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Instead of habitats made of metal and glass, NASA is exploring technologies that could develop structures from fungi to become our future homes in the stars, and perhaps lead to more sustainable life forms on Earth as well.
Creating a habitable home for future astronauts means doing more than growing a roof to exceed it. Astronauts will need to meet all of their basic needs, just like on Earth, and face the additional challenges of living in a hostile environment in a distant world, the US space agency said in a statement.
With this in mind, the myco-architecture project at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California is prototyping technologies that could “develop” habitats on the Moon, Mars and beyond life, specifically fungi and threads Invisible undergrounds that make up the main part of the fungus, known as mycelia.
“Right now, traditional habitat designs for Mars are like a turtle, carrying our homes with us on our backs – a reliable plan, but with huge energy costs,” said Lynn Rothschild, lead researcher on the project at the early stage. .
Instead, we can take advantage of the mycelium (vegetative part of a fungus) to cultivate these habitats when we get there. ” Ultimately, the project envisions a future where human explorers can bring in a compact habitat constructed of lightweight material with dormant fungi that will last long trips to places like Mars.
Upon arrival, by deploying that basic structure and simply adding water, the fungi will be able to grow around that framework in a fully functional human habitat, all while being safely contained within the habitat to avoid contaminating the Martian environment.
Mycelia are small threads that build complex structures with extreme precision, forming networks on larger structures like fungi.
Under the right conditions, they can be induced to create new structures, from leather-like material to building blocks for a habitat on Mars.
That last layer of mycelia is what grows organically in a resilient home, first activated to grow in a contained environment and then baked to kill life forms, providing structural integrity and ensuring that no life contaminates Mars and any microbial life that already exists. be there. Even if some mycelia escaped in some way, they will be genetically altered to be unable to survive outside of the habitat, NASA said.
Mycelia could also be used for biomining and water filtration systems that can extract minerals from wastewater, another active project in Rothschild’s lab, as well as bioluminescent lighting, humidity regulation, and even self-generating habitats capable of healing themselves. And since around 40% of the carbon emissions on Earth come from construction, there is also a growing need for sustainable and affordable housing here, too.
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The hostile environments of the Moon and Mars will require new forms of life: cultivating homes instead of building them, extracting minerals from wastewater instead of rocks. “But by turning to the elegant systems of our own natural world, we can design solutions that are green and sustainable. Whether on distant worlds or on our own ever-changing Earth, mushrooms could be what bravely takes us into the future, “said NASA. (IANS)
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