TholosTESS

Hello and welcome! I’m Sebastian and I am a rising senior at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. Let’s jump right into this!

The next “big thing” for mankind is to build a growing human presence outside of earth. In the past, we celebrated the achievement of landing astronauts on the Moon. But today, we stand on the edge of an even greater problem and opportunity. First bases on the Moon, then Mars, and beyond. 

We’ve all seen those sci-fi movies and futuristic renders of houses and bases on mars being 3D-printed. While these bases may look cool, I find them to be very misleading. Often times, these 3D-printed bases are pitched as lightweight, easily deployable, and customizable alternatives to the classic modular pressurized units similar to the Int’l Space Station. However, there are important details that are almost always overlooked. 

Some problems include:

• 3D printing a mars base requires 30% of the material to be a silicon binder which would mean an average base (around 100 tons)would require 30 tons of binder. SOURCE

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• Making a 3D printed mars base would require an immense amount of machinery, from printers to excavators to transporting rovers, ect. 

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• 3D printed habitats are very porous meaning that they are very bad at holding in the air that the astronauts would need to breathe. To solve this, an additional material like foam or plastic lining would be needed to create a suitable atmosphere within the base. 

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• 3D printing a mars base would demand a lot of energy which in-turn would require a lot of batteries and solar panels, compounding the problem of weight. 

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So, what was initially depicted as a “light-weight” and  “easily-deployable” solution ends up being quite the opposite. 

While I don’t think 3D printed bases are feasible, I also think that the traditional modular pressurized units are inefficient. In terms of shipping volume, these modules waste a lot of space since they are prefabricated to the final shape of the base. One solution to this problem is inflatable bases. Inflatable bases are lightweight, compact, and easy and quick to install. The only problem that these bases have is that they are very exposed to radiation since the thin kevlar fabrics cannot deflect or absorb it. Usually the solution to this would be 3D printing a regolith dome around it, however, that would defeat the purpose of having an inflatable dome since you would encounter the problems I mentioned. Another solution to this is digging a hole in the Mars surface, inflating the base, and then covering the base again. This solution presents a key issue. The main problem is the absolute lack of natural light. One of the first things your brain needs to function properly is exposure to natural light, which is crucial for regulating circadian rhythms and maintaining mental health. Without it, astronauts might suffer from poor sleep, low mood, and decreased productivity (Source 1 | Source 2). Just imagine it, living in a basement with no windows and sunlight for a year or two — insane!

The solution?

tholosTESS 

tholos [tho·​los] — “Circular Building with Conical Roof” 

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TESS — Telescopic & Expandable Shelter System

tholosTESS is unique in its design in that it can expand telescopically AND by inflation. The shelter is made up of three hexagonal pressurized units that fit into each-other. tholosTESS is also designed to be deployed in one of the thousands of 30m craters on mars, with the bottom deck being underground (More on this later…). When deployed, the unit is placed in the hole within the crater, partially covered, and then expand upwards with its own rack and pinion lift. Afterwards, the inflatable canvas is attached and pressurized, creating a spacious, three story shelter.

After the shelter is pressurized, the shelter must have some form of radiation protection. In the case of tholosTESS, it uses a hex-brick, semi-dome system called the nestRPS (Radiation Protection Structure) to provide radiation protection on the sides. Then, loose mars regolith can be deposited on the top of the base, being contained by the semi-dome. The great thing about the nRPS is that it is continually arched on the outside, allowing for light to go in; however, no radiation enters the base since the crater walls are still protecting the base (More on this later…). This ensures full protection for the mars base while allowing plenty of natural light to come inside the base. 

Now, lets get on to the design process!

