NASA is seriously considering growing structures on the moon and Mars that could eventually be inhabited by humans.
The US space agency has awarded a $2 million contract to a team of experts from NASA’s Ames Research Center to develop ‘mycotecture’: the use of fungal-based materials for construction purposes.
Such futuristic options are being considered by NASA because launching traditional building materials into space would be very expensive.
Architect Chris Maurer, who is part of the research team and founder of redhousesays the fungal spores can be mixed with lunar materials such as water and regolith to create rocks that are much cheaper to produce.
Preliminary studies have already shown that such mushroom building blocks can reflect even most cosmic rays and protect people from extreme temperatures. What is especially attractive is that such building materials can be grown in just one or two months.
Growing a house of mushrooms on the moon begins with sending and landing a special package on the Earth’s satellite. At the surface, it begins to inflate and grow in size, allowing mushroom spores, water and algae to mix inside, eventually forming the outer shell of the home.
Early experiments have already demonstrated the effectiveness of this method on Earth, but on another planet or satellite the reality may be completely different.
A team of researchers led by NASA Ames Senior Scientist Lynn Rothschild plans to test their method beyond Earth. The scientists want to send a concept model of their invention into space in 2028, to coincide with the launch of the commercial space station Starlab.
“In a general sense, there are technological risks,” Rothschild said Al Jazeera. “Will the structure be strong enough? Will it really provide the insulation we think? What will the material properties be? Will it really grow well?”
