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An Ice House Design Concept For Mars Bets Long On Liquid Water

Posted by timothy on from the mars-mars-mars dept.

The Times of India reports that NASA has awarded a $25,000 first prize to Space Exploration Architecture for their design, called "Mars Ice House," of a habitat suitable for Mars. The concept relies on the (predicted) availability of Martian water, as well as on 3-D printing; according to the text accompanying the design. The 5-cm thick shell of ice which would serve as both skin and support structure for the shelter "protects against radiation without compromising life above ground." Two other teams (Gamma and LavaHive) were awarded second and third-place prizes, respectively.

16 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. I think they neglect the issue of sublimation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That will happen even if the temperature is well below freezing.

    There is a reason the water ice is covered up by dust... It blocks the UV causing sublimation.

    1. Re:I think they neglect the issue of sublimation. by donkeyb · · Score: 3, Interesting

      UV doesn't cause sublimation - it's the fact that the atmospheric pressure is so low that the water undergoes phase transition to the gaseous form pretty much immediately - it's at this point that the high levels of UV disassociate the water vapour into its constituent atoms. The water that has been found recently on Mars is able to survive as water due to the presence of perchlorates in the water which increase its tolerance to low temperatures and pressures. It stand to reason that any ice made from this perchlorate-contaminated water would also be able to survive longer, but without reading the paper (I know, I know) I'm not sure if the authors were aware of this.

  2. Interesting, but... by TheDarkMaster · · Score: 2

    Why every designer insists on difficult and impractical structures to build? Why not use something way simpler to build like a larger version of an igloo?

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    Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
    1. Re:Interesting, but... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 3, Informative

      That's just how they roll. This team has applied the same difficult and impractical design to their website as well, it seems.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:Interesting, but... by GrumpySteen · · Score: 2

      I think you may have some misunderstanding about what is simpler:
      1) Dig up ice, melt it, spray in freezing cold air to make snow (what, you thought there was snow on Mars?), gather snow and pack it into cubes, stack cubes into structure, stack lots more cubes to attain the thickness needed to block radiation (5cm ice equates to 50 cm of snow, after all).

      2) Dig up ice, melt it, use 3D printer to print a structure made of solid ice.

    3. Re:Interesting, but... by Reibisch · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm sorry but it was you who did not understand me. I was talking about how to build, not necessarily have to be of "snow". Nothing would stop me to produce ice blocks and build with them a simpler (K.I.S.S.) geometric shape (the igloo) and in a way that does not require the use of complicated apparatuses such as a 3D printer (you can use your own hands or a simple winch).

      The concept relies on an autonomous lander arriving well in advance of any inhabitants in order to build their habitat.

      I'm not saying that makes their approach any easier or harder, just that relying on an automated construction process allows integrity verification prior to sending anyone.

      Also, so you're aware: the contest required use of 3D printing, not wrenches and hands. Again, not a judgement on which is better, but it's important to understand the constraints involved here.

  3. Re:Ice House? by taiwanjohn · · Score: 2

    Igloos are made out of snow, aren't they?

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  4. Re:Ice House? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Funny

    Probably because of IP violations or cultural reasons: They're afraid of lawsuits by Eskimos over the right to build an Igloo without licensing the IP for the design of and Igloo, or that they are calling it an Igloo, but not building it to the proper cultural design.

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    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  5. Re:NASA pays only 25k for a lot of man hours by GrumpySteen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ideas are cheap, implementation is expensive. Only idiots and patent trolls believe that they should receive huge sums of money for coming up with an idea and then doing absolutely nothing to make that idea into something real.

  6. Re:Ice House? by taiwanjohn · · Score: 2

    Nope. Just snow.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
  7. Buzzy by xenotransplant · · Score: 2

    3D printing and Mars in the same story? I can't even.

    1. Re:Buzzy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Private space too! Oh I have such a chubby right now!!!

  8. science or science fiction? by sittingnut · · Score: 2

    this is what happens when bad science fiction is taken for science. entertaining, sells copy. does nothing else.

    1. Re:science or science fiction? by tomhath · · Score: 2

      B-b-b-but if you ignore physics and economics the idea makes perfect sense.

  9. Re:Ah .. And Ice Is SO Permanent! by phayes · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yup, sublimation, s u b l i m a t i o n, sublimation.

    I also know how to read so I was able to read TFA & their website and learn that they plan on using a EFTE membrane to prevent sublimation. Too bad you can't read...

    --
    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  10. 3D printing on Mars! by tehcyder · · Score: 2

    Presumably the raw materials will be transported by popular "ride sharing" service Uber and financed by Bitcoins?

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    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it