High-Level Project Summary
Fair access to sustainable infrastructure will only be possible with economic development focused on functional items that are easy to produce and replace. The challenge of creating items for sustainable life on Mars can also bring solutions to collaborate with a more egalitarian society when it comes to housing, fitting into one of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN - Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure - because the solution can also be applied in the homes of needy families, as proposed by the government, for equal access to a basic infrastructure of dignified subsistence.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
The Project proposal was designed to be totally functional with the printers described in the challenge (metal: 150mm x 100mm x 100mm, 0.1mm resolution, plastic: 310mm x 130mm x 140mm, 0.1mm resolution, concrete: anything you make to go inside your habitat must fit in the 2m x 2m x 2m airlock and decontamination area. 25mm resolution), but it can be easily adapted and printed with any other kind of printer available. For the modeling and creation of the .STL files part of the project we used Fusion 360. For testing of the models and creation of the .gcode needed to actually print the objects we used the slicing software CURA, and to print the prototypes we used a Ender 3 printer, with PLA and Elegoo Mars 2 resin printer. For the presentation, we used Google Slides and Adobe Premiere Software.
Our main goal was to create simple objects, easy to print with multiple applications and modular construction, which also make them easy to repair.
Space Agency Data
We used links provided at the event for our research, such as the 3D Models page and the Missions to Mars page. The link https://www.nasa.gov/analogs we use for research on the lives of astronauts and their needs. The https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models we use to search for existing models that could be used in the project.
Hackathon Journey
Our journey was incredible, as we are a very distinct group - a man, a woman, and a child - we had the opportunity to, in addition to learning from the process, learn a lot from each other.
To create our solution, we used the Design Thinking method as a basis. In the empathy phase, we reflect on how the astronaut does not have much space, but even so, he must be able to do complex activities that are part of his mission, and routine activities like any other person: eating, resting, cleaning. It is important that he has tools to produce his items and replace what is needed. In the definition phase, we thought about how, in addition to the necessary spare wheel described in the project, it will be necessary to produce (and be able to reproduce) simple but essential items such as cutlery, basic tools and some furniture. In ideation, we assess that items should be produced with the aim of being, whenever possible, easily reproduced or repaired. For larger items, plug-in modules will be used. In prototyping, we create the necessary files and print a scale model on a plastic FDM and resin SLA printer.
References
https://www.nasa.gov/analogs, accessed on October 1st, 2022.
https://www.thingiverse.com, accessed on October 1st, 2022.
https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models, accessed on October 1st, 2022.
https://brasil.un.org/pt-br/sdgs/9, accessed on October 1st, 2022.