The design of the protective shell can take various forms, functionalities and scales designed to meet specific needs. The suit for extravehicular activities, the first shell, represents a “mini-space station” with all the indispensable systems to sustain life, albeit for limited periods.

Transportation vehicles, such as the rovers that will be used for lunar and Martian exploration, offer a second shell of protection, particularly against micro-detritus, which can be lethal. Space stations, on a larger scale, not only ensure survival, but offer an increasingly comfortable level of habitability.

The urban scale is represented by extraterrestrial habitats designed to house and sustain human life on a permanent basis.

Materials and technologies are essential to develop lightweight construction systems, such as inflatable habitable structures, minimise the number of components required and, when possible, produce a significant proportion of the elements in situ, using native materials