Aug 25, 2015 | By Simon

Ever since man first landed on the Moon, it’s hard to argue that the last two years have seen some of the most exciting developments in space exploration on record - including the countless efforts by Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX to the launch of the first 3D printer - and subsequently, 3D prints - in space thanks to Made in Space.  

More recently, a team of aerospace engineering and additive manufacturing efforts have been combining the best of their abilities to develop a solution for creating on-demand habits using readily available dirt on Mars.  

“Using Additive Manufacturing (better known as 3D printing) RedWorks is blazing the way forward to the first settlements on Mars,” explains the company.  

"Our team studied simple construction principles of ancient cultures, such as pit houses and pueblos, as well as organic structures found in nature like those found in the shell of the nautilus. The team then adapted those principles to work best with the available resources on the surface of Mars.”

Although there have been a number of efforts done towards developing space habitats, the RedWorks team have taken a unique approach by studying the architecture and building processes that were done by ancient civilizations with primitive materials.  Ultimately, their goal is to mix these traditional building processes with today’s modern additive processes to create livable habitats on Mars.   

The resulting structure designed by the RedWorks team combines the structural benefits observed in the Fibonacci spiral pattern of a nautilus shell and the simple design of a pueblo, which ultimately maximizes the internal volume without exceeding the cap on the area of living space.  Although this design is functional by principle, the team is hoping to refine the design and reduce the surface profile against wind erosion and the number of structural failure points with a smoother design.

In order to build the structure, the team’s plan calls for excavating down and subsequently 3d printing up from the base of the excavation pit.  By excavating and rebuilding the foundation, this allows for certain features of the design to act as a shield to protect the bulk of the habitat from the elements it would otherwise be exposed to on the surface.  From here, organic incremental construction methods by an additive process creates the shelter's basic layout, which can be adapted to produce a suitable structure around existing geological constructs, such as lava tubes, crater rims, fossae, open pits, and crevasse, as well as any unknown structures not apparent from orbit using generative algorithms.  The resulting algorithmically-adapted building design - which features a number of levels for different live and work spaces laid out in a spiral staircase pattern - can open up areas for expanded settlement from the initial habitat by making use of what is already present in the Martian landscape.

As we continue to learn what’s possible beyond our own planet, it’s projects like this that are helping lay the foundation for ensuring that we get out there exploring that much faster.  

“(We are) creating a habitat that will take full advantage of the best of these systems for the first manned mission to Mars,” adds the company.  

“By using long established architectural concepts in concert with new adapted organic construction technologies, we’re designing not just a habitat - but a system that can adapt to build a structure that takes full advantage of existing constructs in the landscape.”


Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

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Keegan Kirkpatrick wrote at 8/26/2015 12:10:09 AM:

Thanks guys! The team loved the article, and its great to get our project out to the community at large.



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