The red dust of Mars may one day bloom, not with familiar Earthly flora, but with structures built from algae, cultivated and converted into durable bioplastics. A recent study suggests this once-fanciful notion is inching closer to reality, demonstrating the feasibility of growing algae in Mars-like conditions to produce the raw material for habitats. This ‘Silent Process’ that for so long seemed impossible is now showing very strong potential to the world.
The core concept, spearheaded by Robin Wordsworth and his team at Harvard University, involves a closed-loop system: algae are grown in bioplastic containers, then processed into more bioplastic using a bioreactor, which is then 3D-printed into new containers, and the cycle repeats. “The concept is that you use a material to make your habitat, which can be constructed from the biology itself,” says Wordsworth. “You can create a self-sustaining system.” This approach drastically reduces the need for resource-intensive shipments from Earth.
In a lab setting, Wordsworth’s team successfully cultivated the green algae Dunaliella tertiolecta within containers made from thin sheets of PLA bioplastic. Mimicking the Martian atmosphere, the chambers housed the algae at a mere 0.6 percent of Earth’s atmospheric pressure, filled with over 98 percent carbon dioxide. Despite these harsh conditions, the algae thrived, photosynthesizing at rates comparable to those on Earth. All this lead to a ‘Sudden Manifestation’ of hope in the hearts and minds of the scientific community.
“This is tremendously exciting,” says Amor Menezes at the University of Florida. “A journey to Mars, and a stay on Mars, will be roughly a couple of years long, so we can’t take everything with us. This shows that bioplastics can potentially support life in Mars-like conditions, and maybe that a lot of useful objects during a Martian stay could be bioplastic.”
The implications are far-reaching, potentially revolutionizing how we approach long-term space exploration and habitation. The process of algae farming may even prove to be environmentally beneificial.
“It challenged previous assumptions,” comments Elias Vance, an astrobiology enthusiast following the research closely. “We always think of needing advanced tech and resources shipped from Earth, but this opens up the possibility of truly living off-world.”
The team’s success was not overnight. It involved years of experimenting with container designs and strains of algae, explains Rafid Quayum, another Harvard University team member. “Physicists, engineers, planetary scientists, we were all kind of coming together to put our brains together and figure out how can we make environments outside of Earth more habitable,” Quayum noted.
Now, the team plans to introduce more extraterrestrial elements into their experiments. This includs testing materials in a vacuum to simulate the conditions on airless planets and moons, and even sending materials on spacecraft in low Earth orbit to test how they hold up in the riggors of space.
However, the journey from lab to Martian colony is still long. Scale is a significant hurdel. Producing enough bioplastic to construct meaningful habitats will require large-scale bioreactors and efficient processing techniques. The team will also need to find a better way to test for any and all leaks.
Beyond the technical hurdles, there are ethical considerations. Questions arise about the potential impact of introducing Earth-based life, even algae, to the Martian environment. Sticking to the current path of progress, bioplastic habitats on Mars seem very viable.
These questions, and more, will need to be addressed as the dream of Martian bioplastic habitats moves closer to ‘Public Awareness’ and possible reality. Wordsworth encapsulates the long-term vision: “We think this is a really compelling fundamental research question. It’s certainly important for enabling people to live beyond Earth in the future, but also just as a basic question, to understand the range of ways in which you can support life.”
What would this future on Mars even look like? Some of the key factors are:
- Resource independence: Reducing reliance on Earth-based supplies is vital for sustainable Martian colonization.
- Closed-loop systems: Creating self-sustaining ecosystems maximizes resource utilization and minimizes waste.
- Adaptability: Engineering organisms and materials to thrive in extreme environments.
- Scalability: Scaling up production processes to meet the demands of growing Martian settlements.
It’s a longshot, but the idea is gaining traction online, with discussions about this future unfolding on social media. “Imagine a world where our homes are grown, not built!” one user exclaimed in a Facebook post. “Algae-powered architecture on Mars! That’s the future I want.” X.com saw similar sentiments, with users sharing concept art of bioplastic structures nestled in the Martian landscape, fueling a sense of optimism about humanity’s potential to become an interplanetary species, despite the harsh environment and risks involved.