Glance into the Future: Research Steps on a Path to a Continuous Human Presence on Moon, Mars and Beyond

• Published in: European Journal of Taxonomy
• Main Authors: Maiwald, Volker, Quantius, Dominik, Schubert, Daniel, Zabel, Paul, Zeidler, Conrad, Vrakking, Vincent
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2016
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.202173

Humans have been present in space for five decades and the dream of travelling and exploring space is even older. The next major step after a prolonged human presence on low Earth orbit is a prolonged human presence on other solar system bodies like Moon, Mars or even beyond. Since mid-2011 one research field of the System Analysis Space Segment (SARA) department of DLR has been the establishment of human outposts in the form of space habitats. This paper aims to showcase these activities and summarize their most important results in three primary branches. First, the design of a facility for the integrated testing and qualification of habitat technology on Earth. Second, one of the department's core competencies: Space greenhouse technology. This paper explains which steps, from concept over breadboard to laboratory work, eventually led to the current design, construction and operation of a space greenhouse analogue in Antarctica as well as the relevance for future space missions. The third branch, mainly intended to bolster the theoretical work with more practical insight into habitat design and operation are the analogue test site missions conducted by the department in 2013 and 2014. It is explained how these missions helped with the design and development of the current hardware projects and the future research facility.