Thinking Oasis

Universal Event | Outfitting a Mars Habitat: A 3D Print Challenge

REEF Habitat : Resource Efficient Environment Functional Habitat

High-Level Project Summary

The habitat created was inspired by Mars Dune Alpha, which was designed by BIG at NASA’s Johnsons Space Center. Our mission included creating tools and essentials that used the least resources and provides multifunctional options, where astronauts are able to print out the designs with the designated printers, using resources efficiently,.Additional to the functionality of designs and rationalization of resources, the whole concept behind our habitat provides astronauts with the needed environment that respects the drastic chances the individual goes through physically and mentally. The habitat includes a familiar sensory experience where they are inside an isolated mimic of life on earth.

Hackathon Journey

I was excited when I first heard of NASA Space Apps Challenge. I told my coach at Young Innovators Lab Program that I am interested in joining and he was also interested, so we created a team of two people. He told me that Abdallah, who is a new member of the Young Innovators Lab Program, is interested in joining. We made our first meeting tinkering on the website swiping up and down to read most of the hackathon rules. We were not familiar at all with this hackathon and we were somehow afraid that this hackathon requires a lot of technical skills and expertise. We read the first challenge, read the second one and we decided that the second suited us. The challenge is about designing tools, furniture, and a wheel for a rover on mars. Abdallah is interested in 3d printing and he encouraged his brother who is skilled in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to join the team. During many online meetings, we discussed tools that we might design. In addition, we read a lot about habitat designs to envision what rooms are there and what tools and furniture should be there. We created a list of the things that we should design in addition to the things that should be brought from Earth. When the hackathon just started, we were so excited to browse the project submission page in order to get us to think about how we should start. We spent a lot of time reading different resources. We thought about the activities that the astronaut may do, such as planting crops, eating, doing first aid, cleaning teeth, combing hair, discovery activities, assembling and repairing, resting, going to the bathroom, sleeping, working, playing sports and we did not forget the entertainment part. We shared memories of laughing as well as we struggled together. We ate together and discussed our interests and university updates every one of us. It was not easy to work on this challenge, but we distributed the tasks according to everyone’s skills. That was on the first day.

On the second day, we rushed to continue our work, We knew that some designs had to be developed. We failed in some designs and we decided not to design other equipment. We tried to be creative as we could. We thought of multi-functional tools. We thought about the material of each piece of equipment and we tried really hard to use the least equipment possible. We googled a lot of online ideas and we searched the resources and the web to understand the challenge much better. We had asked in discord, we got multiple answers and we worked based on these answers.

Of course, we faced so many problems. We had some problems with the internet connection because we moved to work in a place that is different than the place we worked on the first day. We had to solve the problem by connecting to everyone's personal mobile data. We forgot ourselves while working. We did not feel the passing of time and all of us had a common goal: to finish the task. We ate burgers together and chatted with each other. We had got new friends and even family members! Because we were all working with each other and we were feeling everyone’s sweat. After lunch, we kept working, Yasmin was responsible for writing the report because of her amazing writing skills, she had to write all the details of every tool and furniture. she did that by collaborating with her design teammates. I was the one who made the presentation. I had to pick up all the key ideas. In addition to that, I had to understand what was worth mentioning in the presentation and what was not.

It was a pleasure meeting those folks, they are too determined to do their best. Despite our mistakes at the hackathon and the things we might do wrong, I loved the experience and I am more than thankful that I developed my skills of teamwork and communication, in addition, to learning something new about space( mars habitat).