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Team: Tomasz Dzieduszynski
Design: The Martian Vault
“If it works, don’t change it!” - this famous quote, frequently used by engineers, is the foundation of my project. Since the “cloister vault” geometry is proven to be effective in supporting structures for more than thousand years on Earth, it will do well in harsh, Martian conditons. The free-standing vault is formed around the inflatable scaffoling by small, 3D-printing robots, which use local regolith as a main construction material. The light but thick honeycomb shell provides protection against radiation and micro-metheorites. The whole complex can grow overtime - just like the International Space Station.
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Team: Hybrid Composites
Awarded: Runner-Up
Our team is a multidisciplinary group of experts who are conducting research in architecture, digital fabrication, computation, material science, additive manufacturing, robotics, mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering.
Our approach is to pursue the use of high performance composite materials and robotic fabrication techniques to challenge and go beyond the current cement based 3D printing approaches. Rather than using extrusion of powder based cement based materials, our team proposes a hybrid approach that integrates multiple robotically controlled fabrication techniques that employ the use of high performance composite fibers and fast curing polymers that react to heat or UV light. Primary structural systems and shell enclosures can be 3D printed by extruding composite fibers woven into various profiles such as strands, sleeves and fabrics through robotically controlled mandrel systems. Primary material for strand production can ideally and abundantly be made by using the local basalt, which can be sourced and produced at sites that have a history of volcanic activity in any terrestrial or extraterrestrial context. If special technological requirements need to be met, conductive metal fibers, fiber optics and other fibers that transmit electricity, data and light can be woven into the composites at designed locations. Through our proposed material and fabrication techniques, the habitat will be a combination of a 3D printed composite lattice that is extruded through robotic arms, serving as structure, and an inner layers of robotically formed composite shells as high performance enclosures.
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Team: Mars Terrain Intelligence Collaborative
Design: Marsapia
The most ubiquitous and accessible material on Mars is the high (6-14%) iron content silica sand which covers the vast majority of the planet’s surface. Once the iron and silica have been separated from the soil matrix, using thermal and magnetic processes, these materials will be moved to hoppers and become the media for induction extrusion /plasma arc sintering heads, positioned by multi-axis CNC hydraulic/servo-driven arms. These robot controlled print-heads will produce first permanent structures on Mars.
The monolithic composite shell will be composed of a sintered ferrous latticework on the internal and external surfaces of the structure and a vitrified then devitrified silica core, effectively granite. The lattice and core will provide tensile and comprehensive properties approximating yet surpassing the structural efficiency of ferro-cement or reinforced concrete due to an algorithmiclly regulated deposition of material possible only by through 3d printing. This variable rate of deposition will allow the section modulus of the sintered medium to respond to the specific structural requirements of the form.
Also, because of the reductive atmosphere of Mars, the ferrous elements utilized will not undergo the destructive expansion due to oxidation that undermines reinforced concrete structures on earth. The resulting steel and silica forms will serve as bunkers, protecting the Martian inhabitants against solar radiation, small bolide impact, strong prevailing winds, and related sand storms. They will also provide structural reinforcement, insulation, and protection for a nested system of prefabricated graphite/resin inflatable containment units which will provide beta radiation protection, and contain the inhabitable atmosphere.
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Team: MP1-S7
Design: Mars Artificial Atmospheric Envelope (M.A.A.E.)
The Mars Artificial Atmospheric Envelope (M.A.A.E.) is designed to be a resilient shell to Mars’s extreme conditions while advancing 3D printing technologies with in-situ resources. M.A.A.E. utilizes a multilayer structural system comprised of both 3D printed in-situ material and an inatable shell made of recyclable ETFE. The 3D printing methods and structure are based on biomimicry. In nature, bees use hexagons to construct their hive as the symmetry reduces the complexity of the structure by its strength to eciency ratio and its smallest total perimeter. The geometry helps maintain consistent sizing, allowing multiple bees to work on various construction areas concurrently. This natural occurrence sets the precedence for using multiple printers simultaneously during construction.
To construct M.A.A.E., a new 3D printer had to be designed. The 3D printer is a composite system made up of four machines: a primary rover with material storage, the “queen bee,” connected to three smaller robotic 3D printers, “worker bees”. When designing the habitable area, there is a focus on the user’s psychological and physiological well-being. Applied research in geometries, lighting, circulation, and spatial qualities determined the nal form of the architecture. A three winged structure focuses on dening adaptive programmatic areas surrounding a central research core. The interior space has a double-height area to provide a sensory break from the conned limits of astronaut life. The Mars Articial Envelope is an innovative structure advancing earthly technology and construction methods, while improving upon micro-housing.
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Team: Team Staye
We believe that boring into the ice of the Equatorial Frozen Sea is the best strategy for initiating a Mars settlement. Easy access to water, protection from cosmic rays, and warm daytime temperatures make this location ideal. Our proposal is based around a silo-shaped habitation, 3D-printed in cement, beginning at the bottom of the bore hole. The silo comprises multiple levels, each having a different programmatic focus. Cement 3D printing enables the creation of walls, cabinetry, furniture, and more, with greater speed, task-specificity, and durability than would otherwise be possible.
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Team: A.R.C.H.
Design: Donut House Mk. I
Awarded: Best in Class: Best Technical Proposal
Team A.R.C.H’s submission uses the design and construction methodology of basalt fiber clay matrix structures for in-situ habitat construction on Mars and other celestial bodies.
The basalt fiber reinforced clay is produced from soils and rocks found on most terrestrial bodies including the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. This material provides an economical solution for extraterrestrial construction, as well as eco-friendly, low cost housing on Earth. Our technique updates the proven technology of “Cobb” construction; replacing straw with basalt fibers, using additive manufacturing to produce efficient, complete, and habitable structures. Furthermore, this material is impervious to fire, chemical degradation, and radiation. Astronauts can use a hand-held nozzle to create various objects out of the clay fiber matrix.
Structures requiring a contained atmosphere would be sealed with water glass, synthesized in-situ. This strong, biocompatible resin can be bonded to the clay structure, eliminating the need for a separate inflatable bladder. The habitat is a ring-shaped structure. The interior would be sectioned for redundancy in the event of damage to the structure. The roof is modeled on a gothic arch to minimize overhangs, and enable the structure to be manufactured in one operation, including electrical conduits and plumbing pipes.
Construction is accomplished using a cable-driven parallel manipulator, comparable to Skycams or Spidercams common in sports arenas. The lack of a rigid frame enables compact storage and simple assembly. Team A.R.C.H. provides a novel structure and construction technique for efficient extraterrestrial colonization and habitation utilizing in-situ resources.
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Team: N.E.S.T.
Design: N3ST
The N3ST (Nested 3D-Printed Settlement Technology), is a safe-to-fail design based on the principles of redundancy, simplicity and incrementalism, which aims 1) to provide atmospheric stabilization, to allow robotic-building in safe conditions, minimizing error and robot failure; 2) to create a life-supporting milieu, granting the physiological conditions necessary for human life; and 3) to generate functional, comfortable infrastructure, understood as design solutions oriented to efficiently support anthropogenic use of the space. These goals are achieved by way of three functional layers: The Exo-layer provides a primary protection to the settlement, that is, to quickly stabilize atmospheric conditions for further development of tasks that require greater control. The Meso-layer is an hermetic volume wich provides an atmosphere with the necessary physiological conditions for sustaining the human life, controlled by the ECLSS. Finally, the Endo-layer creates all the necessary for the development of the activities performed by the crew members, like furniture and resources supply networks.
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