The Curiosity Rover on Mars, from: NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is systematically moving ahead with the preparations for the Mars Immigration Program.
A few days ago, preparations entered a new phase: NASA, together with six private companies, plans to build a 1:1 proportion deep-occupancy residential prototype on Earth. The six companies were screened out by NASA in the second round of NextSTEP projects launched in April this year. On August 10th, US Eastern Time, NASA announced on its official website a list of the six companies selected. They are:
Bigelow Aerospace
Boeing
Lockheed Martin
Orbital ATK Orbital ATK
Sierra Nevada Corporation
NanoRacks
NextSTEP's full name is "Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships". This "partnership" refers to cooperation between the US government and private companies in conducting space business exploration.
In 2015, NASA initiated the first round of NextSTEP project recruitment. The main goal is to promote the concept study of deep space residence and exploration of near-Earth orbit commercial capabilities . The word “deep space†is generally more distant from the earth than “spaceâ€. Layer space, even beyond the solar system. Four companies were selected at the time: Bigelow Space, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Orbital ATK. The four companies were no doubt selected for this second round of solicitation. The goal of the second round of solicitation is to further promote near-Earth orbit commercial investment and possess deep-space residential building capabilities in recent months. In the near-month, space will be used as a testing ground for migrating Mars after 2020.
The deep-space shelter will provide a safe living environment for people visiting Mars. It is the third part of NASA's plan to explore Mars. The first two parts are the Space Launch System and the Orion Orion Crew Capsule project.
Housing prototypes built on Earth will be used for three main purposes: support for integrated system testing, human factors and operational testing, and help define the functions of the entire system . Jason Crusan, head of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems department, said: "Humans can live and work independently in this deep-space residence for months or even years, without the need for Earth to deliver supplies."
The following is a conceptual map of the deep space cabins of the six companies:
Boeing:
Bigelow Space Company:
Lockheed Martin:
Track ATK:
Sierra Nevada Company:
Nanonics:
The six companies will have up to 24 months to develop a model of the cabin or to conduct research on the concept of deep cabins. According to the contract signed by NASA and the six companies, NASA's total investment will reach US$65 million in the two years of the 16th and 17th years. There will be follow-up investment after 2018. And these 6 companies need to bear at least 30% of the total manufacturing cost.
Via Engadget
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