Scientists, astronomers, and other experts have been working on developing ways and strategies to colonize other planets, especially Mars. Space architecture is a serious factor, and it is no easy task to engineer and create habitats on another planet. Even billionaires are the space niche sector: private space flights, making trips into space available for ordinary non-professional astronauts.
However, research estimated that transporting one brick into space could cost up to $2 million, meaning that for now, it is out of the question. The high cost is due to the distance of 246 million miles between Earth and Mars and also all the manpower and technology involved in the transportation process. Researchers might have found a new solution to solve the infrastructure problem, and it could involve human body fluids.
More on how to create affordable cosmic concrete
According to a new study published on September 13, experts from the University of Manchester discovered that cosmic concrete could be obtained by mixing astronaut blood and space dust. AstroCrete is the name given to the substance developed by scientists, which uses human blood, and a Martian substance covering the Red Planet called regolith.
The study showed that cosmic concrete can be produced using 3D printing, and six astronauts could produce more than half a ton of bio-bricks in a two-year time span. It is all thanks to the blood’s ability to coagulate and become a perfect bound for cosmic dust.
Bricks made out of urine already exist
Previously using human blood, scientists used human urine to create bricks. Researchers from South Africa made bricks out of human urine, calcium, sand, and bacteria. The bricks do not smell and are created using urea, the chemical found in urine, as fertilizer. The production takes about eight days, and it could contribute to the reduction of global emissions.
