Astronauts can now 'grow' homes on Moon and Mars out of fungi

21 Jan 2020

Astronauts can now ‘grow’ homes on Moon and Mars out of fungi

Astronauts can now ‘grow’ homes on Moon and Mars out of fungiNASA has recently come up with a technology from which astronauts could grow homes out of fungi on the Moon and Mars, rather than building them conventionally.

Researchers in NASA's Ames Research Center, California, US have tested technologies which could grow habitats from fungi and the threads that make up the main part of the fungus, known as mycelia.

How is the new home grown?

Like humans, the fungal mycelia also eats and breathes. That's why, cyanobacteria is joined with mycelia, which uses water and solar energy and converts it into oxygen for astronauts and fungus food.
 	The home will be a three-layered dome. The outer-most layer is made up of frozen water ice. The frozen layer can also provide water for the second layer made of cyanobacteria.
 	 The final layer will be made of mycelia, which grows into a strong home.
 	Once the home is grown, it is further baked so that it  leads to a clean and functional piece of furniture.

What are the advantages of these homes?

These houses will be much more cheaper and requires lesser space than other materials for houses on Moon or Mars.
 	These houses will protect the lunar or Martian surface as the fungi would be contained within the prescribed structure.
 	The mycelia are designed in such a way that they can't survive if separated from the house. So, once the astronauts leave the place, it will not grow further and spoil the environment.

NASA is experimenting to create similar houses even on Earth in order to reduce pollution.

Cheers to NASA for this invention!

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