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South Pole: Honey I'm home!
13:43 p.m. EST Aug 25, 2004
A house that uses technology designed for space could become the basis of the new German Antarctic station, Neumayer-III in 2008.
ESA, the European Space Agency in charge of the design reports that the idea was initially to build earthquake-safe housing:
"The initial objective was to use the same ultra-light CFRP (carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic) composites that ESA uses onboard its spacecraft for large self-sustained structures, antennas and solar panels, to make a self-supporting lightweight shell-like structure able to withstand severe earthquakes. This approach is in sharp contrast to many contemporary design solutions that use ever more steel and concrete to withstand the induced forces."
The design is a sphere-like structure - one of the most stable self-sustained shapes. As it stands on legs it is isolated from any movements underneath it as it basically glides on top of the Earth. In its current design the SpaceHouse can withstand vibrations from earthquakes of up to 7 on the Richter scale, wind speeds of up to 220 km/h and up to 3 meters of flooding.
The house is solar powered, recycling and entirely removable after use, to meet Antarctic environmental requirements. It will withstand snowfalls of up to 1 m(3ft)/year without sinking into the ice. Another interesting idea is a thin layer of 'Polymer' – a metal-covered plastic foil that could be applied to any part of the SpaceHouse to protect against lightening.
If all goes according to plan, Neumayer-III will replace Neumayer II in 2008. It will cost €26 million. (About the average cost of a brownstone in lower Manhattan.)
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