Brief
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed a new space-based building material called AstroCrete, made by combining Martian regolith with human blood proteins. This article explores the potential of this material and other types of Martian concrete to revolutionize construction in space.
Insight
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed a new space-based building material that they have named AstroCrete, which is made by combining regolith with a protein found in human blood. Using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), including Martian sulfur and water, the researchers have shown that AstroCrete is stronger than traditional concrete and could be used for construction in extra-terrestrial environments.
A researcher from the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has also proposed using water for Martian concrete, which could be bound with local aggregates and plaster of paris to make concrete structures that would be buried 7-10m below local regolith to protect occupants from cosmic and solar radiation, extreme temperature fluctuations, and deliquescent salts.
The optimal mix in tests of sulfur and regolith for concrete has displayed an unconfined compressive strength of over 50 MPa, simulated using lattice discrete particle model (LDPM) software.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have announced plans to establish permanent human habitats on the Moon and Mars by 2040, with future colonization of other bodies in our solar system dependent on the creation of advanced materials for construction in space. Martian concrete has the potential to be used as a structural material, with potentially greater strength than traditional concrete.
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