Designed as an entry for a competition organized by Cryptomotors, the luxury sci-fi vehicle is basically what you get when you design an RV for another planet. The proportions of the vehicle may confuse you, but it’s actually a rather massive automobile with wheels that are easily 7-feet in diameter. The purpose of the vehicle was to serve as a purpose-driven luxury habitat on wheels. Spacious enough to host 2 people, it’s almost like a living space and laboratory on wheels… with a design that oozes futurism.
The Cryptomotors sci-fi vehicle (let’s just call it an extraterrestrial RV) comes with a chariot-like design, sporting a split wheel-base on the front. Its cockpit is reminiscent of the geodesic habitats often seen in sci-fi movies, large enough to fit two astronauts in and have them comfortably standing while they analyze soil samples or just go about their day (I just realized I really don’t know what astronauts do on foreign planets beyond exploration and science-stuff). The wheels are extremely interesting too – apart from being much larger than you’d expect, they’re made from a chainlink-mesh that NASA calls the ‘Spring Tire‘.
NASA is enlisting whatever help it can get to make sure its crewed Moon and Mars missions go smoothly, and that might include help from schools. The agency is running a new round of its Moon to Mars Exploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innova...
If you live in a house constructed with a wood frame or wooden siding, this is the last thing you ever want to buy. But if your dwelling is made from brick, concrete, stone, metal, or glass, read on… Do you want to see what termites can do to a piece of wood? With the Termitat, you can grow your very own termite community, and observe the destructive little buggers as they chew through a slice of wood. They’re like Sea Monkeys, but with wood instead of water!
The see-through container comes pre-loaded with a hunk of wood, and an already-installed Pacific Dampwood termite community. Simply give them a weekly dribble of water, and the wood-eaters will gradually bore their way for all to enjoy. The makers of the Termitat claim the acrylic desktop habitat is “escape-proof,” so theoretically wood structures will be safe from a termite invasion, but I’d rather not take the risk.
Still, the Termitat is a cool desktop novelty for those interested in insect behavior, or science in general. If you’re ready to raise your very own termite community, prices range from $139.95 to $159.95. Once your community runs out of wood – in about 2 to 3 years, you can send it back to Termitat, and they’ll rejuvenate the environment for another $75.
We’re just years away from colonizing our first extraterrestrial planet, and NASA’s plans aren’t limited to humans shifting to Mars. Their 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge aims to look at how to develop a printable, easy to set-up home for space-travelers on the Moon, Mars, or even further into the universe. The multi-million dollar competition was designed to challenge teams to build complex habitat setups that could be assembled easily on site, giving astronauts/voyagers a place more permanent to stay in than a lander or spaceship.
NASA selected three finalists (over a period of more than 4 years) through multiple phases of the competition. Finalists were required to present renderings, research and propose materials and schematics, and the third stage ends with actually building prototypes of the shelters. At third place is Team Mars Incubator (video above) with its modular habitat. Each module serves the purpose of a separate room, and is connected by a walkway. Smaller modules are made to be dodecahedral (comprising pentagons), while the large, primary module comprises hexagonal and pentagonal pieces.
Designer: Team Mars Incubator
At second place is Team Zopherus, with the rather unique Zopherus habitat. Rather than carry material to Mars, the Zopherus relies (in part) on materials found on Mars. Essentially a massive interplanetary 3D-printer, the Zopherus deploys rovers that collect material and bring it back to the printer, which binds it together with cement, and prints the habitat out. The habitat uses two nozzles that print in HDPE and the Martian concrete. The HDPE forms a base structure as well as an outer cover for the Martian concrete construction, reinforcing it as well as protecting it from the extreme temperatures of the red planet.
Designer: Team Zopherus
Running for first place is Team SEArch+/Apis Cor, with its twisting smokestack design. Titled the Mars X House, its design is optimized for the pressure requirements of Mars, and comes made with an inner layer of HDPE, followed by an outer covering of concrete and basalt fiber, which is finally reinforced on the outside with vertically spiraling ridges. The house is split into three zones, with their own dedicated emergency exits (the outer spiral staircase), and right at the top is a water reservoir which applies downward pressure on the building, which when combined with the building’s shape, prevents it from exploding due to the pressure imbalance from the inside to the outside.
Shipping materials and components to Mars is an incredibly expensive ordeal, which is why each of the houses attempt at building on-site, autonomously using a fixed set of parts and whatever they can find on the planet… so when the first colonists make their interplanetary journey, they carry only valuable, life-sustaining cargo with them. NASA has finalized on these three designs, and the challenge is all set to end in May with a grand showcase in Illinois where the winner will receive a grand prize of $800,000!
A massive cylindrical habitat that will allow humans to live on Mars and other deep space destinations were unveiled Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center. The potential habitat will provide a safe...
A massive cylindrical habitat that will allow humans to live on Mars and other deep space destinations were unveiled Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center. The potential habitat will provide a safe...
It’s hard enough to send humans to Mars. But once they get there, they will need a reliable life-supporting habitat. Researchers from University of Colorado, Boulder have figured out a way to...
It’s hard enough to send humans to Mars. But once they get there, they will need a reliable life-supporting habitat. Researchers from University of Colorado, Boulder have figured out a way to...
Could humans one day be printing rather than building houses on Mars? In 2014, NASA began a competition to design and build 3-D printed shelters for deep space exploration, including its future...
Could humans one day be printing rather than building houses on Mars? In 2014, NASA began a competition to design and build 3-D printed shelters for deep space exploration, including its future...
NASA is enlisting whatever help it can get to make sure its crewed Moon and Mars missions go smoothly, and that might include help from schools. The agency is running a new round of its Moon to Mars Exploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innova...