Before that though, here are the supplies I used to design and build the scale model:

Inflatable Scale Model:

• 10” Wheelbarrow Inner-tube
• 3D Printed Spacer
• White T-Shirt (stretchy) Fabric
• White Elastic Thread
• Threading Needle
• Scissors 
• Bike Pump

Full Scale Model:

• 22AWG Stranded Wire
• 330 Ohm Resistors
• WRGB LEDs
• Heat shrink
• Solder
• Wire Cutters / Strippers
• Arduino UNO R3 (+ Cable & Computer)
• 3D Printed Parts
• SIRAYATECH Smokey Black Resin
• Elegoo Saturn 1
• General PPE
• 24 Pack Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Cardboard
• XPS Extruded Foam
• PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!! - This has fiberglass which can be released once cut. This can cause extreme irritation to skin. So, cover up all skin and wear proper breathing PPE.
• Butcher Paper
• Hot Glue Sticks + Gun
• Exacto Knife

What?

tholosTESS  focuses on designing a resilient base for extended human habitation on Mars. This base is engineered to withstand Mars' extreme conditions, including temperature fluctuations and dust storms. It also features advanced radiation protection and elements to support psychological well-being.

When?

Hypothetically, tholosTESS is set for deployment to mars within the next couple decades. Deployment of the base is completely dependent on transportation methods, with SpaceX’s Starship and NASA’s SLS B2 Cargo rockets still in development. 

Where?

The base is designed to be deployed in one of the thousands of 30m (~100ft) diameter crater on Mars, leveraging the natural curved landscape for additional protection, dubbed the “nest”. This location provides a stable foundation and additional shielding from environmental hazards.

Why?

Establishing a human presence on Mars is a crucial step in space exploration. This base will serve as a safe, sustainable habitat, supporting long-term missions and scientific research. It represents a significant advancement in our ability to live and work beyond Earth.

How?

The base utilizes a combination of materials, including compressed Mars regolith tiles and reinforced inflatable kevlar clothe and telescopic aluminum pressure units. It features advanced radiation shielding and lighting systems to mimic natural light. The design also includes private sleeping quarters and communal spaces to support the psychological well-being of its inhabitants.

Very Resilient!

Before designing, I wanted to address some key objectives/problems that a mars base would need to overcome:

Structural Rigidity

• Must withstand the harsh conditions on mars:
• Micro-meteorite impacts
• Extreme Solar Radiation
• Rapid Temperature Fluctuations
• Extreme Temperatures
• Violent Sand Storms
• Fully redundant (strength) materials
• Maintain structural and mechanical strength ratings for mission duration

Radiation Protection

• Must provide enough radiation protection to allow a max 500 millisieverts (mSv)/ year
• Made with 100% In-Situ materials
• Require minimal production machinery and energy

Technical

• Dedicated lab space
• Minimal inhabitant involvement / maintenance in base energy, atmosphere, water, and pressurization systems.
• Become food, water, and oxygen self-sufficient within the first 1/4 of its mission duration
• Main base server hosting parts and supplies directories, main controls, and communications.

Psychological

• Simulate Natural Light - Implement advanced lighting systems (where natural light cannot reach) to mimic Earth day and night cycles.
• Natural Light - Allow natural light to enter into large spaces within the base.
• Provide Private and Communal Spaces - Design private living quarters and areas for social interaction and recreation.
• Foster Mental Health - Incorporate colors and materials that reduce isolation and stress, promoting a healthy, supportive community.

I started the design process by drawing a few sketches of the base. To get a feel for what the base was going to look like, I decided to draw a cross section of the whole base and the nestRPS. I also made sure to setup the proportions of the base by defining some key dimensions. I also drew a series of sketches that shows how the base would expand telescopically. I took pictures of those sketches and grouped them together into a GIF.

After sketching the cross section of the base, I moved onto the floor plan for the first floor. On the first floor, I planned to have a large communal area where crew could gather and wind down after a day’s work. So, I drew out the kitchen, dining, and entertainment area in a open-concept design to allow for crew-mates to enjoy one’s company whether cooking, eating, or watching TV. On the sides of this open room, I arranged the gym and lavatories. By combining the gym, lavatories, kitchen, dining, and entertainment areas in this large open space room, I separated the work areas from the leisure. This is extremely important for the crew’s mental health because it has been proven that our moods increase significantly when we are in are homes vs. workplace, even if there is no work being completed. ADD SOURCE HERE. On the other side of the first floor, I drew in the lab, workshop, and grow room. These rooms are sealed off from one another with walls and doors so that water and CO2 does not leak out of the grow room.

