Scientists who have been looking for suitable construction materials for future settlements on the planet Mars have found the solution inside the human body.
Researchers from the University of Manchester have discovered a substance they call “astrocrete”, a mixture of space dust and human body fluids. In the research, the results of which were published in the scientific journal “Materials Today Bio”, it was noted that the substance in question was more durable than the known concrete mix.
The search for materials for possible future structures on Mars arose because of the difficulty of transporting materials used on Earth into space. For this reason, scientists who examined the materials available on Mars finally found what they were looking for in the human body. As a result of mixing the dust on Mars with human albumin protein in human blood and urea found in urine, tears or sweat, the substance “astrocrete” was reached.
“SIX astronauts can produce 500 kilos”
The study estimated that using this technique, a team of six astronauts in space could manufacture approximately 500 kilograms of astrocrete material in two years.
It was stated that the amount of astrocrete that a single astronaut can produce can meet the need for single-person accommodation if the material is used as a kind of mortar between sandbags or bricks made of pure Mars dust.
Researcher Aled Roberts, from the University of Manchester team, stated that studies have been carried out for years for a concrete-like material that can be produced on the surface of Mars, “But we never thought that the answer was hidden inside our body.”
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