUSE habitat design. Given the predicted abundance of water in certain areas on Mars, our approach takes full advantage of its properties as an indigenous material that acts both as a life-force to sustain a human and plant ecosystem, and, when 3-D printed, as our primary fabrication material. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5606e7d9e4b0afe8da3a8a92/1444681953436/plans.jpg The Habitat - LEVEL ONE 1A. Airlock Vestibule 1B. Entry Level, Rover Connection 1C. Intermediate Containment Zone https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5606f8a4e4b0a63e22394dd9/1444623814347/ The Habitat - Water as a Radiation Shield By taking advantage of water-ice’s ability to filter the sun’s rays and protect against radiation, ICE HOUSE prioritizes a life above ground and celebrates the human presence on the planetary surface. The semi-translucent exterior shell reintroduces the terrestrial concept of interior-to-exterior gradients, challenging common assumptions that extraterrestrial habitats require visually impenetrable barriers which divorce the interior from the surrounding terrain. The heart of the structure, the living quarters, is strictly interior, benefiting from the protection of redundant pressure envelopes. As one moves outward towards the radiation-barrier ice perimeter, there is a transition towards integrated plant life and vistas onto the Martian landscape, integrating the outdoors with the spatial environment.   READ MORE about the properties of water ice in absorbing radiation and allowing the transmittance of visible light. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5603b755e4b07ebf58d936ae/1444623802128/Mars-Ice-House_Dusk+01_lr.jpg The Habitat - Celebrating Light & Visual Connection The architecture of ICE HOUSE celebrates the presence of a human habitat as a beacon of light on the Martian surface. The design emerged from an imperative to bring light to the interior and to create visual connections to the landscape beyond, allowing the mind as well as the body to thrive. While scientists have experimented with what could potentially be synthetic replacements for sunlight, artificial substitutes do not hold nearly the same circadian variance or ability to balance a crew’s mental and physical health as does experiencing the sun’s actual and unmediated daily cycles. The water ice counteracts the traditional danger of living above ground by serving as a radiation barrier, offsetting fears of solar exposure that have, until now, projected Martian architecture into a dark underworld—buried beneath a regolithic surface that is believed to contain perchlorates, gypsum and other substances hazardous to human life.   READ MORE about the potential hazards of percholates in the Martian soil. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5604b4d2e4b0fd989ca50b6f/1445566711598/ The Habitat - ETFE Windows Where the ice shell thins, large ETFE inflatable windows filled with radiation shielding gas further expand the perceived volume and frame views into the landscape. Together, these features enable both collective and private opportunities to contemplate the vista of the extraordinary Martian terrain. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5606e7dae4b0afe8da3a8a98/1444682050490/plans4.jpg The Habitat - LEVEL FOUR 4A. Wardroom/Gallery (120 SF) 4B. Food Prep 4C. Greenhouse 4D. Intermediate Containment Zone https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5603b74ce4b00b785628ee2e/5606e7dae4b0054d17037201/1444681965756/plans2.jpg The Habitat - LEVEL TWO 2A. Exercise / Medical Support (60 SF) 2B. Lab (60 SF) 2C. Library / Small Room (60 SF) 2D. Hygiene Area One 2E. Greenhouse 2F. Intermediate Containment Zone https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/5603b85be4b0becc003970da/1443084381462/Mars-Ice-House_Yard+02_lr.jpg The Habitat http://www.marsicehouse.com/ice-on-mars daily 0.75 2015-11-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/56043a3ce4b02fd3ee681ded/1446602200241/ Ice on Mars - Using the Physics of Phase Change If the subsurface ice is exposed to the thin Martian atmosphere with pressures around 600kpA, it will immediately sublimate changing from a solid to a gaseous state and disperse into the atmosphere. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/560439ebe4b0692f31dac3df/1446602209030/ Ice on Mars - Using the Physics of Phase Change But if we were able to capture some of that subsurface ice, enclose it, and use the suns radiation to heat it, we could capture water in it's gaseous phase. In it's gaseous state we can start to collect and pump water vapor for use in the printing of a solid water ice structure. