Future habitats on Mars could support operations utilizing algae grown locally. Initial experiments have demonstrated a functional circulation system simulating Martian conditions in the lab, aiding future explorers in establishing habitats on the Red Planet.

What materials will you take to Mars for this initiative? Robin Wordsworth from Harvard University has created flask-like bioclastic vessels using various algae, small bioreactors, 3D printers, and plant materials. According to Wordsworth, they cultivate algae within these vessels, employ bioreactors to convert the algae into further bioplastic material, and use 3D printing to produce more algae containers.

“The objective is to utilize materials to create habitats sourced from biology. We can develop self-sustaining systems,” he states. Wordsworth and his team have successfully demonstrated the initial phase of this cycle.

They cultivated green algae, Dunaliella tertiolecta, in a vessel made from 1 millimeter thick PLA bioplastic. Each container was placed in a simulated Martian environment, where conditions replicated approximately 0.6% of Earth’s atmospheric pressure, with over 98% carbon dioxide in the air. Over a span of 10 days, researchers observed algae growth and photosynthesis rates comparable to those found in more Earth-like settings.

The concept of 3D-printed bioplastic habitats originated about a decade ago, but new experiments indicate their potential to sustain life, according to Amor Menezes at the University of Florida. “This is thrilling. Our journey to Mars and the duration of stay will last several years, meaning we cannot transport everything,” he explains. “This suggests that bioplastics may feasibly support living under Martian-like conditions, and many essential items during their stay could be bioplastic-based.”

The team’s achievements were the result of several years of testing various container designs and bacterial strains, as explained by team member Rafid Quayum from Harvard University. “Physicists, engineers, and planetary scientists collaborated to bring our minds together and enhance our external environment’s habitability,” he shares.

Looking ahead, the team aims to incorporate more extraterrestrial elements into their experiments, testing materials in a vacuum to simulate atmosphere-free environments found on other planets and moons, as well as launching them into low-Earth orbit spacecraft.

“This presents a genuinely compelling and fundamental research question, essential for enabling human habitation beyond Earth in the future.”