House
A house is an individual element of a living space in the settlement facilities. Housing on Mars is built as part of an artificial habitat for settlers. While housing on Earth is designed to protect from the climate, on Mars it must also provide a breathable atmosphere at adequate pressure. It must also supply adequate radiation protection.
- The air pressure may rage from about 50 kPa to 101 kPa, Earth standard.
- The atmosphere in the habitat has a different ratio of gases than the Mars atmosphere
- Insulation is required to regulate temperature inside the habitat
- Protection from radiation can be accomplished using various materials such as water or regolith, or creating magnetic fields
- Protection from meteorites is inherent with the need for pressure resistant walls.
Houses should be connected to each other to allow people to move freely from one house to another without the need to wear a space suit, creating a habitat . Either pre-manufactured housing can be brought from Earth to Mars, or housing are made in-situ from local resources.
Mixed use housing, with elements of residential facilities as well as commercial, agricultural and public services creates more variety than single use facilities. This is likely to promote quality of life in the settlement.
