A Martian Home

With Mars missions gearing up for launch , many wonder how people are expected to live in the Red Planet. What kind of housing will they have? With a little trip to the Greenwich Royal Observatory, we may just find out.

National Geographic has partnered with the Royal Greenwich Observatory and author Stephen Petranek to exhibit the most likely design for future Mars homes for our astronauts.

The creators of the exhibit put safety and economics first in their minds in designing the home. The exterior is brick, made from Martian soil. That’s to maximize the use of indigenous materials, and to lessen the weight needed for the trip.

The spacecraft the astronauts went in will also play a large part. Materials and areas of the craft are cannibalized to make the model home. The double airlock of the craft is used in the home, as well as the ship’s air-scrubbing systems.

But much more surprising is the action beneath the ground. The creators of the exhibit envision a whole colony of these igloos connected by underground tunnels. These tunnels will hold sleeping quarters, storage and crucial oxygen-generating machinery.

The exhibit is open on November 10 and 16 at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, for anybody who wants to visit.

Anticipation

The race to Mars is creating a scramble to find out not just how to get there, but also how will we stay and eventually form colonies. In fact, it was just recently that scientists figured that astronauts may suffer some physiological changes due to the trip to Mars.

There are still many technical hurdles to overcome before we make this monumental move. The Martian atmosphere and climate are not very accommodating to human guests. Living quarters are just a small portion of the infrastructure needed to perpetuate a viable Martian colony.

Even so, NASA, SpaceX, and many other parties are intent on reaching Mars, and achieving this generation’s ” giant leap for mankind.”