NASA Wants Your Ideas for Habitats on MarsThe agency issued a call for proposals this week.

Have stellar design skills and dream of a future on Mars? NASA wants to hear from you.

The agency isseekingproposals for the lodgings that will house astronauts on Mars fromeligibleU.S. businesses, universities and nonprofits. The callout comes from NextSTEP, a NASA initiative that aims to unite the public and private sectors in the development of innovations and technology for exploring deep space.

Related:Microsoft and NASA Team Up to Take You on a Tour of Mars

NASA is laying the groundwork forjourneying to Marsin various ways. Studying how the International Space Station's first-ever One Year Crew fared up there will help determine how the human body and mind will react to an extended stay on the Red Planet. The agency's first launch of theOrion,the spacecraftdesigned to transport those intrepid astronauts there, is scheduled for 2018.

"NASA is increasingly embracing public-private partnerships to expand capabilities, and opportunities in space. Our NextSTEP partners commit their own corporate resources toward the development -- making them a true partner in the spaceflight economy," said Jason Crusan, director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Division, in a statement.

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如果你感兴趣,有任何问题,tune into an industry forum on April 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. NASA says that "notices of intent are appreciated" by May 13 at 5 p.m. ET, and the proposals are due on June 15 at 5 p.m. ET.