Before astronauts go to Mars, they can go to M.A.R.S. – the Modular Analog Research Station, a project which simulates a mission to the moon or Mars. Located in Poland, the M.A.R.S. habitat consists of four underground modules plus a central office that includes a kitchen and social room. The first module consists of a bedroom, gym and hygiene room, while the second will contain bioreactors and research instruments. The third module will be for storage – of food, equipment, etc. – while the fourth will serve as a laboratory.
The six participants in the two-week experiment will live in the base and travel from module to module on foot or in a small two-person vehicle, wearing space suits that measure oxygen levels, carbon dioxide, pressure and temperature. They will collect research samples via a Mars rover that was created by students at Rzeszów University of Technology. Meanwhile, they will receive notifications such as sandstorm warnings and energy level notifications from nuclear reactor simulators.
One of the first questions that springs to mind regarding long-term space missions is: what will the astronauts eat? That question will be addressed in the simulation, of course: the participants will receive vitamins, microelements and proteins from produced in bioreactors, and they will also cultivate edible plants through hydroponics. That’s where 3D printing comes in to this particular mission. Verashape, creator of the VSHAPER 3D printer line, will be 3D printing the equipment that the participants will use to cultivate the plants.
“We decided to combine hydroponics with 3D Printing and create a modern hydroponic cultivation dedicated to space solutions. Containers that will be included in its composition will be printed using 3D Printing technology in cooperation with the VSHAPER Printer manufacturer,” said Olga Grabiwoda of the Design Institute in Kielce.
Other nutrition will come from insects and algae, via the bioreactors. That’s obviously going to take some getting used to, as is everything involved in a mission to the moon or Mars, and the goal of the simulation is to see how well astronauts can adapt to the conditions of such a mission. Sociological and psychological examinations will be performed, in addition to the gathering of data such as sleep quality, hormones, pulse and sugar levels. The results of the experiment will be made available to the public in the form of scientific and popular science publications.
Several Polish companies are involved in the simulation, providing technology such as a lock through which the participants will enter the habitat, bioreactors and a microgravity simulation machine. The Verashape team, for its part, is thrilled to be participating in such an experiment.
“We could not be indifferent to such an interesting initiative,” said Jacek Wach, Marketing Manager at Verashape. “There are only a few places like this one in the world – in China, Hawaii and the Deserts of Utah. We are very willing to engage in research projects. Participating in the M.A.R.S. project we indirectly contribute to the development of the space industry in Poland.”
The M.A.R.S. initiative was developed by Dr. Agata Kolodziejczyk, a neuroscientist from the European Space Agency. She is also involved with plans to build a moon village, or base, on the moon – a project that will depend heavily on 3D printing. The hope is that the M.A.R.S. simulation will be the first of many, depending on funding from sponsors. Discuss in the 3D Printed Hydroponics forum at 3DPB.com.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
You May Also Like
Josh Makeshift and the New Gold Standard 3D Printing Content Creation
In the beginning, 2007 or so, 3D printing videos were almost wholly absent from the web. Then, here and there, makers started to upload pictures of their rickety RepRaps and...
Teen Developed Desktop 3D Printing Extruder
Inexpensive desktop 3D printing extrusion has always been an impactful potential ally to 3D Printing users. Filabot and 3Devo have been trying to make this a reality for years, with...
Polymaker Unveils HT-PLA & HT-PLA-GF Line of 3D Printing Filaments
Today, Polymaker has launched a new line of HT-PLA & HT-PLA-GF filaments. These enhanced PLA versions increase the glass transition temperature of PLA from a normal 60°C to above 130°C....
3D Printing News Briefs, May 17, 2025: Color-Changing Materials, Humanoid Robot, & More
We’re covering research innovations in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs! First, Penn Engineering developed 3D printed materials that change color under stress, and UC Berkeley researchers created an open source,...