Looking into the Sample Analysis Lab from the bottom of the stairs to the upper level of the habitat
This doorway and its door form an air-tight hatch. This hatch is only closed if there is a loss of pressure on the lower level of the habitat. Such a loss of pressure might be possible, because the lower level has four hatches in its external wall. One of these is the hatch to the greenhouse. This hatch is shown here to the right of the glovebox and has the number "04" on it.
Stair to upper level of habitat (crew living quarters)
This stair takes you to the galley (the kitchen), but also to the main living quarters, including the wardroom (dining and meeting room), the bunks where crew members sleep, and the personal hygiene area (toilet and shower).
Sample Analysis Laboratory
Perhaps the most important reason to go to Mars is to enable scientists to do sophisticated scientific studies that cannot be carried out by robots alone. This scientific research involves exploring the landscape of Mars, collecting samples and then bringing them back to the habitat for analysis. The laboratory is where this analysis is done.
At the top of the stairs to the crew living quarters
Turning to the left takes you to the Galley, where meals are prepared. Turning to the right takes you to the Wardroom, the main meeting and eating area in the Habitat. Straight ahead is the window that overlooks the main entry to the Habitat.
Glove boxes for analysis of Martian samples
Perhaps the most important reason to go to Mars is to enable scientists to do sophisticated scientific studies that cannot be carried out by robots alone. This scientific research involves exploring the landscape of Mars, collecting samples and then bringing them back to the habitat for analysis. The laboratory is where this analysis is done.
Looking into the Wardroom from the Galley
The wardroom is the central gathering area for the crew. It's where they eat meals, hold meetings, watch movies and communicate with mission control.
Looking into the Wardroom from the Galley
The wardroom is the central gathering area for the crew. It's where they eat meals, hold meetings, watch movies and communicate with mission control.
The Galley (kitchen)
The galley is the kitchen. Like the wardroom, it is a place for socializing, but one with a slightly different character. It is off to the side of the wardroom so cooking won't interfere with wardroom activities, like having meetings or watching movies.
Stair to lower level of the habitat
This stair takes you to the "work level" of the habitat, which includes the Sample Analysis Laboratory, the Medical area, the so-called "Work" area (where various artifacts are repaired), the EVA Prep area. and the hatch to the Pressurized Rover.
Looking towards the stairs to the lover level
Stair and Galley To left is the stair down to Level 1, which is the "work level" of the habitat. Just past the stair is the galley (kitchen). To the right, is the window that overlooks the entry to the habitat. In front of this window is the Captain's Desk, where the captain of the Diomedes mission does many adminisrative chores. The galley is where a good deal of socializing takes place. Note that the Captain's Desk has been deliberately placed in a very public part of the habitat.
The media-wall in the Wardroom
The wardroom is the central gathering area for the crew. It's where they eat meals, hold meetings, watch movies and communicate with mission control.
Airlock: when entering the habitat
There is a large difference in pressure between the air inside the habitat (at 10 pounds per square inch) and the atmosphere of Mars (approximately .1 psi). In fact, the atmospheric pressure on Mars is much closer to the vacuum of space than to Earth's atmospheric pressure (14 psi). The purpose of the airlock is to prevent the air from rushing out of the habitat when the crew members enter and leave. When they enter the habitat, the airlock replaces the low-pressure Martian atmosphere with the higher-pressure habitat air. When they leave, the reverse happens.
Moving from the airlock into the EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) Preparation Area
The back side of the habitat: The sample port
This is where rock samples are brought into the habitat for analysis in the laboratory. The large yellow crane transfers samples from the pressurized rover and the robot rovers to a ledge -- known as the "porch" -- located just in front of the yellow sample hatch. Crew scientists then use mechanical arms and a conveyor belt to bring samples through the hatch into the sample lock -- an argon-based "airlock" -- that in turn moves the samples into gloveboxes in the sample analysis laboratory. Once the samples are in the gloveboxes, scientists can handle and study them in a "shirt-sleeve" environment using special gloves.
Inflatable greenhouse
The Terrestrial Biology Growth Experiment Module (TBIOGEM) -- or "the greenhouse," as it is more commonly known -- is used for experiments to determine how well Earth plant species -- as well as some insects and fish -- might grow on Mars. Most of the experiments are designed to test the effects of Mars' gravity, light and radiation on the growth of plants and their ability to produce air and food for future Mars explorers and colonists.
Back side of the inflatable greenhouse and the habitat
The "back side" of the Habitat This side of the habitat is where samples are transferred from the Pressurized Rover and the Robot Rovers to the Sample Port, where they are then brought into the Habitat for analysis. This side of the habitat is in effect a loading dock.
The wardroom
The wardroom is the central gathering area for the crew. It's where they eat meals, hold meetings, watch movies and communicate with mission control.