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/56043e2ee4b06c16fde75ae3/1444623339631/ Ice on Mars - Water on Mars We now believe there to be an abundance of water in subsurface and exposed ice in the higher and lower latitudes. Site selection was determined by a multitude of parameters, including balancing access to a shallow ice table from the surface (within 20cm-1m), with temperatures that remain below freezing throughout the Martian year. map data from the 2001 mars odyssey gamma ray spectrometer https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/5639637be4b09a1db8d943a5/1446602315322/ Ice on Mars - Using the Physics of Phase Change Inside the ETFE membrane, we've raised the overall pressure to 70kpA. A heated nozzel on the print head raises the temperature of H20 to be able to print in the liquid phase. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/5604ad38e4b0dce6705ea98d/1446602296745/sci_aircomposition.jpg Ice on Mars - Air composition / Ice Thermally separated from the habitat interior, the occupiable 'front yard' pocket just inside the outer shell provides a truly unique protected neutral zone that is not entirely interior or exterior; it enables the astronauts to experience the 'outside' without ever donning an EVA suit. This interstitial zone space demonstrates a new, liberating and revolutionary definition of living extra-terrestrially—one that celebrates the novelty and wonder of living on Mars. The ice offers a boundary that can mitigate exhaust from the habitat and manage the cyclical relationship between the exchange and transfer production of oxygen and CO2. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/56049634e4b0692f31ddda00/1446602232826/ Ice on Mars - Pressure / ETFE A transparent and fully closed ETFE membrane reinforced with tensile Dyneema is deployed from the lander and inflated to form a pressurized boundary between the lander and the Martian exterior. This membrane, precision manufactured on Earth, is critical protection for the future ice shell, preventing any printed ice from sublimating into the atmosphere. By creating an interior atmosphere around 70 kPa, similar to the space shuttle, and keeping the temperature at the surrounding Mars surface temperature which at this latitude will remain below freezing all year round, we ensure water will remain in it's solid state. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/5604befce4b0c85e10b7410c/1446601997232/ Ice on Mars - Why Water? Water's unique absorption spectrum absorbs high energy short wavelength radiation making it an effective radiation shield. At the same time it allows light in the visible spectrum to pass through creating a unique daylit interior.   READ MORE about the absorption properties of water ice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/5604a448e4b09abd960bd35c/1446602241611/sci_temperature.jpg Ice on Mars - Temperature / Aerogel A translucent hydrophobic aerogel layer with U values of 1 W.m2K and light transmittance of 66% is printed between the inner ice shell and the inhabited programmatic spaces to ensure thermal comfort. A porous substance, 99.8 percent empty space by volume, this additional lightweight material brought on the lander from Earth, serves an efficient air gap to create the necessary thermal break. The insulating layer enables the inner volume to achieve habitable temperatures without melting the ice structure beyond. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/56049c65e4b0d4b8f0892b86/1444623465469/stress.jpg Ice on Mars - Pressure / ETFE The Dyneema reinforced membrane is the only pressure boundary, taking the load of 70 kPa of interior pressure. The form of ICE HOUSE significantly reduces pressure stress responding to necessary pressure geometries. With the burden of the pressure vessel removed by this layer, the ice can remain as thin as gravitationally structurally necessary.   Analysis by L.E.R.A. (Leslie Robertson Associates) Consulting Structural Engineers https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/56043bace4b07f7a3e277167/1446602192106/ Ice on Mars - Using the Physics of Phase Change The key to harvesting and using water on Mars is understanding its it's phase change in different pressures and temperatures. Water ice is found beneath the subsurface of many of the northern latitudes of Mars. We're not sure how far down, but it may be as close as a few centimeters. Although the pressure of the Martian atmosphere is thin, the temperatures are cold enough to allow water to exist as ice beneath the pressure of the Martian regolith. