By Duncan Geere, Wired UK

Deep-space engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Texas are putting together a prototype of a deep space station from scrap parts of the ISS.

The Deep Space Habitat project is an attempt to work out optimum size of capsule, equipment and resources to send outside of the Earth-Moon system and into deep space. That could be to Mars, to an asteroid, or even to one of the solar system's many Lagrangian points.

[partner id="wireduk"]Right now the mission is still at a relatively early stage, sorting out the absolute necessities – things like food storage and life support. Other components like 3D printers and greenhouses for growing food are also under consideration.

Initial concept missions for the structure to cope with cover a sixty-day jaunt into the inky blackness, and a much-longer 500 -day variant. Craft to service the station are also being investigated.

One of the most important considerations in the whole process is understanding how human factors will affect the mission. Making astronauts as comfortable as possible will significantly increase the chances of the mission being a success.

Source: Wired.co.uk