The US government space agency NASA appears to be one step closer to developing means to create habitable outposts on other planets, as yet another stage of a certain challenge successfully concludes in the United States, Sputnik reported.
Five teams from different corners of the United States have won a $100,000 prize in the latest stage of the 3D-Printed Habitat Centennial Challenge competition held by NASA and Bradley University of Peoria, Illinois.
The winners were able to successfully create "digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of a house on Mars using specialized software tools, according to a statement posted on NASA’s official website."
The challenge, which started back in 2014, is aimed at developing reliable life-supporting habitats for deep space exploration programs.
"The 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge aims to further the progression of sustainable shelters that will someday occupy the Moon, Mars or beyond by pushing citizen inventors to develop new technologies capable of additively manufacturing a habitat using indigenous resources with, or without, recyclable materials," the space agency proclaimed.
The money was divided among the winners according to scores "assigned by a panel of subject matter experts from NASA, academia and industry."