DARPA expects the growing structure to be several hundred meters long
Science Photo Library / Alami Stock Photo
The US military is brainstorming ways to build larger structures in space, from telescope antennas to elevator tethers. By using biological organisms to grow these objects with microgravity, they hope to avoid the cost and laborious process of launching components from Earth.
“We have not yet lifted the possibilities of biology for space production and manufacturing,” he says.
Michael Nayak, Program Manager for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The combination of biology and mechanical engineering “can unlock new ways of manufacturing in unprecedented ways.”
Source: www.newscientist.com
