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

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.

Comments

I think they neglect the issue of sublimation.

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:I think they neglect the issue of sublimation.

[donkeyb]

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.

Re:Interesting, but...

[JaredOfEuropa]

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

Re:Ice House?

[PolygamousRanchKid]

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.

Re:NASA pays only 25k for a lot of man hours

[GrumpySteen]

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.

Re:Interesting, but...

[Reibisch]

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.

Re:Ah .. And Ice Is SO Permanent!

[phayes]

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...