See the "houses" that can be built with 3D printers on Mars

The dream of reaching Mars and colonizing another planet is old and with each passing year, it seems closer, even more with initiatives like SpaceX's Elon Musk. Although this must take a long time to come true, NASA has developed several theme-related projects and one of them is a competition launched in 2014, which provides the best ideas for making homes on the market. red planet.

The 3D Printed Habitat Contest brought together 18 teams from around the world in three stages, entitled to Scholarship, and the main challenge was to design housing models that could be made from scratch. 3D printers. – The simplest, fastest and safest way to build a structure in a resource-poor place.

The houses had to be at least 92 square meters, enough to accommodate four people and the researchers had to build autonomous systems. for its construction. Thus, they would be ready as soon as the explorers reached the Martian soil. Check out the most enjoyable projects in ascending order, and cash prizes, based on ratings given by a group of experts, made up of members of the US Space Agency, academia and the industry.

5. Northwestern University of Evanston, IL – $ 17,881

This approach puts the emphasis on privacy, with a removable barrier between rooms and workplaces / social. Its structure, which offers a living space in a horizontal model, differs considerably from other ideas.

SEArch + / Apis Cor, New York – $ 19,580

Here, the inspiration was in Nordic architecture, focusing on the possibility of letting in as much natural light as possible.

3. Kahn-Yates of Jackson, Mississippi – $ 20,622

The design looks like a shell, which, according to the authors, gives priority to the defense against one of the biggest dangers of Mars: dust storms. They also offer a garden that could provide food and recreation.

AI SpaceFactory, New York – $ 20,955

The project puts the emphasis on creating cylinders to optimize the use of space in a vertical construction.

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1. Zopherus Team from Rogers, Arkansas – $ 20,957

First place highlights autonomous robots responsible for building modular structures. Using Martian soil, their machines made everything from scratch, using Martian soil as raw material for "cement".

Now, these five finalists will play a final phase, scheduled for 2019, with a much larger prize of $ 2 million.

The dispute is tight, but if there is anyone who has gained the most here, it is NASA who did not even need to put forward his scientists to develop such projects. creative and functional. All that remains is to be able to build all this on Mars.