NASA Offers $ 2.25m For Building 3D-Printed Space Habitat
"The future possibilities for 3-D printing are inspiring, and the technology is extremely important to deep space exploration," said Sam Ortega, NASA's Centennial Challenges programme manager.
"This challenge definitely raises the bar from what we are currently capable of, and we are excited to see what the maker community does with it," said Ortega.
The second phase of the competition is divided into two levels. The Structural Member Competition (Level 1) focuses on the fabrication technologies needed to manufacture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone.
The On-Site Habitat Competition (Level 2) challenges competitors to fabricate full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables.
Both levels open for registration on September 26, and each carries a USD 1.1 million prize.
Winning concepts and products will help NASA build the technical expertise to send habitat-manufacturing machines to distant destinations, such as Mars, to build shelters for the human explorers who follow.
On Earth, these capabilities may be used one day to construct affordable housing in remote locations with limited access to conventional building materials.
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