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/563963efe4b06fa12291dc97/1446602225010/ Ice on Mars - Using the Physics of Phase Change Once the liquid H20 comes into contact with a printed ice surface, as the surrounding temperatures remain below freezing, H20 turns into and remains in a solid state. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/560401d5e4b07f7d56f5b464/5639648be4b06a301e339e58/1446602305386/sci9.jpg Ice on Mars - Solar Radiation / Ice Ice absorbs the short wavelength radiation harmful to the inhabitants, but allows visible light to penetrate, and even reflect within the interior space. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/5639664be4b0e877f7ac23a0/1444623339631/ Ice on Mars - Water on Mars We now believe there to be an abundance of water in subsurface and exposed ice in the higher and lower latitudes. Site selection was determined by a multitude of parameters, including balancing access to a shallow ice table from the surface (within 20cm-1m), with temperatures that remain below freezing throughout the Martian year. map data from the 2001 mars odyssey gamma ray spectrometer http://www.marsicehouse.com/introduction daily 0.75 2015-10-06 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071054e4b003ca22339dba/1443303509434/intro.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105ae4b06b221ba3441b/1443450547813/intro9.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105ee4b053dd4650befa/1443450658283/intro15.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105fe4b06b221ba3443b/1443303520606/intro14.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071059e4b06b221ba343f3/1443303515334/intro6.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071061e4b0054d170459b7/1444165470381/intro18.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105de4b06b221ba3441f/1443303518650/intro10.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071059e4b053dd4650bed5/1443303514792/intro7.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105be4b053dd4650bed8/1443303516367/intro8.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071058e4b06b221ba343ea/1444165339947/intro4.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105ce4b09e2b0339c7af/1443303517548/intro11.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071055e4b06b221ba343dc/1443303510837/intro2.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071060e4b09e2b0339c7c7/1443303521376/intro17.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105de4b09e2b0339c7b2/1443303517750/intro12.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071057e4b003ca22339ddf/1443303512487/intro3.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071057e4b003ca22339de1/1443450456314/intro5.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/5607105ee4b09e2b0339c7c4/1443450625777/intro13.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5607102ee4b0fb7874b6707b/56071060e4b053dd4650bf02/1444165366528/intro16.jpg introduction_previous https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/5614375ee4b0efb3f63e2d5b/1443303509434/intro.jpg introduction_previous http://www.marsicehouse.com/3d-printing-with-ice daily 0.75 2015-10-12 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/5606ffd5e4b052251ea0c0f1/1444624274086/ 3D Printing with Ice - the iBo These bots use a triple nozzle to dispense a composite of water, fiber and aerogel along layered rings, printing a spectacular light-transmitting lenticular form that is structurally sound, insulated and translucent. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/56041378e4b0d8ba8266efc2/1443284791057/Printed+Ice+Shell+Outside.jpg 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/560702afe4b0829832aa4d41/1443300020043/IMG_5834.JPG 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/5604138ee4b0e4bfbf70bb28/1443282793378/Printed+Ice+Shell+Process.jpg 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/5606fe92e4b051094fae677b/1444624289517/ 3D Printing with Ice - Making & Climbing the Ice Wall The iBo is designed to deposit layers of ice with a low-volume, close-range nozzle that ensures that any water that freezes mid-trajectory melts and refreeze instantaneously via the energy of its impact (a contact weld). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/560b6565e4b01d267731103f/1444624293535/ 3D Printing with Ice - the WaSiBo this robot is lowered through the base airlock of the lander into the Martian environment. Once outside, WaSiBo operates in two modes: Foundation-Sinter Mode and Water-Mining Mode. Both modes use the same basic processes, heat/pressure and excavation enabling them to be engineered into a single package. Dusty WaSiBo replenishes the supply of water from the exterior through a heated tether encased and protected by the printed foundation (see sequence on building on mars page). Thus, backward contamination by toxic regolith is mitigated.   *Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat and/or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/5603b756e4b0aacbd51e1f66/1444624265340/Mars-Ice-House_Yard+02_lr.jpg 3D Printing with Ice - 3D Printing with Ice Ice habitats on Earth and 3D Printing with ice are not without precedent. In consultation with our Team’s expert scientific advisors, astrophysicists, geologists, structural engineers and renowned 3D printing experts, we have achieved positive experimentation with one to one ice printing and successfully analyzed structural models. Through an understanding of the physics of phase change and the temperature and pressure conditions of the Martian environment, as well as an understanding of the physical deposition techniques required we've designed a process to turn subsurface ice into water vapor, vapor used to deposit liquid water, in an environment cold enough to print a form in solid ice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/56041378e4b0e4bfbf70ba7a/1443283008508/Printed+Ice+Shell+Inside.jpg 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/560702ade4b051094fae8030/1443300019002/IMG_5841.JPG 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56040dfbe4b01e8e3a093e1b/560b652ae4b0bc213aa99d72/1443587370021/ 3D Printing with Ice https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/561b37a5e4b0b66177bb2f72/1444624265340/Mars-Ice-House_Yard+02_lr.jpg 3D Printing with Ice - 3D Printing with Ice Ice habitats on Earth and 3D Printing with ice are not without precedent. In consultation with our Team’s expert scientific advisors, astrophysicists, geologists, structural engineers and renowned 3D printing experts, we have achieved positive experimentation with one to one ice printing and successfully analyzed structural models. Through an understanding of the physics of phase change and the temperature and pressure conditions of the Martian environment, as well as an understanding of the physical deposition techniques required we've designed a process to turn subsurface ice into water vapor, vapor used to deposit liquid water, in an environment cold enough to print a form in solid ice. http://www.marsicehouse.com/building-on-mars daily 0.75 2015-10-23 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cedee4b0da24d9252d03/1444624186296/deployment14.jpg Building on Mars - 14. Print Inner Shell A porous substance, 99.8 percent empty space by volume, this additional lightweight material brought on the lander from Earth, serves an efficient air gap to create the necessary thermal break. The insulating layer enables the inner volume to achieve habitable temperatures without melting the ice structure beyond. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/56059a5fe4b0d59ead0cdeb8/1444624018763/ Building on Mars - 1. Descent Deployment is initiated by a lander, sized for the currently available payload of a Space X Falcon Heavy and NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), both of which are undergoing testing and development. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cf4de4b0fb7874b4fb8f/1444624244418/deployment18.jpg Building on Mars - 18. Crew Explores With all EVA suits external to airlocks, we hope to keep out as much potentially toxic Mars regolith as possible. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd3fe4b052251e9f62c2/1444624085189/deployment6.jpg Building on Mars - 6. Sinter Foundation The double acting WaSiBo collects and laser sinters regolith to provide a foundation for the ice habitat https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd04e4b06b221ba17f3c/1444624061298/deployment4.jpg Building on Mars - 4. Resevoir & Hose Deploy Once released through the hatch, the WaSiBo s remain exterior, thereby avoiding potential contamination with the interior. The double acting machine uses it’s ability to shovel and heat regolith both to collect Martian dust and extract water and other volatiles, while its laser serves to both sinter waste regolith as well as cut solid ice below the ice table. All ice is melted and deposited within a reservoir bag for use in future printing as well as greenhouse maintenance. These bots are energy efficient and low maintenance, as they rely on the physics of sublimation rather than laborious geologic mining, using solar energy and the naturally cold environment (-50C) for the water, ice and vapor phase changes.   