The new study suggests that future Mars explorers could live in an igloo-like structure near the planet's north pole. Here they will be able to make the most of the solar-rich season.
The Martian poles are known among scientists for their layered deposits of ice and dust, as well as their perchlorate content. Perchlorate is commonly used as rocket fuel.
According to the new Mars Outpost concept, which was outlined by researchers at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne (known by its French acronym EPFL), it is planned that the base will initially be used for a 288-day period. During this time, the north pole is constantly illuminated by sunlight.
The developer proposes to make a dome of polyethylene fiber, and then covered with a layer of ice about 3 meters thick - by analogy with an igloo.
Under the dome, it is planned to place a central space with a living area and three capsules that would serve as airlocks to the outside world. Since the dome will cover all these zones, it will also protect future explorers of Mars from both radiation and micrometeorite impacts, as well as keep the internal atmospheric pressure and temperature constant.
“The poles can be a big problem early in the settlement, but they will serve as a better place in the long term because they contain natural resources that we can use,” says lead author Anne-Marlene Rüede, student of space technology in the EPFL, the EFPL said in a statement.
“We wanted to develop a strategy based on future technologies so that astronauts could complete this space mission in 20 years,” she added.