Abstract:

Team Mars Fitness is working in conjunction with NASA's Space Grant Consortium to design an exercise and recreation facility as well as hygiene facilities for the initial human exploration of Mars. In NASA's current plan, crews of six will be sent to Mars for 18 months at a time, where a prefabricated, predeployed habitat awaits them.
The hygiene facility will be a pie-shaped section of the prefabricated main habitat, which may also include sections for the galley, medical facilities, and living quarters, while the exercise habitat will be its own module. This module, which will be a three story inflatable design, will be connected to the main habitat by a flexible walkway in order to reduce vibrational effects produced by the crew when using the exercise equipment.
The hygiene devices cannot exceed 900 kg and must fit within a 15.9 square meter area, while the exercise equipment cannot weight more than 250 kg (the inflatable provides for ample floor space). Exercise and hygiene devices that meet weight and size limitations were chosen during the first semester of the project, and next semester the team plans to develop a detailed blueprint of the module layouts using architecture software. The team will also build models of both habitats, and plans to complete the project in April of 2007.