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'''IN SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION (ISRU)'''
'''IN SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION (ISRU)'''
ISRU is focused on identifying sources of needed elements and materials from one’s immediate surroundings. For example, while the Martian surface is barren and desolate, its carbon dioxide atmosphere provides a source of carbon and oxygen while subsurface water ice provides a source of oxygen and hydrogen. Using electrocatalysis powered by solar panels, these two sources allow for the formation of breathable O2, methane for fueling rocket engines, and carbon monoxide for syngas. Meanwhile, Martian soil can be used as an aggregate base for concrete as well as a source for sulfur and basaltic minerals, whose significance is described below in Mars Bricks.
ISRU is focused on identifying sources of needed elements and materials from one’s immediate surroundings. For example, while the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_surface Martian surface] is barren and desolate, its carbon dioxide atmosphere provides a source of carbon and oxygen while subsurface water ice provides a source of oxygen and hydrogen. Using [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/electrocatalysis#:~:text=Electrocatalysis%20is%20a%20catalytic%20process,the%20overpotential%20of%20the%20reactions. electrocatalysis] powered by solar panels, these two sources allow for the formation of breathable O2, methane for fueling rocket engines, and carbon monoxide for syngas. Meanwhile, Martian soil can be used as an aggregate base for concrete as well as a source for sulfur and basaltic minerals, whose significance is described below in Mars Bricks.
'''MARS BRICKS'''
'''MARS BRICKS'''
The bricks subteam experiments with methods of turning Martian and lunar soil into building materials for habitats and other structures. The team works with biopolymer-bound soil composite (BSC), which is made of soil, protein binder, and water. BSC has similar compressive strength as Portland cement concrete, the world’s most common construction material. While concrete production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, BSC provides a possible carbon-neutral alternative and is also easy to produce from Martian resources. The team created a payload to autonomously create these martian bricks in 0g, 1g, and 2g. After winning a NASA contract, our payload was sent to the International Space Station to test it's formation in 0g. You can learn more [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YAVmKYJ_OveaZ8SErLf6SCCOloECbddL/view?usp=sharing here.]
The bricks subteam experiments with methods of turning Martian and lunar soil into building materials for habitats and other structures. The team works with [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950061821024855 biopolymer-bound soil composite (BSC)], which is made of soil, protein binder, and water. BSC has similar compressive strength as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_cement Portland cement concrete], the world’s most common construction material. While concrete production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, BSC provides a possible carbon-neutral alternative and is also easy to produce from Martian resources. The team created a payload to autonomously create these Martian bricks in 0g, 1g, and 2g. After winning a NASA contract, our payload was sent to the [https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html International Space Station] to test it's formation in 0g. You can learn more [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YAVmKYJ_OveaZ8SErLf6SCCOloECbddL/view?usp=sharing here.]
The team's most recent newsletter as of May 31st, 2023, can be found [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1skGbPGsTtTYo_auUtEarNrJxH0tcDeoltGQybplwCXk/edit?pli=1 here.]
The team's most recent newsletter as of May 31st, 2023, can be found [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1skGbPGsTtTYo_auUtEarNrJxH0tcDeoltGQybplwCXk/edit?pli=1 here.]
'''MARS EXCAVATOR'''
'''MARS EXCAVATOR'''
The SSI Mars team is collaborating with Astrolab, an aerospace company, to participate in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge to develop technologies to extract lunar regolith and water. As it is difficult and expensive to transport construction materials from Earth to the moon, this excavator will dig up regolith on the moon to use as a construction material for the long-term sustainment of human life, following our team's theme of ISRU. The excavator takes up the form factor of a large toothed rotating drum attachment for a lunar rover. In order to test the excavator's effectiveness, we developed a concrete imitation of lunar regolith with similar physical and compressive qualities with help from Stanford's civil engineering faculty.
The SSI Mars team is collaborating with [https://astrolab.space/ Astrolab], an aerospace company, to participate in NASA's [https://breaktheicechallenge.com/ Break the Ice Challenge] to develop technologies to extract lunar regolith and water. As it is difficult and expensive to transport construction materials from Earth to the moon, this excavator will dig up regolith on the moon to use as a construction material for the long-term sustainment of human life, following our team's theme of ISRU. The excavator takes up the form factor of a large toothed rotating drum attachment for a lunar rover. In order to test the excavator's effectiveness, we developed a concrete imitation of lunar regolith with similar physical and compressive qualities with help from Stanford's civil engineering faculty.
==HOW TO JOIN:==
==HOW TO JOIN:==