Abstract

As part of the Mars Society’s continuing operational research this project aimed to demonstrate that masonry construction is a viable building method that will help establish a permanent human presence on Mars. It has been proposed that bricks can be manufactured from Martian regolith. Using pitched-brick vaults and self-supporting domes a wide range of spaces can be constructed using no scaffolding, thus greatly simplifying construction.

To explore this possibility Crew 22 aimed to manually construct a barrel vault with a one meter inner radius, using local stone and sand under simulation constraints. Portland cement and hydrated lime were the only imported materials. Construction lasted for 64.5 man-hours in Sim, and six man-hours out of Sim for comparison. Working in the Mars suits was difficult, but not overwhelming. The biggest constraints were decreased visibility and communication had a bigger effect than the weight of the backpack and suit. The use of irregular stone also proved to be a major obstacle. Time and mortar can be reduced by using masonry units of the same shape and size.