READ MORE about using the physics of phase change to collect water. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606ce8fe4b03eb8da7e3c2d/1444624146809/deployment11.jpg Building on Mars - 11. Print Ice The low-volume, close-range nozzle ensures that any water that freezes mid trajectory melts and refreeze instantaneously via the energy of its impact (a contact weld). READ MORE about 3D printing with ice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd4ce4b06b221ba18075/1444624129105/deployment9.jpg Building on Mars - 9. Deploy Airlocks Inflatable/expandable airlocks are factory made and embedded within the ETFE membrane. Because this piece of hardware and it's connection to the overall pressure envelope is so critical, these components are made secure on Earth. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606ce76e4b0ffbc0fe78166/1444624137930/deployment10.jpg Building on Mars - 10. Print Ice Following deployment of the ETFE membrane, ice bots are released from the lander into the pressurized pocket to commence the second phase of printing. These bots use a triple nozzle to dispense a composite of water, fiber and aerogel along layered rings, printing a spectacular light emitting lenticular form that is structurally sound, insulated and translucent.   READ MORE about 3D printing with ice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cf1fe4b02ca27d2e8ac4/1444624233450/deployment17.jpg Building on Mars - 17. Crew Inhabits The heat from the lander and the crew remains inside the habitat due to the layer of printed aerogel insulation.   https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cef1e4b0392b976470d0/1444624213743/deployment15.jpg Building on Mars - 15. Grow Plants Planters and seeds that have arrived with the lander begin to grow within the habitat. This hydroponic system grows using the subsurface water harvested by the WaSiBo s and stored in the foundation reservoir. Along with the mechanical ECLSS systems, these plants will help convert the CO2 of the Martian atmosphere (95% by volume) into the O2 needed to maintain human life. The intermediate zone between the two ice shells will serve to maintain the optimal balance between 02 production and ideal air composition for the interior habitat. This will also assure that the Martian atmosphere will remain uncontaminated by human use. READ MORE about the atmospheric composition of ICE HOUSE. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cebee4b02efb26765bbe/1444624168130/deployment13.jpg Building on Mars - 13. Print Inner Shell A translucent hydrophobic aerogel layer with U values of 1 W.m2K and light transmittance of 66% is printed between the inner ice shell and the inhabited programmatic spaces to ensure thermal comfort. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/56059a7fe4b094761a5b61ba/1444624038133/ Building on Mars - 2. Landing Once within the 3-sigma landing range, a 4x12 mile ellipse, retro-propulsion will blow off the thin upper layer of loose regolith, exposing the subsurface ice and causing it to sublimate, thereby leaving a crater in its wake and eliminating the need for excavation prior to printing a structural foundation. In 2008, the descent thrusters of the Mars Phoenix lander similarly dispersed overlying soil and exposing subsurface ice underneath. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/56059a92e4b094761a5b62a2/1444624044410/ Building on Mars - 3. WaSiBo drop The first phase of printing is exterior in focus, mining the surrounding landscape for water and creating a foundation in which to ground the lander. Bots engineered specifically for both sintering and ice harvesting drop from the lander’s base hatch, deployed to mine subsurface ice and build a new foundation. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cf0de4b0392b97647170/1444624224141/deployment16.jpg Building on Mars - 16. Crew Arrives The vertically oriented lander, which contains the mechanical services of the habitat, inherits the likely orientation of the crew’s (MTV) Transit Habitat to ease the crew’s adjustment to life on the Martian surface. