Mars Habitat

UCLA IDEAS Technology Studio Spring 2017

Research Lead: Guvenc Ozel 

Instructors: Guvenc Ozel, Benjamin Ennemoser

Technologies: robotic fabrication, gaming engines, novel materials, XR

Students: Alara Akiltopu, Erik Sven Broberg, Jon Bruni, Yifan Chen, Wai Ching Cheng, Alisha Toni Coelho, Hung The Diep, Qisen Dong, Arta Ghoorchian, Zhe Liang, Jian Liu, Teng Long, Tian Lou, Sana Sultan Nasikwala, Tyson Keen Phillips, Nazli Tatar, Zhuoneng Wang, Jinghao Xue, Yue Yang, Xincheng Ye, Zhiyu Zhang, Junzhishan Zhu

The studio gives the exact competition brief of NASA’s habitat for the first human mission to Mars. The brief says: “The brief seeks to develop the fundamental designs and technological ideas necessary to manufacture an off- world habitat using mission recycled materials and/or local indigenous materials. The vision is that autonomous habitat manufacturing machines will someday be deployed to the Moon or Mars to construct shelters for human habitation. On Earth these same habitat manufacturing capabilities could be used to produce housing wherever affordable housing is needed and access to conventional building materials and skills is limited. The goal of the exercise is to foster the development of new technologies necessary to additively manufacture a habitat using local indigenous materials with, or without, recyclable materials.The design should accommodate a NASA crew of four, who have been chosen for their grit, grace and intellect to be the first humans ever to step foot on Mars in 2035. Their new adopted home should contain everything needed to comfortably sustain human life, including cooking areas, sleeping quarters and bathroom facilities. Their jobs as geologists, land surveyors, prospectors, scientists, biologists, & engineers should also be considered while creating this structure.”