JAPAN / Science & Health

Architect pair tap 3-D printing, ice to share top NASA prize for Mars habitat design

In this image, astronauts walk on the surface of Mars toward Mars Ice House, a 3-D printed multilayered igloo that won NASA's 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge in late September. | CLOUDS AO / SEARCH

By Magdalena Osumi
Staff Writer

Oct 16, 2015

In the coming decades, as humans leave Earth to expand the bounds of space travel, astronauts are sure to find themselves for the first time in habitats other than the International Space Station.

Clearly NASA has this in mind, as it awarded a group of architects, including Japanese couple Masayuki Sono and his wife, Yuko, the first prize in a design competition for a Mars habitat late last month.

With the 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge Design Competition, the space agency sought to award the best design of a 3-D printed base for use by astronauts during deep-space exploration, including NASA's journey to Mars.

Architect pair tap 3-D printing, ice to share top NASA prize for Mars habitat design

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