Students design tent for astronauts

on Wednesday,June 01,2011 22:06

Engineering and industrial design students from North Carolina State University were given the chance to build a tent for astronauts on a manned mission to Mars, and they feel as if they have succeeded.

"One of the big issues, in terms of a manned mission to Mars, is creating living quarters that would protect astronauts from the elements – from radiation to meteorites," textile engineering undergrad Brent Carter of North Carolina State University told the news source. "Currently, NASA uses solid materials like aluminum, fiberglass and carbon fibers, which while effective, are large, bulky and difficult to pack within a spacecraft."

In the students design, they solved the problem of bringing bulky materials and lack of water supply by using textiles and a Sabatier reactor for water. They will present their design to NASA on June 6.

Individuals who are hoping to obtain a job once they graduate from their degree programs may have the opportunity as the employment in this field is expected to increase by 9 percent between the years 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.