Welcome to the future! A latest study makes it look like living on Mars might be a possibility after all!
In a recent article published in the journal Materials Today Bio, scientists have explained how a serum albumin, a protein present in blood plasma can be used to bind together Martian soil, to produce a concrete-like material, which in turn can be used to build structures on the red planet.
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So astronauts or experts on manned space missions can , quite literally use their blood, to help create this new kind of concrete. The new material being called 'AstroCrete' will reportedly be 300% stronger, after adding components like urea, a chemical compound commonly found in human urine and excreta, and also found in smaller quantities in sweat and tears.
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According to calculations made by scientists, over 500 kgs of high-strength 'AstroCrete' can be generated during a two-year mission to Mars, by a team of six astronauts. With 'AstroCrete' along with Martian soil, future mars residents will have building material to make homes and structures.
This obviously makes perfect sense, because the cost of transporting concrete from Earth to Mars is a non-starter.
"Scientists have been trying to develop viable technologies to produce concrete-like materials on the surface of Mars, but we never stopped to think that the answer might be inside us all along”, says Dr. Aled Roberts from University of Manchester who worked on the project.