Layout of the Mars Base, showing the habitat (center), greenhouse (right), and the pressurized rover (left)
Shown in front of the habitat is the monument to the Diomedes mission, the first to put humans on the surface of Mars. A carefully laid out system of paths and roads helps to eliminate accidents and to minimize damage to the Martian surface.The two pipes running to the habitat from the lower right contain power and water for the habitat.
Bunk - crew member sleeping compartment
The Basic Unified Crew Compartment (BUnCC) is a sleeping compartment and private study area that serves as each crew member's personal space in the habitat. In addition to opening from the front, as shown here, the bunks can be pulled out from the wall and opened from the back to allow crew members greater privacy. A crucial additional function of the bunks is to serve as a recovery facility for sick or injured crew members.
Chair for crew member
This lightweight chair can be configured in different ways for different purposes. First, the chair with its headrest folded down, and its footrest stowed underneath, functions as a conventional chair for working and eating. Second, with its footrest extended, it becomes a "recliner" for reading and relaxing. Third, with the back down and both footrest and headrest extended, the chair can be used for sleeping.
Glovebox in the Sample Analysis Laboratory
Samples are transferred from the Argon Lock to gloveboxes by a conveyor belt. Once a sample is in a glovebox, a scientist can directly manipulate it using air-tight gloves that protect both the sample from contamination by humans and humans from possible contamination by the sample. Three types of analyses are done in three different gloveboxes: 1) geological analysis, 2) search for fossils and 3) search for living organisms.
The argon lock used to bring samples into the laboratory for analysis
A human operator uses robotic arms to transfer samples from the Sample Porch to the Argon Lock by bringing them through the Sample Port. The Argon Lock is simply an airlock that uses argon rather than air. Samples are kept in argon because it is a noble gas and therefore cannot chemically react with -- and thus spoil -- the samples. The atmosphere of Mars provides a ready supply of argon, which can be extracted by the In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) facility -- a chemical plant located near the habitat.
Looking Down from the top of the stair in the habitat
Looking Down from the top of the stair in the habitat between the living quarters (on the upper level ) and the work area (on the lower level)
Crew Living Area:
The wardroom is the central gathering area for the crew. It's where they eat meals, hold meetings, watch movies and communicate with mission control.
IN the EVA Preparation Area looking towards the door into the habitat
The EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) Preparation Area serves many functions that assist crewmembers when
they are getting ready to go out on a "traverse" -- i.e., an excursion outside the habitat.
IN the EVA Preparation Area looking towards the airlock
Exiting the habitat
The airlock enables crew members to pass in and out of the habitat without letting the atmosphere in the habitat leak out. Since the atmosphere of Mars is only about 1/100 the pressure of the atmosphere on Earth, the airlock has to be almost as strong as one used on the Space Shuttles and Space Station Alpha.
View of the inflatable greenhouse from the platform in front of the habitat
The Terrestrial Biology Growth Experiment Module (TBIOGEM) -- or "the greenhouse," as it is more commonly known -- is used for experiments to determine how well Earth plant species -- as well as some insects and fish -- might grow on Mars. Most of the experiments are designed to test the effects of Mars' gravity, light and radiation on the growth of plants and their ability to produce air and food for future Mars explorers and colonists.
Looking into the airlock from inside the habitat
There is a large difference in pressure between the air inside the habitat (at 10 pounds per square inch) and the atmosphere of Mars (approximately .1 psi). In fact, the atmospheric pressure on Mars is much closer to the vacuum of space than to Earth;s atmospheric pressure (14 psi). The purpose of the airlock is to prevent the air from rushing out of the habitat when the crew members enter and leave. When they enter the habitat, the airlock replaces the low-pressure Martian atmosphere with the higher-pressure habitat air. When they leave, the reverse happens.
Looking into the airlock from outside the habitat
There is a large difference in pressure between the air inside the habitat (at 10 pounds per square inch) and the atmosphere of Mars (approximately .1 psi). In fact, the atmospheric pressure on Mars is much closer to the vacuum of space than to Earth;s atmospheric pressure (14 psi). The purpose of the airlock is to prevent the air from rushing out of the habitat when the crew members enter and leave. When they enter the habitat, the airlock replaces the low-pressure Martian atmosphere with the higher-pressure habitat air. When they leave, the reverse happens.
View from Lab toward the medical area and repair area
Wall between Sample Analysis Lab and medical area
Looking from the medical area towards the lab
Looking towards the mdical area and the lab
Door from medical area to rover foyer
Flexible connector between rover and hab
Sample loading area with crane
Personal Hygiene -- toilet and shower
Rover and landscape with flags
Extraterrestrial offroading. Butterflies on Mars