After a journey of nine months and 34
million miles, the first astronauts who venture to Mars could find
welcome refuge in an igloo.
Nasa’s latest concept for living on the Red Planet is an inflatable habitat known as the Mars Ice Dome. It uses a shell of ice to shield its inhabitants from cosmic rays, which can damage cells, increasing the risk of cancer or causing acute radiation sickness.
“When astronauts set foot on Mars they may stay for months,” Nasa said. “These explorers will need shelters to effectively protect them from the harsh Martian environment.” Nasa aims to send the first humans to Mars by the mid-2030s.
The dome would be deployed by robots that would extract water ice from beneath the planet’s surface and pump it into the dome’s casing. A layer of carbon dioxide gas would be used for insulation between the living space and the thick ice layer.
“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,” said Kevin Kempton, principal investigator on the Ice Dome project at Nasa’s Langley Research Centre in Virginia.
Nasa’s latest concept for living on the Red Planet is an inflatable habitat known as the Mars Ice Dome. It uses a shell of ice to shield its inhabitants from cosmic rays, which can damage cells, increasing the risk of cancer or causing acute radiation sickness.
“When astronauts set foot on Mars they may stay for months,” Nasa said. “These explorers will need shelters to effectively protect them from the harsh Martian environment.” Nasa aims to send the first humans to Mars by the mid-2030s.
The dome would be deployed by robots that would extract water ice from beneath the planet’s surface and pump it into the dome’s casing. A layer of carbon dioxide gas would be used for insulation between the living space and the thick ice layer.
“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,” said Kevin Kempton, principal investigator on the Ice Dome project at Nasa’s Langley Research Centre in Virginia.