Scientists Create 'Cosmic Concrete' Using Blood, Sweat, and Tears of Astronauts to Colonize Mars
According to a study published in the journal Materials Today Bio, a protein from human blood (human serum albumin) combined with urea (a compound from urine, sweat, or tears) could bind together simulated moon or Mars soil to produce a material stronger than ordinary concrete, making it ideal for construction work in extra-terrestrial environments.
Transporting a single brick to Mars can cost more than USD 2 million US, making future Martian colony construction prohibitively expensive.
The researchers demonstrated that human serum albumin, a common protein found in blood plasma, could bind the simulated moon or Mars dust, resulting in AstroCrete, a concrete-like material. It has compressive strengths as high as 25Mpa (megapascals), comparable to ordinary concrete (20Mpa to 32 MPa).
Moreover, the researchers discovered that the compressive strength could be increased by over 300 percent by incorporating urea. The best performing material has a compressive strength of nearly 40 MPa, significantly more robust than ordinary concrete. Urea is a biological waste product excreted by the body through urine, sweat, and tears.
According to the researchers, a two-year mission on the Martian surface by six astronauts can produce 500kg of AstroCrete.
Dr. Aled Roberts, a university researcher who worked on the project, stated that "Scientists have been trying to develop viable technologies to produce concrete-like materials on Mars' surface, but we never stopped to think that the answer might have been inside us all along."
That's awesome! Scientist really do things that benefits humankind! Kudos to them!
ReplyDelete