Living on an extraterrestrial planet has been among humanity’s greatest dreams for hundreds or even thousands of years. When it comes to life on another planet, one of the first planets that comes to mind is Mars, the Red Planet, which comes right after us in the Solar System.
First manned landing on Mars planned within the next 10 years; however, the Red Planet, which is completely unknown to us except for the information from unmanned spacecraft, brings with it many questions. One of these questions stands out as where the people sent to Mars will live. A new study published in PLOS One offers a rather unusual solution to this question.
‘space brick’ produced with a special mixture of urea, Martian soil and bacteria
When we send humans to Mars, they will obviously need places to live. A joint study by a research team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), claims that bacteria can be used to build Martian habitats. According to this new method, it may be possible to obtain the “space bricks” necessary to build a habitat on Mars with a mixture of urea, native Martian soil, and bacteria, a compound excreted by mammals through urine that helps remove nitrogenous substances from the body.
To make the bricks in question, the team; He combined simulated Martian soil made from urea, the chemical nickel chloride, and guar gum to create a mixture. It has been observed that any shape, such as brick, can be obtained by pouring the mortar formed by this blended mixture into molds. Accordingly, after a few days in the mold, the slurry could turn into a solid ‘space brick’.
So how is this possible? With the interaction of bacteria and urea in the mixture, it is usually taken as a dietary calcium supplement; but at the same time, crystals of calcium carbonate, a chemical compound that forms biological structures such as shellfish skeletons and egg shells, are formed and urea crystallizes in this way. The combination of these crystals with biopolymers, natural polymers produced by bacteria, creates a kind of cement that holds particles of simulated Martian soil together.
More tests are needed to use this method on Mars
Realizing that nickel chloride facilitates bacterial growth in the soil mixture in question, the team later developed this compound. gave it up to add it to the mix. “Martian soil contains too much iron, which causes toxicity to organisms,” said co-author Aloke Kumas, associate professor of mechanical engineering at IISc, “Initially, our bacteria did not grow at all. Adding nickel chloride is the best way to make the soil suitable for bacteria.” It was an important step.” uses expressions.
With the new method, the team may have successfully made “space bricks”; But that success doesn’t change the fact that researchers still have a lot of testing to do before such a technique can be used on the Red Planet. The scientists aim to investigate how bricks will respond to the Martian environment, particularly the planet’s very thin, mainly carbon dioxide atmosphere, and gravity, which is very low compared to Earth. Accordingly, the team plans to test the bricks in a device called the Mars Atmosphere Simulator (MARS), in which researchers will recreate the Martian atmosphere in a controlled laboratory environment.
Another concern not included in the scope of the study stands out as planetary protection. Scientists need to ensure that spacecraft missions do not carry unwanted bacteria or other contaminants that could cloud scientific findings or harm planets. It is not yet known how such a method would work within the rather stringent planetary protection guidelines for Mars.
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