Category Archives: Space Settlement

Contests and Games, Education, Space Settlement

NAS’s eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Challenge invites student team applications

NASA’s  eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge invites student teams to submit proposals for systems for deep-space habitats for the 2013-2014 round of the program. (See also this recent report on the 2013 projects: 2013 X-Hab Innovation Challenge Progress Update – NASA – Feb.11.13)

College and university students now have a chance to help design a deep-space habitat. The Exploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge, first offered in 2010, is now accepting applications for the 2014 challenge.

But they need to act fast. May 1, 2013 is the deadline for student teams to submit their plans for designing, manufacturing, assembling and developing test systems for use on NASA’s deep-space habitat prototype.

X-Hab

The eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge
is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines.

Past projects have included an inflatable loft for crew sleeping quarters, plant growth systems, sample handling tools, stowage systems and habitat layout designs. This year, students from multiple disciplines may choose projects from a variety of possibilities such as photovoltaic solar arrays, in-space manufacturing workstations, virtual window telepresence systems and habitation systems. Students will work together on potential solutions to the challenges future astronauts may face as they live and work farther and farther away from Earth.

“X-Hab is a win-win for NASA and students — human space exploration greatly benefits from students’ energy and creative designs, and students get a terrific boost from their direct interaction with NASA experts,” said Lora Bailey, Deep Space Habitat project manager at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We all share in the excitement that student designs could become the basis for future human habitat technologies and concepts!”

The X-Hab Challenge is part of a continuing effort to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, and provide a real-world challenge exposing them to engineering and design processes. NASA will benefit directly from the innovative habitation-related concepts and technologies.

The challenge is run by the National Space Grant Foundation for the Deep Space Habitat project team at Johnson, a part of NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The goal of for the X-Hab Challenge is to help NASA inspire the workforce and explorers of the future. Winners will receive between $10,000 and $20,000 to produce functional products based on their designs. Proposals are due May 1, and awardees should expect to deliver their product to NASA in May or June 2014.

To learn more about the X-Hab Challenge, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/x-hab
http://www.spacegrant.org/xhab/

Contests and Games, Space Arts, Space Settlement

NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement Art Contest

The National Space Society is sponsoring a student art contest:

NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement Student Art Contest

O’Neill Cylinder space settlement by Rick Guidice [NASA]

The National Space Society (NSS) is looking for student artists to create illustrations for the NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement. Submitted artwork should realistically illustrate at least one of the Milestones in the Roadmap document.

All students at any grade level between the ages of 10 and 25 are eligible. Submitted artwork is intended to be used by NSS to promote a future of humans living and working in space and may be used on the NSS website, Ad Astra magazine, and/or a future calendar (we hope to publish a future Space Settlement Calendar with this art work, but that is not yet certain).

Original artwork from entries submitted to the NSS/NASA Space Settlement Design Contest (including previous years) is especially encouraged.

Deadline

The due date is April 22, 2013 (11:59 pm Pacific Time). Our goal is to have winners announced on May 1, 2013.

Prizes

One piece of art will be awarded the Grand Prize for being the best artwork overall.

Up to 12 (twelve) entries will be selected as First Prize recipients from different grade level categories. These include grades 5-8, 9-12, undergraduate, and graduate.

Other additional pieces of art may be selected for Honorable Mention.

All accepted entries will receive certificates of participation. All winning entries will receive certificates of merit and the following prizes (more prizes may be added to this list during the contest).

The Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • Publication on the cover of the National Space Society magazine, Ad Astra
  • An award certificate at the annual International Space Development Conference
  • Complimentary registration to the 2013 International Space Development Conference in San Diego, California (does not include travel, accommodations, meals, etc.)
  • 1 year complimentary membership in the National Space Society, including a subscription to Ad Astra magazine
  • 5 complimentary copies of the Ad Astra magazine the art work is featured on
  • Publication in a future National Space Society Space Settlement Calendar (if published), including being a finalist for the cover art for such calendar
  • 5 complimentary copies of any future Space Settlement Calendar featuring the work
  • Publication on the NSS website “Winner’s Gallery” for this contest
  • Possible publication in the various forms of web, banners, posters, brochures, and/or other NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement publications

Each First Prize winner will receive:

  • 1 year complimentary membership in the National Space Society, including a subscription to Ad Astra magazine
  • Publication in a future National Space Society Space Settlement Calendar (if published)
  • 2 complimentary copies of any future Space Settlement Calendar featuring the work
  • Publication on the NSS website “Winner’s Gallery” for this contest
  • Possible publication in the various forms of web, banners, posters, brochures, and/or other NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement publications

Any Honorable Mention winners will receive:

  • 1 year complimentary membership in the National Space Society, including a subscription to Ad Astra magazine
  • Possible publication in a future National Space Society Space Settlement Calendar
  • A complimentary copy of any future Space Settlement Calendar featuring the work
  • Publication on the NSS website “Winner’s Gallery” for this contest
  • Possible publication in the various forms of web, banners, posters, brochures, and/or other NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement publications

The works of art accepted to the NSS Space Settlement Art Contest will be on public display in the Gallery of Submitted Space Settlement Art.

