NASA 3D PRINTED HABITAT

Year: 2015

Location: Mars

Team: Guvenc Ozel, Onur Karaduman, Mertcan Buyuksandalyaci, Eda Yetim

Created in collaboration with experts from UCLA Department of Engineering and Material Science, the competition entry for NASA and AmericaMakes 3D Printed Habitat challenge received the Runner Up Prize in more than 160 international entries. 

The competition brief put together by NASA required the participants to design a 100 m2 habitat which would be able to accommodate living and research facilities as well as life support equipment for 4 astronauts for the first mission to Mars, built through the use of 3D printing technology using indigenous resources. Instead of 3D printing concrete-like shells from local sand, the team proposed to 3D print high performance composite shells through the combination of locally harvested basalt and carbon with fast curing polymer resins, a 3D printing version of how high-performance boats, planes, satellites, and spaceships are built.