And I think we could put all of it up in orbit with about a dozen space shuttle loads. But you surely can't build it without the dream. Thangavelu sees tremendous untapped potential in his Mars seminar students, who tend to be a balanced mix of aerospace industry professionals and full-time architecture and engineering graduate students. Blending the structured, scientific, meticulous thinking of young engineers with the contemplative, synthetic mind-set of young architects fosters great creativity, he says. If the students' soaring concepts prove flawed, that's no different from what goes on everyday at NASA and corporate aerospace companies.
Most ideas are inadequate during the initial iterations.
But a good idea opens up new channels, and keeps getting better. Madhu Gupta, another architecture student, knocked a few socks off with her plans for a Mars habitat. Martha Stewart Living comfort. Made from stackable, identical halves, the bricks are easily snapped together and filled with Martian dirt. Ironically, this last idea was without doubt the seminar's most controversial one.