Eight years ago, the NASA space probe Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was fitted with the largest and most powerful camera (more commonly known as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or ); return…
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News: more than 200,000 people from 140 countries have applied for a one-way ticket to join a human settlement on Mars (+ slideshow).
On Monday non-profit organisation Mars One closed their first call for volunteer astronauts wanting to travel to the red planet.
The £4 billion project, founded by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp in 2012, plans to establish the first permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023 and has proposed that humans will live in a modular environment made up of multiple inflatable units.
The settlement would comprise of 1000 m3 of living space – a total of 250 m3 per person for a team of four. The colony would live inside ‘lander’ living units that each feature an inflatable living section. The landers would be installed by roaming rovers and be filled with breathable air from a life support unit before the humans arrive.
“As the habitat will be modular, and constructed using fully redundant systems, even if one inflatable unit is damaged beyond repair, the habitat will still be secure and fully functional,” said the organisation.
There will be solar panels outside of the living quarters and an indoor farm for growing and harvesting foods.
In April, Mars One launched an application website to search for the volunteer astronauts and asked people to submit videos to pitch why they should be selected for the colony. In five months the organisation received 202,586 application videos from people across the world.
Three further application rounds will take place over the next two years. Mars One will then select up to ten teams of four individuals for a seven year training programme – and in 2023 just one team of four people will travel to Mars and settle permanently on the planet, according to the organisation.
“The first footprint on Mars and lives of the crew thereon will captivate and inspire generations; it is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars,” said Mars One.
Other space features to appear on Dezeen recently include a proposal for the colonisation of Mars with caves built by robots and an orbiting factory that will use 3D printing and robots to fabricate giant structures in space.
Here’s the full announcement from Mars One:
Over 200,000 apply to first ever recruitment for Mars settlement
The first round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Program has now closed for applications. In the 5 month application period, Mars One received interest from 202,586 people from around the world, wanting to be amongst the first human settlers on Mars.
Mars One applicants come from over 140 countries; the largest numbers are from the United States (24%), India (10%), China (6%), Brazil (5%), Great Britain (4%), Canada (4%), Russia (4%), Mexico (4%), Philippines (2%), Spain (2%), Colombia (2%), Argentina (2%), Australia (1%), France (1%), Turkey (1%), Chile (1%), Ukraine (1%), Peru (1%), Germany (1%), Italy (1%) and Poland (1%).
From this applicant pool, the Mars One Selection Committee will select prospective Martian settlers in three additional rounds spread across two years. By 2015, six-ten teams of four individuals will be selected for seven years of full-time training. In 2023, one of these teams will become the first humans ever to land on Mars and live there for the rest of their lives.
Each Round 1 applicant is now being screened by the Selection Committee, which is expected to take several months. Candidates selected to pass to the next round will be notified by the end of 2013. The second round of selection will start in early 2014, where the candidates will be interviewed in person by the Mars One Selection Committee.
Aspiring martians who have missed Round 1 or could not meet the age restriction can join subsequent Astronaut Selection Programs. Mars One will commence regular recruitment programs as the search for follow-up crews continues.
The post Over 200,000 people apply
to live on Mars appeared first on Dezeen.
Robots could be sent to Mars to build caves for later habitation by humans, according to a proposal for the colonisation of the planet by German firm ZA Architects (+ slideshow).
The Mars Colonisation project by ZA Architects suggests that humans could colonise the red planet by living in underground dwellings dug out of the planet’s bedrock by an advance party of solar-powered machines.
“Curiosity sooner or later will bring human to Mars and wouldn’t it be nice to have permanent station to explore it?” said Arina Ageeva of ZA Architects. “It seems pretty logical to use caves as the main protective structure of the colony.”
Robots would be flown to Mars to carve out large voids in the basalt bedrock, choosing areas where the rock has formed into distinctive hexagonal columns, which can be removed to create cathedral-like interior spaces. The distinctive, tightly packed stone hexagonal columns, which are also found on earth, are formed where basaltic lava has cooled rapidly.
The robots would then weave web-like structures from basalt fibres to create floors within the caves. Basalt fibres, made by extruding molten basalt, are cheaper and more versatile then carbon fibres, and could replace traditional construction materials on Mars, according to Ageeva.