On the second floor, I only used the space above the working areas and gym to add to the spaciousness of the living area. Keeping with the work-life separation, the second floor is mainly used as storage and base equipment, with the rest of the space dedicated to quiet space and personal work. On one side of the top floor, the base's life support and pressurization equipment is stored, followed by a storage room. On the other half, there is a resting lounge and a dedicated workspace for crew to do personal work or study, along with a small meeting area.

Before continuing, I want to address some terms that I will refer to:

Pressure Vessel/Unit: The center piece of each stage that is made of aluminum and extends telescopically

Main Stage: The lower pressure vessel

Secondary Stage: The middle pressure vessel that houses the two story work/life spaces

Upper Stage: The Upper pressure vessel that gives way to the airlock

Balloon Body: The inflatable clothe section of the Secondary stage that forms the base

To begin the designing process in Fusion360, I started off by making the lower pressure unit and a sample crew cell. I extruded a basic hexagonal shape to create the main pressure unit, then I added another hexagonal structure in the center that would serve two purposes: as the ladder-well where the crew could access upper stages and as the rack and pinion assembly that would allow each stage to telescopically extend. After adding this in, I then created the edge on the top of the main pressure unit that would seal to the pressure unit above. Next, I added the corrugation in the pressure unit's walls which would structurally reinforce the walls under pressure (like a soda can). After that, I created the profile for the crew cell and swept it across 1/8 of the perimeter of the pressure vessel so that there could be 8 total cells. Finally, I added the finishing touched to the ladder and then added the doors to the pressure vessel.

After designing the main stage, I moved onto designing the main stage. Similar to the main stage, I started out by creating the center pressure vessel with a simple hexagon and another smaller hexagon (slightly bigger than the one on the main stage). This would slip over the main stage and act as a ladder/motor to telescopically extend. After doing this, I drew a sketch of the side profile of the expandable "balloon" clothe that would create the large base. I then swept this sketch to form the whole base. Then, I created another sketch for the second story floor and extruded that. I also added in final details like the windows on the first floor. Finally, I split the balloon body's roof so that on the scale model the interior can be accessed.

After making the secondary stage exterior, I moved onto the first floor of the interior. I started out by laying out the floor plan of the first floor. I divided the first floor into the following spaces: Lab, Grow Lab, Workshop, Entertainment, Kitchen, Gym, and Lavatories. After extruding the walls and the pressure doors, I then started to work on the actual interior components. In the Lab, I added the cabinetry that would contain the non-essential base server for parts and supplies repositories, the glove and hood box for experimentation, the general storage and freezer, and the microscopes / workbenches. In the Grow lab, I added three shelves for the plants, plants, a workbench, and a C02 gas atmosphere and irrigation controller (in the shelves I added slots for RGB LED lights in the scale model). In the Workshop, I added sliding storage (like a library's shelves), computer station, and a workbench for general work. In the general living area, I added common kitchen and dining furniture, along with couches and TV for entertainment. I added showers and toilets to the lavatories, and treadmills and gym equipment to the gym. Finally, I added stairs that would allow access to the top floor.

Like the first floor, I laid out the walls from the floor plan. These walls created the storage room, personal work and meeting area, lounge, and base life support and pressure equipment. In the storage room, I utilized the same style of sliding storage from the workshop, a general locker area for crew, and a computer station for storage repository lookup. In the personal work and meeting area, I added a large desk and computers for crew to do personal work and a meeting table. In the lounge, I just added a couple seats and a coffee table for crew to enjoy. In, the life support room, I added several life support equipment that would supply the whole base through common supply lines (more on this later in design theory). This equipment includes the following: Main+Auxiliary+Backup Water Support Unit (Auxiliary is meant for grow lab), Main Oxygen Unit, Main+Backup Hab Pressure Unit (this keeps the balloon body pressurized constantly, and Main Hab Server. Finally, within the secondary stage pressure vessel, I added extreme emergency pressure tanks that would pressurize the main habitat long enough for crew to evacuate without having the whole base collapse on them.

After the Main and Secondary stages, I then designed the upper stage. On this stage I mainly focused on the exterior dimensions since the interior is essentially the same airlock as every other base/spacecraft/space station. So, I first created the conical roof that would narrow down the outlet of the secondary stage pressure vessel to the upper stage pressure vessel and dome. I extruded this, and then I swept the profile of the upper dome. Finally, I extruded the length of the airlock, and filled in the details like the door and rotary lock.