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5603b755e4b0aacbd51e1f4b/1444624007338/Mars-Ice-House_distant_lr.jpg Building on Mars - Building on Mars The potential of 3D Printing with in-situ materials on Mars is significant in that we may be able to build structures without bringing heavy equipment, supplies, materials, and structures from Earth. The ability of construction to be handled semi-autonomously before the arrival of astronauts with digital manufacturing techniques is as compelling as it is technically challenging. Because construction techniques and transit vehicles are so linked with the overall outcome of the habitat, Mars Ice House has outlined a deployment and construction sequence involving the use of a projected mars descent vehicle, a deployable membrane, and semi-autonomous robotic printers to both gather and deposit subsurface water ice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd43e4b052251e9f62d9/1444624111102/deployment7.jpg Building on Mars - 7. Inflate ETFE Membrane A transparent and fully closed ETFE membrane reinforced with tensile Dyneema is deployed from the lander and inflated to form a pressurized boundary between the lander and the Martian exterior. This membrane, precision manufactured on Earth, is critical protection for the future ice shell, preventing any printed ice from sublimating into the atmosphere.   READ MORE about our inflated Dyneema reinforced ETFE membrane and it's stress performance. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd48e4b052251e9f62f2/1444624119326/deployment8.jpg Building on Mars - 8. Inflate ETFE membrane A transparent and fully closed ETFE membrane reinforced with tensile Dyneema is deployed from the lander and inflated to form a pressurized boundary between the lander and the Martian exterior. This membrane, precision manufactured on Earth, is critical protection for the future ice shell, preventing any printed ice from sublimating into the atmosphere.   READ MORE about our inflated Dyneema reinforced ETFE membrane and it's stress performance. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606cea2e4b0ffbc0fe7826b/1444624156602/deployment12.jpg Building on Mars - 12. Print Ice A fibrous clear silica additive (flat-packed in the lander) provides the ice form with greater tensile strength,9 calculated to bolster the strength of ice to the order of 3 times. While ice has been shown to possess tensile properties (~2-3 MPa)10 that are, in fact, superior to materials such as brick (2.8 MPa) and granite (4.8 MPa), the fibrous reinforcement ensures the longevity and integrity of the structure.   READ MORE about 3D printing with ice.       https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/5606bd3ae4b052251e9f62a6/1444624071479/deployment5.jpg Building on Mars - 5. Sinter Foundation The double acting WaSiBo collects and laser sinters regolith to provide a foundation for the ice habitat. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/56059a40e4b07571cdc8982f/56299a3ce4b0b1b4cb84562b/1445567329426/ Building on Mars - Site Selection On Mars, water is abundant in the higher and lower latitudes. Site selection was determined by a multitude of parameters, which included the need to balance access to a shallow ice table from the surface (within 20cm-1m), with temperatures that remain below freezing throughout the Martian year. Considering requisites such as relatively gentle slopes and soft terrain for construction, as well as the desire for maximum possible solar exposure, we have selected an area on the northern flanks of Alba Mons between 45 N-50N latitude and 230 E – 270 E longitude. The volcano display flanks slopes of 2.5-5, allowing us to take advantage of the colder temperatures within the polar regions, while remaining as far south as the predicted distribution of ice permits for solar exposure. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/56299b61e4b0d84d8f54a6d7/1444624007338/Mars-Ice-House_distant_lr.jpg Building on Mars - Building on Mars The potential of 3D Printing with in-situ materials on Mars is significant in that we may be able to build structures without bringing heavy equipment, supplies, materials, and structures from Earth. The ability of construction to be handled semi-autonomously before the arrival of astronauts with digital manufacturing techniques is as compelling as it is technically challenging. Because construction techniques and transit vehicles are so linked with the overall outcome of the habitat, Mars Ice House has outlined a deployment and construction sequence involving the use of a projected mars descent vehicle, a deployable membrane, and semi-autonomous robotic printers to both gather and deposit subsurface water ice. http://www.marsicehouse.com/intro daily 1.0 2015-10-23 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/5626bc07e4b0fcee47551100/5626bc3ce4b0375ec37ed475/1445626361892/ Introduction https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55edd735e4b02e95293af331/t/562a81f9e4b00fcb4bec9cce/1445626361892/ Introduction http://www.marsicehouse.com/comingsoon daily 0.75 2015-09-07 http://www.marsicehouse.com/contact daily 0.75 2016-12-24 http://www.marsicehouse.com/-2015 daily 0.75 2015-10-20