US Scientists Discover New Method To Create Concrete-Like Material For Building Permanent Base On Mars

Space agencies are planning to send a crewed mission to Mars. The objective is to set up a permanent base on the Red Planet. However, a breakthrough is still awaited. According to NASA, it has plans to send humans to Mars by 2030 for exploration. This mission will advance its plans to build a house. However, building a concrete base is not an easy task. Scientists at the University of Manchester have now claimed to create a concrete-like material that could be helpful in building a house on Mars. The material is made of extraterrestrial dust. Notably, transporting bricks to Mars could be very expensive. According to an estimate, even transporting a brick can cost USD 2 million.

Scientists have demonstrated that human serum albumin can act as a binder for Mars or Moondust. This could produce material like concrete. Human serum albumin is a common protein from human blood. They have named the material as AstroCrete. Scientists said that they found incorporating urea can bolster the strength by more than 300 percent. This will result in stronger than ordinary concrete. The new discovery is seen as an advantage over other construction techniques that have been proposed for setting up a permanent base on Mars and Moon. Notably, scientists have been developing technologies that can produce concrete-like materials on Mars for building a house.

Scientists said that six astronauts can produce 500 kg of high-strength AstroCrete on Mars surface during a two-year mission. This would be crucial in building a house on the Red Planet. They said that each astronaut can produce enough AstroCrete if they use a mortar for sandbags. Notably, animal blood was used in past as a binder for mortar. Scientists said that the discovery is exciting and could address the challenges humans face in developing a permanent base on Earth’s neighbor. This could be a potential solution to form an extended structure. Mars has been the favorite destination for scientists to look for signs of life. NASA has launched several robotic missions. But no agency has managed to land humans on the planet so far.