Rather than hauling construction materials or prefabricated modules aboard a spaceship, astronauts bound for Mars could bring synthetic bacteria cultures that would allow them to grow their habitats from the Red Planet itself.
The concept, known as “Biomineralization-Enabled Self-Growing Building Blocks for Habitat Outfitting on Mars,” was proposed by Dr. Congrui Grace Jin – an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
To get this process started, there is still equipment that will need to be brought to Mars. Due to the low-pressure atmosphere, radiation, and temperature extremes, Dr. Jin says that future missions will need to bring a photobioreactor. This bioreactor is where the cultures of bacteria and lichens will grow and where the assembly process will occur. Ultimately, the proposal envisions bioreactors producing bricks that are removed to build surface structures.
This technology has applications beyond space exploration as well. Aside from building habitats on Mars and other bodies beyond Earth, the technology also has the potential to revolutionize construction here on Earth. In regions that have been affected by war, natural disasters, and climate change, this autonomous, self-growing technology has the potential of “healing” damaged structures and building new infrastructure in a way that has a negative carbon footprint.
