Mars show home goes on display in London

[November 16, 2016]    LONDON (Reuters) - A show home with features to help its residents survive life on Mars went on display in London on Thursday, offering visitors a glimpse of what setting up house on the red planet could look like if it ever happens.

This computer-generated view depicts part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight, with an area including Gale Crater beginning to catch morning light, in this handout image provided by NASA. REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout

Set in a mocked-up Martian landscape at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the pod-like construction has room for a bed and a computer desk and space to grow plants and exercise.

It was designed in consultation with astronomers at the observatory and Stephen Petranek, author of "How We'll Live On Mars", who was also a consultant on the upcoming National Geographic drama "MARS". The six-part series is set in 2033 and follows a manned mission to Mars.

"This is a typical Mars home if you want to call it that but it's really a survival center," Petranek told Reuters.

"It will make oxygen for people to breathe and it will supply its own water by sucking in the Martian atmosphere, which is about 100 percent humid most nights, and pull out water through a very simple dehumidifier mechanism. You'll have a 3D printer which will make almost everything that you need."

The Mars show home is on display until Nov. 16.

(Reporting by Francis Maguire; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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