Finally, I made the RPS part of the nestRPS. To do this, I started out by making the profile of the RPS, projecting the edge of the balloon body and forming the outer edge of the RPS. I then swept this profile 1/8 the perimeter of the balloon body. Next, I made another profile that would make the openings that would allow light in. I swept this across the same perimeter. Finally, I copied this section of the RPS, and used the circular pattern tool to repeat the body across the rest of the perimeter of the base and complete the RPS.

With previous experience in creating these large style projects, I realized that often I did not fully explain the rational behind my choice. That is why I am now taking more time to reflect on my Design Theory:

First topic of discussion is the RPS, and why I chose to make it out of mars regolith bricks as opposed to 3D printing them with regolith. The reason comes down to cost and time. With mars regolith bricks, I can save a lot of money and time since the bricks can be FULLY made from In-situ materials: mars regolith. In comparison, 3D printed mars RPSs are only partially In-situ based since they require a minimum of 30% binder by mass, meaning that several tons of binder need to be shipped on location, wasting money and time. Additionally, bricks save a lot of time in money in reduced production and energy costs, since the only tools you need is a rubber mold and a weight to compress the mars regolith to form the brick, as opposed to the large and enormous amount of machinery and energy required to make 3D prints. Finally, these bricks save time in construction because they can be quickly produced and assembled in comparison to 3D prints which can take weeks or months to complete. These bricks have shown to be equal in strength and durability in UC San Diego's and NASA's partnered experiments.

Ultimately, the reason behind my choice on mars bricks is that they save time, money, and more time. They are really the best for this type of application.

On to the next topic: Why nest in nestRPS?

The "nest" in nest RPS comes from the fact that the base is designed to be located in one of the many thousands of 30m (100ft) diameter craters on mars. By placing the base on such craters, it makes it look like its "nesting". The purpose of placing the base in one of these craters is that they protect the sidewalls of the base from sideload radiation. Remember the holes in the RPS that allowed natural light to come in? -- these allow radiation to also enter. The solution to this is the crater walls that gently slope upwards and protect the sides of the base, while still allowing natural light to come in. This way, we can utilize the common landscape landscape of this harsh Martian environment to protect the crew while they make their "nest" away from their homes. And finding one of these craters will be no problem at all because 1 new 30m crater is made roughly every 30 days on mars (Source).

Another point to using the crater is that, in conjunction with the nestRPS, it provides a fantastic windbreak in the event a dust storm or a strong wind storm rolls up on the base. The walls shield the base from the strong winds and sands/particles the storm may carry and the nRPS protects the base from direct impacts from debris.

Finally, another point in the nestRPS is that it is a great way to insulate the base during the extreme temperatures, the large amount of earth and solid that surround the base act as a natural insulator, keeping the internal temperature of the base steady. All these aspects combined help tholosTESS survive with the help of nRPS.

Ultimately, I chose to use the crater nest because it allows us to use a characteristic of the given environment to our advantage with no downsides at all.

Next topic: How strong are those walls?

Very. The inflatable walls are made up of two sections, a general empty space with in the walls that is pressurized, and a support web within those walls that are also pressurized. This mimics the general design of a bouncy castle in that, if one fails the other will be there to support long enough to either repair the problem or abandon base. However, this shouldn't be necessary since the outer Vectran layer is bullet proof and 5x stronger than steel (source ). Additionally, several supply lines including water, grey water, electricity, and data are threaded within the empty space and accessible at several ports within the base.

Ultimately, the walls are not to worry about since there is redundancy after redundancy, and remeber the walls are also protected by the nRPS.

Final topic: Why telescopic?

The answer is very simple: my goal in this whole project was to make a large base that could be deployed within JUST ONE SpaceX Starship rocket. tholosTESS does this beautifully. By making the base telescopic, the base shrinks down to a height of just 10m and a diameter of 7.62 meters which fits perfectly within the cargo fairing of the SpaceX rocket (SpaceX Starship Cargo Fairing Dimensions) . In fact there is actually more room for interior pieces and tools on the top of the fairing, limited mostly by weight.

