NASA's future space homes will support long-duration stays on Moon and Mars

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are leading the agency's formulation and development of future space homes, or exploration habitats, which will support long-duration stays on the Moon and eventual missions to Mars.

With the Artemis III mission, NASA plans to return humans to the Moon. In the future, the agency aims to establish a fixed habitat at the Artemis Base Camp that can house up to four astronauts for a month-long stay. The success of future space homes will be crucial in establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon and paving the way for crewed missions to Mars.

However, designing space habitats is a daunting task as various factors have to be addressed to ensure the well-being and productivity of astronauts. The habitats must have the basic necessities to support humans during deep space expeditions including environmental control and life support systems, avionics, sleeping quarters, exercise equipment, and communal areas.

NASA has partnered with several commercial companies including Lockheed Martin, and Boeing to develop ground prototypes and concepts for deep space habitats.

OUR dream house can travel through space! 🌌 A team of engineers at #NASAMarshall leads @NASA's formulation and development of future space homes (aka exploration habitats). These habitats will support long-duration stays on the @NASAMoon and eventual missions to @NASAMars. pic.twitter.com/7L40tED0yw

— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) July 21, 2023

With the right infrastructure and technology in place, the Moon could someday become the ultimate destination for humans to explore, providing a platform for further missions and serving as a launchpad for deeper exploration of our solar system and beyond.

In a nutshell, the development of space habitats capable of sustaining human life for extended periods - months or years, without relying on regular cargo supply deliveries from Earth, is a pivotal milestone in advancing human space exploration.