Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in developing self-growing building materials for Martian colonies. Researchers at Texas A&M University have created a synthetic lichen system that can build structures entirely on its own, using only Martian regolith simulant, air, light, and an inorganic liquid medium.
The system mimics natural lichens, which are unique because they are a symbiotic collaboration between two different organisms. The team has paired heterotrophic filamentous fungi with photoautotrophic diazotrophic cyanobacteria, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that produces biopolymers to glue Martian regolith particles into solid structures.
Without human intervention, the system can produce buildings, houses, and furniture using 3D printing technology. This breakthrough has significant potential for long-term extraterrestrial exploration and colonization, as it would enable structures to be built in demanding environments with restricted resources.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program funds this research, which aims to overcome the challenge of launching tons of construction materials into space from Earth. The development of self-growing building materials is a crucial step towards making Mars colonization possible, as sending massive amounts of building materials via rockets is impractical and expensive.
The findings were published in the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/science/lichen-self-growing-building-material-mars-colonies