Space agencies worldwide are aiming to put a human Mars base soon, centuries after famous scientist Galileo Galilei discovered it. Different companies have shared their futuristic designs of what it would look like on the Red Planet to put up a human colony in the future.
Mail Online reported that some of these designs were from known companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, the 3D-building of Texas-based construction tech startup ICON, and the Mars Lander Habitat that resembles Matt Damon's 2015 blockbuster movie called The Martian.
Mars Dune Alpha
Mars is calling. ☎️
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) October 19, 2021
To help us prepare for missions to the Red Planet, @NASA is working with partners to 3D-print Mars Dune Alpha, a simulated Mars habitat and future home to Mars mission simulation crews at @NASA_Johnson.
Learn more: https://t.co/sizJlzHPEG pic.twitter.com/2GkbwSdbH3
ICON's Mars Dune Alpha is an analog habitat that simulates a possible Mars base where humans will stay. It used 3D printing technology to design the simulated Mars base at NASA's Johnson Space Center that will help prepare for long-duration human missions to the Red Planet.
In August, NASA announced that they are recruiting four people who will undergo a year-long experience of Mars Mission simulation. They will be living inside the 3D-printed 1,700-square-foot Mars habitat. Science Times previously reported that NASA is already taking applications from "highly motivated individuals" to join the series of Mars missions called Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA).
Their tasks could include navigating through limited resources, failing equipment, delays in communication, and dealing with environmental stressors. Additionally, they are likely to simulate spacewalks, scientific research, virtual reality, and robotic controls.
Mars Case
Another Mars base concept is from a China-based firm called Open Architecture. They call their project Mars Case, designed as micro-units on the Red Planet. According to the American Institute of Architects, Mars Case was originally intended for future habitats on Earth as climate change worsens, says Open Architecture founding partners Li Hu and Huang Wenjing.
Mars Case is an aluminum cube measuring only 130 square feet, easily packed and stacked for transport. More so, it is complete with all humans will be needing in a home once they are in the Red Planet. These include a bathroom and shower, cooking facilities, and a storage area. Once on the Martian surface, it will unfold and form into a near-spherical inflatable living module where humans could sleep, study, and eat.
For now, the designers of Mars Case said that they are still polishing their designs to address concerns and make some improvements to the module.
SpaceX's Mars Base Alpha
In 2018, Elon Musk revealed his plans to build an outpost for humans on the Red Planet. He explained that SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket would help ferry humans to Mars, where they would stay in a dome-like structure called the Mars Base Alpha. Space.com reported.
The Mars base is part of his long-term vision to establish a city on Mars with over a million people living in it in the next 50 to 100 years. He hopes to start building it by 2028, when Mars Base Alpha could graduate from the artistic rendering stage to becoming a reality.
RELATED ARTICLE: Mars Dune Alpha Simulates Living on the Red Planet: What Is Inside the 3D-Printed Habitat in Johnson Space Center?
Check out more news and information on Mars in Science Times.
