A team of Chinese scientists developed a formula to 3D print houses on Mars, using a mixture that combines Martian rocks with gelatin and terrestrial yeast. The resulting material is as strong as concrete and can be recycled and reused, allowing building Colonies on Mars without the need to transport construction materials for months on space journeys.
The new method was detailed in an article in the journal Chem Circularity. The inspiration came from freeze-dried fruits, and the lead author is Jishen Qiu, an engineer from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The team developed a yeast coated with highly adhesive proteins, including those that mussels use to attach to rocks, adding gelatin to bind the ingredients and sand to provide structure.
When the mixture is exposed to the extreme cold and low pressure of Mars, the water freezes and goes directly from solid to vapor, generating a porous material similar to foam. The printed structures are small domes of about 45 millimeters in height and 30 millimeters in width, with a compressive strength of 10 to 12 megapascals, comparable to low-strength concrete.
The main disadvantage is that the material has been tested only on Earth, and it is unknown whether the yeasts would survive the actual conditions of Mars. Furthermore, it still partially depends on terrestrial ingredients and its success will depend on advances in rocket technology, the researchers acknowledged.
