🏅 NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 Submission 🏅
I participated in the NASA Space Apps Challenge over the weekend of October 4–5, 2025, with the project: Extraterrestrial Habitat Design and Analysis Platform.
🚀 Building Tomorrow’s Homes in Space: The Habitat Designer That Thinks Like NASA
Imagine designing a Mars habitat 🔴, a Lunar base 🌕, or an orbital station 🛰️ that’s guaranteed to meet the rigorous safety and functional standards of human spaceflight. That’s the core mission of the Space Habitat Design Tool!
This isn’t just a conceptual drawing board; it’s an interactive design interface that combines cutting-edge AI image generation with the strict engineering requirements of NASA-STD-3001 and other key standards.
🧠How It Works: AI Meets Space Architecture
Our tool is designed to be a powerful working platform for space agencies and a robust educational resource for students. The core workflow is a sophisticated pipeline that ensures compliance with every design choice:
Form Submission: Users input specific mission parameters through dedicated tabs for Lunar 🌕, Martian 🔴, Orbital 🛰️, or In-Flight 🚀 habitats. You specify everything from Crew Capacity (e.g., 4-6 astronauts) and Radiation Shielding Thickness (regolith depth) to Airlock Specifications and Life Support Duration.
Standards Validation: Every input is instantly validated against official NASA requirements. No more guessing—the tool ensures you have proper volume allocations, clearances, and egress pathways.
AI Image Generation: Based on your validated inputs, Google Gemini generates multiple visual representations: exterior views in the designated environment (Mars terrain, Lunar surface), interior cross-sections, and detailed room layouts.
3D Model Creation: The AI-generated images and specifications are then interpreted to build an accurate, explorable 3D model using libraries like Three.js. Users can virtually walk through corridors, crew quarters, and operational spaces, verifying dimensions with built-in measurement tools! đź“Ź
🔬 Tab-Specific Design Challenges
The tool tackles the unique challenges of each environment:
Lunar Habitat 🌕: Focuses on regolith shielding, surface anchoring, and module configuration (inflatable vs. rigid).
Orbital Habitat 🛰️: Deals with debris shielding (Whipple shields), docking port standards (IDSS, CBM), and the possibility of artificial gravity via rotation. ⚙️
In-Flight Transit 🚀: Prioritizes consumables storage, storm shelter volume for solar events, and crew quarters volume for long-duration missions ($\sim 180-300+$ days). ⏳
đź’ˇ Built Smart, Built Fast: The Power of AI-Assisted Development
Developed originally in Google AI Studio and now hosted on Google Cloud’s Cloud Run, this prototype proves that a small team can achieve massive results by working smartly. We leveraged Google Gemini for initial development, code assist, and, crucially, for the real-time image generation within the application.
This approach allows NASA engineers to rapidly prototype designs in minutes, enables students to learn complex standards through tangible visualization, and helps mission planners test different layouts for specific mission profiles. 🧑‍🚀
The Space Habitat Design Tool is a creative and pragmatic leap forward, bridging the gap between imaginative space architecture and the non-negotiable realities of space engineering. It’s the blueprint for where humanity will live next!
➡️ Ready to design your first off-world home? Check out the project!
PROJECT LINK