Mars explorers may live in high-tech igloos under NASA plan

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US space agency NASA is exploring the possibility of building homes on the surface of Mars using an unexpected material: ice.

In a statement released late last week, researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center described ice as "the best building material" to protect humans from the harsh Martian environment featuring extreme temperatures and high-energy radiation.

Langley senior systems engineer Kevin Vipavetz said he and his colleagues assessed "many crazy, out of the box ideas" and finally converged on the current Ice Home design, which he said "provides a sound engineering solution."

Artist concept of the Mars Ice Home. Photo: NASA

The "Mars Ice Home" is a large inflatable torus, a shape similar to an inner tube, that is surrounded by a shell of icy water, which can be extracted from just below the Martian surface in many areas, NASA said.

The structure, which incorporates materials extracted from Mars itself, is lightweight and can be transported and deployed with simple robotics, then filled with water, it said.

The water, an "excellent shielding material" for galactic cosmic rays, also could potentially be converted to rocket fuel for the vehicle used to lift astronauts off of Mars at the conclusion of their mission, so the structure itself doubles as a storage tank that can be refilled.

A cutaway of the interior of the Mars Ice Home concept. Photo: NASA Langley

One key constraint is the amount of water that could be extracted from Mars.

Experts in charge of developing systems for extracting resources on Mars indicated that it would be possible to fill the home’s shell at a rate of one cubic meter per day, which would allow the Ice Home design to be completely filled in 400 days.

Additional design considerations included a large amount of flexible work space so that crews would have a place to service equipment indoors without the need to wear a pressure suit.

Another cutaway of the interior design of the Mars Ice Home concept. Photo: NASA Langley

In addition, to manage temperatures inside the Ice Home, a layer of carbon dioxide gas, which is available on Mars, would be used as an insulation between the living space and the thick shielding layer of ice.

All of the materials selected for the dwelling will be translucent, so people living inside will feel like they're "in a home and not a cave," Ice Home Principal Investigator Kevin Kempton said.

"After months of travel in space, when you first arrive at Mars and your new home is ready for you to move in, it will be a great day," he said.

(Story adapted from Xinhua)

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