Martian bases could be built on the red planet by robots excavating underground caves, a group of German architects has claimed.
The team from ZA Architects believes that basalt, already detected on the red planet by rovers, could be used as a building material to create large underground caves and create a ‘martian cement’.
‘The surface of Mars is primarily composed of basalt, and the Phoenix lander directly sampled water ice in Martian soil,’ the team say.
‘Basalt is good material to make a protectional cave on, to produce insulation, and basalt roving, which is stronger than steel.’
The rovers would excavate large caves underground, leaving pillars of basalt to support the roof.
When human explorers arrive, they would simply need to install windows, doors and life support systems.
Concept art pic:
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