Since launching heavy cargo to Mars is prohibitively expensive and logistically complex, bringing microorganisms that can grow and produce essential materials on-site is far more viable than relying on tons of building supplies from Earth.
Led by Robin Wordsworth, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team successfully produced green algae inside shelters constructed from bioplastics under Mars-like conditions.
“If you have a habitat that is composed of bioplastic, and it grows algae within it, that algae could produce more bioplastic,” explained Wordsworth. “So you start to have a closed-loop system that can sustain itself and even grow through time.”
The research was published in a recent issue of Science Advances.