Doule_2008abstr
Copyright © 2008 by Ondrej Doule. Published by the Mars Society with
permission
MARS BASE 10 - CONCEPT DESIGN
PERMANENT SETTLEMENT ON MARS AND TERRESTRIAL ANALOGUE MARS BASE
Ondrej Doule
International
Space University
1, rue Jean-Dominique Cassini
67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden, FRANCE
ABSTRACT
The Mars Base 10 project is based on
a realistic, near-future scenario of space settlement. The underlying approach
is to develop innovative concepts for deployable and inflatable structures
enabling the permanent habitation on Mars for ten astronauts. The project was
primarily developed as an investigation for an analogue Mars Base testbed for the Atacama Desert, Chile and for online
virtual environment experiments (Spaceward Bound 2.0). The design presented in
this paper takes into consideration the technology available in the near
future. Mission strategy perspectives are also taken into account. The approach
is as follows: 1) objectives and scientific goals are defined, 2) the overall
mission strategy drivers and constraints are analyzed,
3) selection of the Mars Base 10 landing site is explained, 4) the Mars base
design drivers are investigated, and 5) the proposed strategy and Mars Base 10
module architecture is introduced. The conversion of the Martian base module
project into a terrestrial analogue for scientific research gives a generalized
picture of how the base could be constructed with the available technology,
materials, and tools used for building similar structures on Earth. The
architecture of the module is determined by the launching and landing
constraints of the Ares V launch capabilities, by Martian atmospheric
properties during high-speed entry, and by general principles that utilize
maximum space and habitable volume inside and research area outside the base.
Furthermore, sustainability and spatial efficiency are major drivers for the
Mars Base 10 architecture.