So, the main reason is mostly for space saving.

These are some of the final renders that I made using the above design with a combination of Fusion360 and MAYA.

These are the tools that I will use for all the models.

First, I want to start out by making the diorama which the FULL and Inflatable scale models will be presented in. I will use hot glue, XPS extruded foam, paint, and butcher paper to do this. PLEASE SEE MY WARNING ON XPS FOAM IN THE SUPPLIES SECTION.

I want the diorama to split up to show the main stage of the base. To do this, I cut out a 1/4 of one sheet of XPS foam that will serve as the surface of the diorama. Then, I add sidewalls which will support the diorama on the bottom, and the butcher paper on the top.

After gluing the pieces of XPS Foam, I then started cutting the butcher paper to heart shapes that would curve around the corners of the XPS foam. I then glued these pieces to the foam which formed the curved edges of the crater. Finally, I painted the paper with a mixture of red and orange paints, and the underground portion with black paint.

This is what it turned out like!

Moving on to the inflatable scale model, these are the materials I used to create it. I used a 10in diameter innertube that I recycled from an old wheelbarrow, a 3D printed spacer that I made to sow on the clothe, and old T-shirt clothe (make sure it is stretchy).

First I cutout the t-shirt fabric into two 10 inch discs with 3 inch holes in the center. Then, I sowed together these two pieces at the outer edge. After sowing, I flipped the new disk piece inside out so that the outer seem was on the outside. I placed this on the inner tube, and started to sow the inner edges of the fabric to the spacer. I made sure to align the slots in the spacer with the innertube valve as seen above. And Done!

Here is the final result. I used the airlock from the Full-scale model to finish off the look. I also inflated the model using a basic tire pump, you can see the video below:

Inflating the inflatable scale model with my tire pump.

After making the inflatable scale model, I started to make the full scale model. To make the full scale model, I used my 3D printer to make all the parts from the design and then painted them all. Here are the outer parts before being painted. (Quick note: I did not make the full RPS since that would use up a large amount of resin, so I just made a portion large enough to demonstrate the general idea).

Here are the interior parts before being painted.

Next I painted all outer parts using my acrylic paints. I made sure to mask the parts of the outer base where the windows are so that they would stay transparent.

Here are the interior parts being painted. I made sure to be as detailed as possible. If you are planning on making a scale model like this in the future here are some things to think about (that I learned the hard way): If you have small parts in large quantities like me, you may want to get a mini spray gun (about $20) since it can get VERY tedious to paint all these details in; also you may want to get some "helping hands" used in electrical and PCB work because it helps keep the parts steady while painting.

The next step is preparing the RGB and regular LEDs for wiring. First, I soldered my 330 ohm resistors in line with each leg of the RGB LED (except ground), and extended this with a 22 AWG gauge wire. I repeated this step for the regular LED. Finally, I made sure to add heat shrink to exposed metal components so nothing would short out. I repeated this step 4 times to make the total LED count. Finally, I attached the LED's to my Arduino and coded it with a basic RGB LED code that would make the RGB LEDS purple for the grow lights in the grow lab.

The final step was assembly. Before putting together the 3D printed parts, I cut a piece of carboard out to the dimensions of the base of the model. I got together all the outer parts and laid them on the piece of carboard, and glued them together. Following this, I drilled holes for the LED's in the diorama and carboard and threaded them through. The final step was to ultimately lay all the interior pieces and put together the main stage on the bottom.

Here is how the main stage turned out. I really ended up liking the effect of the RGB LEDs in the grow room.

Here is how the Main stage turned out. I also really think that the section analysis idea was great. However, the only setback was actually cutting out the foam in a curve shape.

This is how the final result turned out on the outside. You can see how the nRPS system could work here.

Honestly, this project has been the most enjoyable out of all of the Make it Real challenges. As a I am interested in Aerospace engineering, I really felt like I was in my zone on this project. I really hoped that you enjoyed this as much as I did. I've already seen a bunch of other designs in the contest already, and I actually really impressed with all the wonderful designs out there. I wish you all good luck, and I will see you all again in my nest (and last ;( ) project next year. Cheers!

Here is a link to all my references and design files.