“We can weave minimal surfaces that will be used as floors on different levels in the cave,” she told Dezeen. “This material is already in use in the aerospace and automotive industries. It is stronger and lighter than steel, easier to operate, fireproof and it does not corrode,” she added.
The Mars colonisation project was undertaken by Dmitry Zhuikov, Arina Ageeva, Krassimir Krastev of ZA Architects as part of a research project at Dessau Institute of Architecture (DIA), HS Anhalt, in Germany.
Ageeva believes humans will be sent to live on Mars within a decade, and cited the Mars One project that plans to send volunteers to establish a colony on Mars by 2023. “Right now it is may not be possible, because such robotics do not exist, but generally we don’t see anything unrealistic in this proposition,” she said.
We’ve featured a number of space-related projects recently, including an orbiting factory that will use 3D printing and robots to fabricate giant structures in space and a concept for 3D printing buildings on the moon using lunar soil.
See more features about space »
See more robots on Dezeen »
Here’s more from the architects:
Mars Colonisation
The purpose of the project is in research of the possibility to build permanent settlements on Mars, using robotics and local materials, thus reduce the price and risks. At the moment there are several crucial restrictions, first of all unreliability, high cost and size limitation of cargoes that can be delivered there.
Further, building works that can be performed on the Mars are highly restricted due to severe conditions. Idea of this project is to split construction works on two general steps: First – creation of overall big shell that will be equipped with residential, technical and other units, which is the second.
First part is to be done by the robots using only local materials. Martian surface is primarily composed of the basalt – igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava. During the cooling it forms topology of the tightly packed hexagonal in section columns. Idea to use the digging robots that can hew cave system, using benefits of this topology is inspired by the Fingal’s Cave. This solution allows to avoid supply from the Earth, only robots are needed.
After cave is done, astronaut mission is sent to the Mars. Using ready-assembled compact facilities they must arrange water and oxygen supply from the soil glacier and mount basalt processing plant. Robot supply plant with the crushed rock, output – basalt wool, with which the same robots insulate the walls of the cave, and basalt roving, from which another weaving robots can make the spatial spider-like web that will be used as spaces and constructions to hold the domestic and technical facilities.
According to NASA, some martian soil appropriate for growing certain agricultures. When construction is finished and contour of the cave is enclosed it is possible to arrange agricultural processes and supply base with food.
Colonisation stages:
1. Rocket with digging robots and solar power supply units are sent to the Mars
2. Robots drop-off on the surface
3. Robots analyze basalt columns on strength value, then each chooses a weakest pillar that equidistant from the others – it is a start position
4. Robots drill basalt, moving down and increasing diameter of withdrawn rock with each step, until it reaches strong pillars that remain as columns
5. Crushed rock set aside to form network of the ramps, in order to protect skylight holes from the wind and dust
6. After caves are ready human expedition travel to Mars
7. Astronauts finish the construction and arrange technical facilities as water, oxygen, basalt processing line, etc.
8. Using generated basalt roving, robots weave spatial spider-like web, that will be used as spaces and construction to hold domestic and technical facilities
name: mars colonization
status: concept
location: Mars
function: industrial, public, residential
architects: Dmitry Zhuikov, Arina Agieieva
curator: Krassimir Krastev
year: 2013
The post Mars Colonisation
by ZA Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
1. Gary Card’s Abandoned Amusement Park Renowned set designer Gary Card has created larger-than-life, fantastical works for everyone from Lady Gaga and the New York Times’ T Magazine, to the London concept store LN-CC. In his first solo exhibition, “Abandoned Amusement Park Attraction,”…
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Le designer tchèque Lukas Vojir a réalisé cette superbe vidéo d’animation sous Cinema 4D et After Effects appelée « Life On Mars ». Une création visuellement très réussie au style rétro-futuriste, qui imagine la vie sur Mars. A découvrir en images et en vidéo dans la suite de l’article.
Echolab, un studio spécialisé dans le sound design, a imaginé avec le studio de motion-design Korb ce que donnerait la diffusion du son et l’impact sur la planète Mars. Le résultat est tout simplement hallucinant, aussi bien sur le plan visuel que sonore. A découvrir en images dans la suite.
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Une nouvelle mise à jour de la catégorie Film Open par Orange et Fubiz avec cette fois-ci la mise en ligne du thème “Le Partage”. Des plans et des portraits s’enchainant au fur et à mesure du tournage. A découvrir en vidéo dans la suite de l’article.
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