BIG is collaborating with NASA and ICON to study the experience of living on another planet for a long time from the perspective of human experience, which may be a new place for building on Mars ( Martian vernacular) laid the foundation.
Bjarke Ingels' studio BIG is collaborating with the construction technology company ICON and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to build Mars Dune Alpha, the simulated habitat of Mars through 3D printing technology.
This 158-square-meter habitat is under construction at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, USA. It is developed by BIG and ICON to help humans fully prepare for life on Mars.
BIG released a simulated map of the Alpha Mars hills
Four volunteers will live in the Alpha Mars hills for a long time. By simulating the expected life experience on Mars, it helps NASA gain insight into the possible impact on long-term space missions To the physical and psychological challenges of astronauts.
BIG’s partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann wrote in an Instagram post: “BIG is working with NASA and ICON. From the perspective of human experience, studying long-term living on another planet is one thing. What kind of experience, this may lay the foundation for the new Martian vernacular."
The structure will be completed by 3D printing
Alpha Martian hills are currently being constructed by 3D printing technology. Due to the lack of required building materials, 3D printing is the preferred technology for the construction of alien habitats.
The construction technology used in 3D printing is called Vulcan. This is a 3D printing system of ICON,The Portland cement Lavacrete mixture independently developed by the company is used.
The structure is currently under construction at the Johnson Space Center in the United States.
After completion, one side of the structure will become a dormitory for four volunteers, accessible via a shared living space located in the center of the building. On the other side are workstations, medical stations and food planting stations.
ICON said that the height of the ceiling will change to ensure the visual uniqueness of each room, "avoid making the space too monotonous or making volunteers feel tired."
This structure uses the Vulcan 3D printing technology developed by ICON
Each room will be equipped with customizable lighting, temperature and sound control switches, as well as fixed and movable furniture combinations. The residents can Adjust the layout and personalize the interior decoration by yourself.
ICON’s co-founder Jason Ballard said: “This is the most realistic simulated habitat that humans have ever built.”
“Alpha Mars Hill serves a very specific goal, which is to provide humans in another Prepare for life on the planet. We hope to develop the most realistic simulation environment as much as possible to help mankind realize the dream of moving into space."
"The 3D printing simulation habitat further shows us that 3D printing construction technology is human A very important tool for life on earth and to the moon and Mars." Ballard added.
Bjarke Ingels, the founder of BIG, said: “We are working with NASA and ICON to study the experience of living on another planet for a long time from the perspective of human experience.”
“ The data obtained by studying this habitat will directly provide information for NASA’s long-term exploration mission standards, so it may also lay the foundation for new Martian local architecture. With the Alpha Martian hills, we will become a multi-planetary species. The goal is one step closer.”
Researchers will explore the possibility of 3D printing in alien habitation applications
Alpha Mars Hill was built to support NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The council is aerospace Part of the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Simulation (CHAPEA).
The astronaut health and performance exploration simulation is a series of one-year simulations of Mars surface missions conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Laying the foundation for the mission.
NASA is recruiting volunteers for a long-term mission study inside the Alpha Mars Hill, which will be 3D printed, and the mission will begin in the fall of 2022. The mission will simulate a Mars landing mission Various challenges that may be encountered, such as equipment failures, communication delays, and simulated spacewalks, etc.
This project is part of the Astronaut Health and Performance Exploration Simulation (CHAPEA)
BIG and ICON are currently in cooperation with the United States The Aeronautics and Space Administration cooperated in the "Project Olympus" (Project Olympus), which mainly explored how to use materials on the surface of the moon to create a 3D printing infrastructure on the moon.
BIG is not the first building to support life in space by developing buildings Studio. In 2015, Foster + Partners proposed a Mars settlement plan that can accommodate four astronauts. The settlement can be built by semi-automatic robots through 3D printing technology, and the building materials are soil and rocks on Mars.
, SOM Architecture Studio and the European Space Agency (ESA) collaborated to design a lunar settlement and appropriately named it Moon Village. The plan consists of a series of connected inflatable capsules that can be used as a scientific research center Use.
.This article is transferred from Dezeen
