In the not-so-distant future, Mars’ desolate landscape might look a little different than usual. That’s because the planet’s reddish soil is expected to accommodate plenty of buildings that will provide much-needed shelter for astronauts. A home on Mars may not be built with run-of-the-mill construction materials like wood or concrete; instead, unlikely ingredients like gelatin and yeast may be the right fit.
Building houses on Mars will be no easy task. The logistical challenges of hauling materials from Earth to Mars are simply too much to handle, which is why construction on the Red Planet is going to need to get creative. One approach could involve 3D printing houses with a recipe of Martian rocks combined with gelatin and yeast, as described in a new study published in Chem Circularity. Researchers have shown that this combo, which would become freeze-dried on Mars, is a surprisingly sturdy building material that can save precious energy.
“This is actually strong enough to build a one- or two-story building on Earth whose gravity is three times that of Mars,” said study author Jishen Qiu, a civil engineer at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in a statement.
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(Image Credit: Ning Liu)
Space agencies are currently aiming to establish a presence on the moon, but more importantly, this objective is seen as a stepping stone toward Mars. While the moon is small, barren, and devoid of an atmosphere, Mars shows promise as a world where humans can one day reside, according to a 2018 study in Global Challenges.
Not only does Mars contain undersurface — and likely subglacial — liquid water, but it’s also expected to have mineral resources that will be of great value to humans.
Plans for constructing buildings on Mars could involve the planet’s top layer of dust and soil, also known as regolith. The regolith would require a binder — like water or sulfur — to be molded into a concrete-like material.
The new study, however, proposes a different idea for Martian rocks. Gelatin and yeast, researchers say, can be incorporated with the rocks before drying and hardening, resulting in a material that is as strong as low-grade concrete. The material can also be broken down, recycled, and reused.
Freeze-drying Building Supplies
The key behind the gelatin and yeast approach is freeze-drying; it just so happens that Mars’ low temperatures and low pressure make for the perfect conditions to freeze-dry this combination of ingredients.
“My inspiration came from freeze-dried fruits that become harder,” said Qiu. “So I asked myself if we can take advantage of that and make some materials.”
Researchers produced the material by mixing sand and glue made from gelatin and a specialized yeast. The yeast was coated with highly adhesive proteins, including the same ones that mussels use to cling to rocks. The gelatin holds everything together, allowing the yeast cells to grow, and the sand gives the material mass and structure.
The researchers then put these ingredients to the test, subjecting them to Martian conditions that freeze-dried it. The resulting material became foam-like, allowing the researchers to shape it into wine-cork-sized domes, around 1.7 inches tall and 1 inch wide. The material might be small for now, but it’s also mighty, with a compressive strength of 10 to 12 megapascals, equivalent to low-grade concrete.
Sustainable Homes on Mars
The researchers state that one of the biggest benefits of the new material is its sustainability. Many plans for construction on Mars involve heating and melting Martian rocks into bricks and beams, but this would take a great deal of energy. The gelatin and yeast material would not only save this energy, but it could also be reused once structures are dismantled.
“As long as there's one yeast that’s still alive, you can grow them again,” Qiu said.
The researchers don’t yet know whether the yeasts could survive actual Martian conditions, and the method would require transporting the gelatin and yeast from Earth. Regardless, they believe if it pans out, the material could be scaled up and someday be the foundation of homes on Mars.
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a study published in Chem Circularity: Engineered living building material for low-energy construction on Mars
- This article references information from a study published in Global Challenges: Mars Colonization: Beyond Getting There
