What life on Mars will REALLY look like Ikea decks out prototype space colony in Utah desert – The Sun

ON the barren surface of Mars, astronauts will battle deadly radiation, fierce storms and screws missing from their flat pack beds.

That's if Ikea has anything to say about it, anyway. The Swedish furniture giant has unveiled an easy-to-assemble space pad for future colonies on the Red Planet.

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Slotted together at a Mars research lab in a US desert, the prototype pod has been designed to maximise space in cramped conditions.

It boasts Ikea shelving units, stackable chairs and tables that double up as stools for flexibility and tidiness.

Ikea designer Christina Levenborn envisioned the space habitat after a spell at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah.

Built in 2001, the domed cylinder houses teams of six for weeks at a time to study how humans might live on the Red Planet.

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"We tried to work with products for small space living situation that could be arranged in a flexible and multifunctional way," Christina said.

"For the habitat, we brought products on wheels for mobile living, stools for seating and table surfaces and stackable chairs for saving space."

The MDRS is designed to recreate the physical and psychological challenges facing astronauts who eventually live on other planets.

It includes a greenhouse, solar observatory, engineering pod, science building, robotics observatory - and a two-storey living space nicknamed The Hab.

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Just eight metres in diameter, the Hab has now been kitted out with Christina's Ikea redesign.

It's unlikely space agencies like Nasa will be giving Christina a ring any time soon, but the faux-home gives space fans a glimpse into a Martian future.

It is hoped that the redesign project will show how Ikea products can be improved to suit "micro-homes" that are increasingly popular in crowded cities.

Christina said: "We hope to learn more about living in extremely small spaces and how our products can be used.

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Mars facts

Here's what you need to know about the red planet...

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"There is also the question of the scarcity of materials, repurposing and sustainable living.

"Preparing for this kind of scarcity on Mars puts a focus on all the good things we have on Earth that we take for granted.

"We tried to work with products for small-space living situations that could be arranged in a flexible and multifunctional way.

"In a small space where many people have to share workspaces, it is important to be able to adjust to everyone's needs."

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In other news, eagle-eyed space fans claimed to have spotted the letters"ET" imprinted on Marsin August.

A crackpot conspiracy theorist said he'd dug up evidence of asarcophagus on the Red Planetin Nasa photos published that same month.

And, Nasa recently managed to record the incredible sound of a "Marsquake" -which you can listen to here.

Do you think humans will ever live on Mars? Let us know in the comments!

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What life on Mars will REALLY look like Ikea decks out prototype space colony in Utah desert - The Sun