Peruvian architect Luciana Tenorio, part of The Mars Project at the University of Tokyo, works on buildings that can be built on the red planet.

For many years the challenge of reaching Mars has been raised. Various missions and efforts have led scientists, astronauts and engineers to think of technologies that can be used on said planet. In this context, Luciana Tenorio, Peruvian architect, aerospace engineer and analog astronaut, was at the Future Congress 2022 with her talk “Martian Greenhouse”, in which she spoke about the creation of future buildings built outside of Earth.

Tenorio is also part of The Mars Project at the University of Tokyo and is working on buildings that can be built on the red planet and the Moon. The expert is also highlighted for the development of technological infrastructure that seeks to be able to carry out greenhouse crops with roofs that capture UV radiation.

The architect is working on developing a habitat for Mars that includes a greenhouse “we use ancient techniques such as origami to develop a station that can bend and expand in space with the difference in pressure. A very portable and compact equipment, made from membranes with UV protection, which is also suitable for extreme climates such as the desert or Antarctica”.

“Architecture in space is something that has not yet been created, it is a very academic area and I considered the possibility of working on it. We had to be under the conditions of the astronauts to properly adapt to these challenges. Basically, the greenhouse membrane was made with a cover of algae and the structure is parametric to cover more area and solve the radiation on Mars”, indicated Tenorio.

Regarding the trip to Mars itself, there are certain technical difficulties that, according to Rodrigo Suarez, head of Aerospace Research and Development at the USM Academy of Aeronautical Sciences, should be resolved “starting from the Moon, in whose orbit the required interplanetary ship would be assembled and from where it will be easier to start the trip, avoiding having to escape from the gravitational field of the Earth”.

Tenorio, in turn, also explained that in order to develop part of his project he had direct contact with astronauts and with the newspapers they write, “I admire astronauts. The closest thing to that experience that we have had was during the confinement, in terms of confinement and lack of freedom. Living in space is uncomfortable; sleep, eat, go to the bathroom. My mission is to create comfortable conditions so that anyone can go to space.”