3D Printing To Make Mars Hills, NASA Invites Four Volunteers To Stay For One Year

Want to experience life in isolation on Mars? According to CNN, recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) publicly recruited four volunteers to launch a one-year Mars exploration simulation mission.

The simulation mission will be conducted at the "Mars Dune Alpha" at NASA's Lyndon Johnson Space Center in Houston. The facility is built by 3D printing technology and occupies approximately 1,700 square feet. Volunteers will complete a number of Mars exploration missions in the simulated Mars habitat, such as spacewalks, limited communication, insufficient food and resources, and equipment failures.

It is understood that in the one-year Mars simulation life, volunteers participating in the mission can only eat ready-to-eat space food. At the same time, the base will also try to grow plants, but it will not be like the "Martian Rescue" starring Matt Damon. "That way, all potatoes are planted. The chief scientist of the experiment, Grace Douglas, said in an interview that they wanted to use this to study the real situation of life on Mars.

The conditions of the experiment are very harsh, so not everyone has the opportunity to experience it. On August 6, NASA announced the application conditions on its official website, which is restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents between the ages of 30 and 55. At the same time, it also requires good health, fluency in English, no eating problems, and motion sickness.

In addition, applicants must have a master's degree or flight experience in one of the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics.

Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said that the above recruitment conditions show that NASA is looking for participants with similar qualifications as astronauts, which is undoubtedly a good thing. Because Russia’s previous "Mars 500" simulation experiment was not effective, a big reason was that the people who participated in the experiment were ordinary people.

With the deepening of NASA's exploration of the universe, there will be more and more realistic challenges that astronauts may face in the future. In order to prepare, NASA plans to study how motivated individuals react under long-term, ground-based simulated conditions. This series of tasks is called "crew health and potential exploration simulation". This includes the one-year Mars exploration simulation mission at the Lyndon Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"The simulation on Earth will help us understand and deal with the physical and psychological challenges that astronauts will face before they set off." Grace Douglas said.

According to reports, "Alpha Mars Hill" was designed by the construction company BIG-BJARKE INGELS (BIG) Group and built by the American architectural 3D printing company ICON. It realistically simulates the real Martian surface habitat to support long-term exploration-level space missions.

Four private crew quarters are located at one end of the habitat, and dedicated workstations, medical stations and food planting stations are located at the other end. The irregular ceiling height and the vertically segmented arched shell structure highlight the unique experience of each area to avoid the monotony of the space and crew fatigue. The combination of fixed and movable furniture will allow the crew to reshape the habitat according to their daily needs. Customizable lighting, temperature, and sound controls will also help regulate daily life, circadian rhythm, and the health of the crew.

"We are working with NASA and ICON to study the impact of humans’ home life on another planet... Alpha Mars hills will bring us one step closer to becoming a multi-planetary species." Founding of BIG Group Said Bjarke Ingels, person and creative director.

According to reports, the Mars exploration simulation mission will be carried out three times, and the first experiment will start in the fall of 2022.

In addition, NASA said that the long-term exploration of "return to the moon" is currently underway. NASA plans to send the first woman to the moon in 2024 through the Artemis project. The experience and lessons learned from the exploration of the moon will also prepare the next big step for the US aerospace industry-"sending astronauts to Mars."