NASA creates habitat with 3D printer to simulate life on Mars

The habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, was revealed on Tuesday (11) and is located in the research facilities of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Those residing there will help prepare a future mission to red planet.

By measuring their performance and cognitive abilities, NASA will better understand the “resources” that must be provided during this ambitious journey, explains Grace Douglas, principal investigator of the program called CHAPEA, who oversees this experiment.

It's a crucial point, data “the very restrictive weight limits that can be sent on these missions”, she adds.

The 160-square-meter home includes a vertical farm for growing vegetables, a room dedicated to medical procedures, a relaxation area and workstations.

There is also a door that leads to a simulation area of ​​the Martian environment. On the red sand floor there is a weather station, a small greenhouse and a treadmill, where volunteers will walk suspended by straps.

“We can’t make them walk in circles for six hours.”, jokes Suzanne Bell, program manager at NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory. She explains that this area will replicate the effort and time required for physical activity on Mars.

The names of the volunteers have not yet been released, but they will not be astronauts. They will be under stress regularly, with water restrictions or equipment failures, for example.

This house was 3D printed. "This is one of the technologies that NASA is looking at to potentially build habitats on the surface of other planets or on the Moon.”, says Grace Douglas.

The American space agency is preparing a round trip to Mars, but several details are still missing. This trip, which would last several years, could take place “at the end of the 2030“, according to the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

(With AFP)

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