A Permanent Settlement on Mars: The Architecture of the Mars Homestead Project

Document Number: 2005-01-2853

Date Published: July 2005

Author(s):
Georgi Petrov - Laguarda.Low Architects
Bruce Mackenzie - Mars Foundation
Mark Homnick - Mars Foundation
Joseph E. Palaia - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract:
The Mars Homestead\sT Project is an interdisciplinary effort having the following objectives: 1. Establish the needs for a first permanently inhabited settlement on Mars. 2. Develop a design for that settlement. 3. Identify related core facility, mining, and manufacturing technologies.

Emphasis has been placed on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) in order to reduce transportation requirements. A preliminary programming activity has been completed and prototyping of key technologies is being planned. The ultimate goal is to build full-scale terrestrial analog that will provide an experimental platform for testing strategies for constructing permanent settlements beyond Earth.

The NASA Mars Design Reference Mission (DRM) is a detailed design for the first human missions to Mars that serves as a standard to which other proposals can be compared. The Mars Homestead design will serve the same function for the next step in Martian development, the first permanent settlement built by maximizing the use of local resources.

This paper covers the master planning, architectural, and structural aspects of the Mars Homestead Project, with emphasis on the design of sustainable and pleasant spaces that facilitate the development of a viable community by a small group of people living in isolation and extreme conditions, within the realistic engineering constraints of safety, efficiency, and expandability.

File Size: 2803K
Product Status: In Stock

See other papers presented at International Conference On Environmental Systems, July 2005, Rome, ITALY, Session: Research and Analysis

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