M.A.R.S: Martian Advanced Renewable Systems

2016 ~ Present | NASA-KSC, Delaware North Companies, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, GTRI

Goals

NASA, Georgia Tech, and GTRI are developing energy technologies to support future missions to Mars. The VIP M.A.R.S. Team will research, develop, and test renewable energy systems in collaboration with scientists and engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Moon and Mars offer difficult challenges to NASA’s ambitious plan for exploration, including acquisition of reliable and renewable energy, functional designs for extreme heat and cold, food production strategies, and dust mitigation. The goal of this team will be to address new applications for energy systems in extreme environments relating to energy generation, storage, and efficient use in Martian habitats.

Issues Involved or Addressed

1)     Development of innovative, renewable energy systems for extreme environments

2)     Dust mitigation methodologies for lunar and Martian operations

3)     Net-zero energy practices for sustainable food production

4)     Design of low-energy habitats.

Methods and Technologies

  • Physics
  • Mechanical Design
  • Architecture
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Testing and Evaluation
  • Piezoelectric and Triboelectric Energy
  • Graphene Supercapacitors
  • Engineered Biosystems

Academic Majors of Interest

  • BusinessMarketing
  • BusinessStrategy and Innovation
  • ComputingHuman-Computer Interaction
  • DesignArchitecture
  • DesignBuilding Construction
  • DesignIndustrial Design
  • EngineeringAerospace Engineering
  • EngineeringIndustrial Engineering
  • EngineeringMaterials Science and Engineering
  • EngineeringMechanical Engineering
  • Other
  • SciencesBiology

Preferred Interests and Preparation

ME - interest in renewable energy systems, mechanical design.

AE - systems design, lunar and martian operations.

BIOL - biological systems, agricultural sensing.

MSE - Materials research, behavior of systems in extreme environments.

CoA - architectural design, building construction, human-computer interaction

Meeting Schedule & Location

Time 
11:00-11:50
Meeting Location 
Klaus 1440
Meeting Day 
Tuesday

Team Advisors

Dr. John Hankinson
  • Georgia Tech Research Institute
Dr. Matthew Swarts
  • Georgia Tech Research Institute

Partner(s) and Sponsor(s)

NASA-KSC, Delaware North Companies, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, GTRI