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Design Gallery
Germany
The initial German design sought to make use of all available space within the basic habitat shell by providing a tools of four decks of usable space. This was done by elevating the basic habitat design to allow space underneath for the descent engines (as would be required on a real hab unit used to land on Mars). This not only provided space where the "descent engines" could be housed in a "real" habitat unit, but also provided space for garaging an analogue pressurised rover. The remaining decks on the unit were designed to be split-level, maximising avaiable space to provide plenty of equipment storage space, together with the expected amenities: individual sleeping berths for the crew, a communial living / dining area; workshops and laboratories; an EVA preparation room and two airlocks to enter / leave the vehicle. The design even included an emergency escape system using a rooftop hatch and external ladder, should a fire break out in the lower decks and cut off escape via the airlocks. |
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The German design also incorporated a number of other innovations - such as the use of dust traps to prevent the undue transfer of dirt and dust from outside throughout the hab (a very necessary requirement on Mars, where dust contamination could be a very real irritant to both the crew and the electronics in the hab).
The major drawbacks with the initial German design were those of stability and internal structural strength. The height of the vehicle risked problems of stability in the high winds liable to be encountered during the Icelandic winter months (when wind speeds could reach some 200kp/h), which put the hab at risk of being blown over (while similarly-high winds can occur on Mars, the very thin atmosphere means they have only the equivalent force of a 30kp/h wind here on Earth). The split deck arrangement used within the initial German design risked compromising the internal strength of the hab, as they prevented the installation of a central support beam needed to provide this additional strength.
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