10 bizarre proposals for 3D-printed NASA bases on Mars
We've selected 10 of the most unusual and far-fetched proposals for Mars housing submitted as part of NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
A shortlist of 30 designs has been chosen for the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, launched in May by US space agency NASA and America Makes, the country's national additive-manufacturing innovation institute.
Entrants were challenged to develop "state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3D printing offers", but also offer comfortable living spaces for future Red Planet inhabitants. A prize of $50,000 (£33,000) will go to the winning design, to be awarded at the 2015 World Maker Faire in New York.
Foster + Partners' has already unveiled its submission – a 93-square-metre habitat that could be assembled a team of semi-autonomous robots using loose soil found on the planet's surface.
Other designs on the shortlist include a doughnut-shaped house, a structure composed of upside-down ice-cream-cone-shaped rooms, and an underground domed structure that appears to take its cues from Middle-earth. Most have been submitted by anonymous design teams.
See Dezeen's selection of the 10 most striking and imaginative proposals below:
Donut House Mk. 1 by A.R.C.H.
![Donut House Mk. 1 by A.R.C.H.](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Top-ten-mars-habitats-donut_Dezeen_468.jpg)
This ring-shaped structure offers "efficient extraterrestrial colonisation", and could be produced from basalt fibre-reinforced clay – impervious to fire, chemical degradation and radiation.
According to the team, "the roof is modelled on a gothic arch to minimise overhangs, and enable the structure to be manufactured in one operation, including electrical conduits and plumbing pipes."
The Cones of Mars by 3D Fabrication Technology
![The Cones of Mars by 3DFABTECH](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Top-ten-mars-habitats-cone-house_Dezeen_468.jpg)
This Mars base could allow four inhabitants to take advantage of its various social spaces. The cone-shaped rooms are separated by tunnels, to create a "home-like design with privacy for the crew".
The pointed roofs are designed to minimise snow accumulation, protect against sandstorms, and contain a layer of salty Martian water to shelter the structure from radiation and extreme temperature.
The Radicle by Parallax
![The Radicle by Parallax](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Top-ten-mars-habitats-radicle_Dezeen_468.jpg)
Ambitiously described as "a seed for interplanetary colonisation", the Radicle is an expandable modular system that can be "planted" on Mars.
The habitat is constructed as a set of pre-fabricated foldable envelopes, that are deployed to create a working and living space, encased in a 3D-printed shell constructed from planetary resources.
Wazzu Dome (Domed Outpost for Mars Exploratio) by WSU 3D Printing Research Team
![Wazzu Dome by WSU 3D Printing Research Team](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Top-ten-mars-habitats-wazzu_Dezeen_468.jpg)
This partially underground dome-shaped structure is "whimsically reminiscent of J R Tolkien's Hobbiton homes", said the design team in a statement.
Ceilings and foundations could be constructed simultaneously, lessening the build time, while being underground would offer inhabitants greater protection from the planet's challenging environment.
RedWorks Habitat by RedWorks
![RedWorks Habitat by RedWorks](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Top-ten-mars-habitats-redworks_Dezeen_468.jpg)
Another underground habitat, RedWorks has been "adapted from construction principles of ancient cultures, such as pit houses and pueblos as well as natural constructs like the shell of the nautilus".