HESTIA

Tyler Gilliland

Pratik Parab
Our	Intent	

Through	a	partnership	between	the	UH	Space	Architecture	Program	and	

representatives	from	NASA,	Tyler	and	Pratik	were	tasked	with	outfitting	the	

interior	of	the	Hestia	Pressure	Chamber	found	in	Building	7	at	the	Johnson	

Space	Center.	The	interior	design	is	intended	to	be	used	by	NASA	as	an	analog	

for	a	Mars	Habitat.	The	analog	will	house	four	crew	members	for	90	days	at	

various	atmospheric	environments.	As	first	semester	graduate	students,	Tyler	

and	Pratik	established	an	initial	design	concept.	As	the	semester	progressed	

and	milestones	were	met,	the	design	evolved	into	what	you	see	here	today.	As	

with	all	designs,	it	is	not	perfect	and	additional	tweaking	is	not	only	needed	

but	also	welcome.	Over	the	next	few	years	we	hope	to	put	our	design	through	

many	iterations	as	we	continue	to	progress	towards	becoming	an	

interplanetary	species.	
1st	Floor	Summary

The	first	floor	of	the	Hestia	habitat	is	intended	to	operate	and	feel	like	

a	cross	between	a	garage	and	a	laboratory.	On	this	floor	the	lighting	

should	be	bright	for	optimum	work	environments.	Lighting	for	the	

plants,	fish	and	rodents	is	intended	to	be	independent	from	one	

another	and	can	be	adjusted	according	to	the	experiment’s	needs.
1st Floor

Science and Maintenance

ECLSS Stowage bags

General Maintenance

Marine life observation

Plant observation

First aid Kit

Rats

Dry Lab

Wet Lab
Research and Maintenance 
2nd	Floor	Summary

The	second	floor	of	the	Hestia	habitat	is	intended	to	be	the	gathering	

zone	for	all	crew	members.	Soft	light	mimicking	the	sunrise	and	sunset	

should	be	used	for	this	area.	Because	the	gym,	toilet,	and	shower	lend	

themselves	to	smells	and/or	humidity	we	found	that	they	should	be	

partitioned	to	contain	their	own	environments.	The	command	center	

on	this	level	is	intended	to	be	used	for	robotic	and	rover	maneuvering	

outside	the	habitat	in	addition	to	communicating	back	and	forth	to	

Earth.	
2nd Floor

Command and Recreation Center

Kitchen Countertop

First Aid Kit

Washer and Dryer

Toilet

Mission control

Stowage bags

Deployable Dining Table

Shower

Gym
Kitchen and Dining Table
Shower Toilet and Gym
Mission Control, Washing and Drying Facility
3rd	Floor	Summary

The	third	floor	of	the	Hestia	habitat	is	the	crew	quarters.	Design	is	

intended	to	be	exactly	the	same	for	each	room.	Privacy	as	well	as	

personal	space	is	maximized	on	this	level.	Lighting	per	room	should	be	

completely	adjustable	according	to	the	individual	crew	member’s	

preference.	The	walls	are	intended	to	be	hard	to	dampen	noise	and	

eliminate	light	pollutions	from	the	outside	environment.		

Room Features
Stowage and Secondary Structure
TYLER	D.	GILLILAND

Tyler	 Gilliland	 is	 a	 graduate	 student	 at	 the	 University	 of	

Houston,	 pursing	a	 dual-masters	in	Aerospace	Engineering	and	

Space	 Architecture.	 He	 studied	 and	 received	 his	 bachelor’s	

degree	 in	 Aerospace	 Engineering	 from	 New	 Mexico	 State	

University,	 where	 he	 participated	 and	 placed	 in	 engineering	

competitions	 such	 as	 SEDS	 (Students	 for	 the	 Exploration	 and	

Development	 of	 Space)	 and	 DBF	 (Design,	 Build,	 Fly).	 After	

getting	married	and	graduating	in	2016,	Tyler	and	his	wife,	Tori,	

moved	to	Houston,	Texas,	the	hub	of	all	things	space	related,	to	

follow	 his	 dreams	 of	 establishing	 a	 colony	 on	 the	 surface	 of	

Mars	and	 helping	 humanity	 become	an	 interplanetary	 species.	

Tyler	 continues	 to	work	 towards	 his	 passion	 through	 his	 thesis	

project	 that	 will	 outline	 his	 plan	 for	 establishing	 modular	

habitats	on	the	surface	of	Mars.	Tyler,	his	wife,	and	cat	hope	to	

one	day	retire	on	Mars.	

Tyler	can	be	reached	by	email	at	gillilandtyler89@gmail.com.
PRATIK	DEEPAK	PARAB

Pratik	 Parab	 is	 a	 graduate	 student	 at	 University	 of	 Houston,	

currently	 pursuing	 Master	 of	 Science	 in	 Aerospace	 Engineering	

and	Space	Architecture.	Every	child	is	fascinated	by	rockets	taking	

off,	 landing,	 zooming	 in	 the	 space,	 He	 was	 no	 exception.	 That	

early	 fascination	 manifested	 into	 his	 passion.	 He	 moved	 to	

Houston	in	fall,	2016.	Pratik	completed	his	undergraduate	studies	

from	D.	J.	Sanghvi	College	of	Engineering	(University	of	Mumbai)	

where	 he	 studied	 Bachelor	 of	 Engineering	 in	 Production	

Engineering.	During	his	undergraduate	studies,	he	participated	in	

various	competitions	including	“SAE	Aero	design”	which	was	held	

in	 Lakeland,	 Florida.	 Pratik	 Spearheaded	 wing	 design	 and	

fabrication	 for	 energy	 efficient	 flight.	 His	 team	 was	 ranked	 17th	

among	75	teams	from	all	over	the	world	at	this	prestigious	event.	

He	is	 currently	working	 on	 “Space	manufacturing”	as	a	master’s	

thesis	 for	 Department	 of	 Space	 Architecture.	 His	 aim	 is	 to	

colonize	Mars	and	start	manufacturing	on	surface	of	mars	itself.	

Pratik	can	be	reached	on	LinkedIn	at	-	

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratik-parab-084905a9