Scientists make an ‘extraterrestrial’ material using dust, potatoes and salt – and intend to take it to Mars

a NASA Moving further and further in its plan to establish bases in moon In the next decade, the next big step after that mission is to send astronauts to space Mars. With this in mind, a team of scientists from the University of Manchester, UK, has contributed to the development of a new type of concrete, called Crete starwhich can be used to build on the red planet.

The material is made in a “simple” way, from extraterrestrial dust, potato starch – which will be part of the astronauts’ diet – and salt. The result of the mixture is a component that is twice as strong as regular concrete and can be manufactured out of the ground, as described in the scientific journal. Open Engineering.

Scientists have discovered that magnesium chloride, a common element on Mars, can improve StarCrete’s strength. When used with simulated planetary dust, it has a compressive strength of 72 MPa (MPa), up to 91 MPa if moon dust is also used—for comparison purposes, regular concrete only has 32 MPa.

Materials also contribute to the environment

In addition to efficiency in relation to the “strength” of the object, it is also sustainable. Its production requires a regular oven only at normal cooking temperatures; A much simpler technology than making traditional concrete, which requires a great deal of energy and is responsible for a significant portion of global carbon emissions.

While there are still many hurdles to overcome before astronauts can establish a permanent presence on Mars, the discovery of StarCrete is a huge step toward that goal. With building materials available, NASA will be able to send teams to the Red Planet with assurance that they have a safe and stable shelter. Our first colony is somewhere else in space that’s a little closer to reality.

source: gizmodo