Continue…

Space Arts, Space Settlement

Bryan Versteeg illustrates the future of space development

Bryan Versteeg has developed a very distinctive and impressive style of illustration of future space habitats, asteroid mines, Mars bases and other space facilities. See galleries of his images and videos at Space Habs by Bryan Versteeg.

For example, he created the asteroid mining images for Deep Space Industries, Inc.

Fuel Harvester concept:

DSI Asteroid Harvester

Wheel Construction:

DSI - Wheel Construction

 

Space Arts, Space Settlement

Space colony artists

1 Comment

Here’s an article about the artwork created to illustrate the large in-space habitats proposed by Gerard O’Neill and co-workers in the 1970s: The Men Who Made Space Colonies Look Like Home – DiscoverMagazine.com

Space Settlement, Space Systems

ESA: Building a lunar base with 3D printing

The ESA released this interesting item about building structures on the Moon with large scale 3D printers:

Building a lunar base with 3D printing

31 January 2013: Setting up a lunar base could be made much simpler by using a 3D printer to build it from local materials. Industrial partners including renowned architects Foster + Partners have joined with ESA to test the feasibility of 3D printing using lunar soil.

“Terrestrial 3D printing technology has produced entire structures,” said Laurent Pambaguian, heading the project for ESA.

“Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat.”

Foster + Partners devised a weight-bearing ‘catenary’ dome design with a cellular structured wall to shield against micrometeoroids and space radiation, incorporating a pressurised inflatable to shelter astronauts.

A hollow closed-cell structure – reminiscent of bird bones – provides a good combination of strength and weight.

1.5 tonne building block

The base’s design was guided in turn by the properties of 3D-printed lunar soil, with a 1.5 tonne building block produced as a demonstration.

“3D printing offers a potential means of facilitating lunar settlement with reduced logistics from Earth,” added Scott Hovland of ESA’s human spaceflight team.

“The new possibilities this work opens up can then be considered by international space agencies as part of the current development of a common exploration strategy.”

Multi-dome base being constructed

“As a practice, we are used to designing for extreme climates on Earth and exploiting the environmental benefits of using local, sustainable materials,” remarked Xavier De Kestelier of Foster + Partners Specialist Modelling Group. “Our lunar habitation follows a similar logic.”

The UK’s Monolite supplied the D-Shape printer, with a mobile printing array of nozzles on a 6 m frame to spray a binding solution onto a sand-like building material.

D-ShapeTM printer

3D ‘printouts’ are built up layer by layer – the company more typically uses its printer to create sculptures and is working on artificial coral reefs to help preserve beaches from energetic sea waves.

“First, we needed to mix the simulated lunar material with magnesium oxide. This turns it into ‘paper’ we can print with,” explained Monolite founder Enrico Dini.

“Then for our structural ‘ink’ we apply a binding salt which converts material to a stone-like solid.

“Our current printer builds at a rate of around 2 m per hour, while our next-generation design should attain 3.5 m per hour, completing an entire building in a week.”

Italian space research firm Alta SpA worked with Pisa-based engineering university Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna on adapting 3D printing techniques to a Moon mission and ensuring process quality control. The effect of working in a vacuum was also assessed.

“The process is based on applying liquids but, of course, unprotected liquids boil away in vacuum,” said Giovanni Cesaretti of Alta.

“So we inserted the 3D printer nozzle beneath the regolith layer. We found small 2 mm-scale droplets stay trapped by capillary forces in the soil, meaning the printing process can indeed work in vacuum.”

3D-printed sculpture

Simulated lunar regolith is produced for scientific testing by specialist companies, typically sold by the kilogram. But the team required many tonnes for their work.

“As another useful outcome, we discovered a European source of simulated lunar regolith,” added Enrico.

“Basaltic rock from one volcano in central Italy turns out to bear a 99.8% resemblance to lunar soil.”

“This project took place through ESA’s General Studies Programme, used to look into new topics,” Laurent commented.

“We have confirmed the basic concept, and assembled a capable team for follow-on work.”

Lunar south pole

Factors such as controlling lunar dust – hazardous to breathe in – and thermal factors will require further study.

3D printing works best at room temperature but over much of the Moon temperatures vary enormously across days and nights lasting two weeks each. For potential settlement, the lunar poles offer the most moderate temperature range.