Zhuque Base for Martian Habitation: Conceptual Design and Performance Analysis of Cave Dwellings and In Situ Construction.

ABSTRACT: Sustainable habitation systems are critical to enabling deep-space exploration on Mars, where challenges such as low gravity, extreme thermal fluctuations, and resource constraints demand advanced structural innovations. This study introduces Zhuque Base, a habitat concept inspired by terrestrial cave-dwelling principles, optimized through finite element analysis via COMSOL Multiphysics. Three arch-based configurations-the eggshell, catenary, and 2-centered arch-were systematically evaluated by parameterizing geometric variables. The study demonstrated that eggshell arches significantly outperformed 2-centered and catenary arches in mechanical properties, reducing vertical displacement of critical points such as sidewalls by 53% and 44%, respectively. In terms of thermal efficiency, the op

SUBMITTER: Zhou C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12423506 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature