RASC-AL 2023 : Homesteading Mars

                             Unified Living and Technological Outreach Refuge (ULTOR)

  

Participated in the RASC-AL competition, forming part of an interdisciplinary team and developing a mission architecture to send astronauts to Mars for a minimum 7-year stay limited by a 5,000 delivery mass limit.

Objective: Create a comprehensive research paper covering various categories, including Health, Habitat, Flight, Food, Energy, and Innovative Design, with a strong emphasis on research-driven content and creative problem-solving

Contributions: Researching spacesuit design, habitat infrastructure, energy production and management, writing corresponding portions in a technical report

Project Inception and Research 

Spacesuit Research:

  • Developing adaptable, skintight spacesuit layers that mimic Earth's clothing for continuous radiation protection.

  • A foundational suit functions as second skin underwear, while additional layers adjust pressure and protection for everyday tasks and outdoor missions.

  • Research focuses on practicality, minimizing contamination, and exploring materials like shape-memory alloys and cost-effective solar panel integration.

  • Inspired by conceptualization of the BioSuit developed at MIT (See right).

  • Pros of modular suit design: replaceable and interchangeable components, with 3-D printing for in-situ repairs.

  • Challenge: Ensuring secure "locking" of contraction in materials like nickel-titanium remains an ongoing area of exploration.

Habitat Researched: See LUNARK for more information

Credit:

Rus Gant, Kachina Studer, Dava Newman

Habitat Infrastructure Research:

  • Habitat construction options: Exploration of domed and cylindrical structures with their respective pros and cons.

  • Utilizing ice-rich soil: Investigating the use of ice-rich soil as a building material, potential challenges, and benefits.

  • Origami-inspired modular homes: Exploring innovative modular shelter designs, such as those used by LUNARK.

Energy Storage Research:

  • Energy generation and storage: Examination of various energy sources, including nuclear power and solar panels, for sustaining habitats and equipment on Mars.

  • Efficient energy storage: Investigation of solid-state batteries as an efficient and safe energy storage solution for Mars missions.