A new coercive study shows that the blood of experts, when mixed with Martian soil, is depleted producing solid as concrete. Surprisingly, some of the human body fluids were shown to make this inheritance more potent.
The first settlers to reach Mars will need to build a workshop, but Red Planet will not have a place to sell and sell.
Similarly, colonists can use other features of Mars, such as regolith, rocks, and water, the latter being scarce and difficult to reach. The problem is, the material on this page does not combine magic to produce useful building materials.
Obviously, we can always send a pile of bricks to Mars, but this is expensive. Statistics think that it could cost $ 2 million more than one brick to go to Red Planet, which, of course, does not happen.
G / O Media can be sent
New research published in Materials Today Bio can help them. What it takes to make things like concrete can come from the same colonists, in the form of blood, sweat, tears, and urine, according to the study, medical author Nigel Scrutton of the University of Manchester.
“Scientists have been trying to develop technologies to help make concrete like the surface of Mars, but we have not stopped thinking that the answer could be within us all this time,” said Aled Roberts, who also works at the University of Manchester. words.
In experiments, researchers showed that serum albumin (HSA) – a protein found in the bloodstream – could be a binding when combined with a Martian simulation. and month regolith. AstroCrete, as it is called, it was as solid as concrete and sometimes it is solid.
This idea did not originate with the thin air, such as the blood of animals and other animal organs history have been used in the manufacture of bonds, such as bonds and adhesives. For example, the ancient Romans they use the blood of animals in making concrete. Researchers speculate that the mechanism by which blood is released, or the burning of blood, is responsible for AstroCrete’s ability to exercise.
In the experiments, the blood-based binder produced a concrete-like material with a dynamic strength of up to 25 Megapascals (MPa), which is similar to ordinary concrete. Subsequent experiments with the addition of urea-natural pollutants found in urine, sweat, and tears – also increased the potency by 300%. The fine mixing of HSA and urea resulted in 40 MPa strength, which is much stronger than ordinary concrete. Most importantly, the team did this by trying to compare Martian; the real thing cannot answer exactly that way.
Scientists speculate that AstroCrete could be used as a pouch to fill sandbags or making bricks that are not mixed with heat. To determine the amount of HSA, employees have to donate their blood twice a week. According to the paper, a two-year project involving six colonists could allow for the production of 1,100 pounds of the most powerful AstroCrete. Once all workers have entered their bloodstream and urine, bees will be able to double the number of buildings that have existed over the past two years, paving the way for future beekeepers.
The advantage of AstroCrete is that, unlike “other binder equipment, HSA production does not require additional expertise such as bioreactors or polymer / resin-based equipment – which can add some (and pay) to Martian work, such as also increase power, water- and the increase in activity, as well as the sensitivity to other factors, ”according to the study. * In addition, the team has shown that biocomposite can be 3D printed.
On a case-by-case basis, the group considered other people on the site, such as nails, hair, dead skin, mucus, and poop. In the case of poop, the team cited previous research which shows that it is impossible to make knives from dried combs learning findingsscientists an Ig Nobel Prize. Since temperatures on Mars could drop to -81 degrees F (-63 degrees C), Scrutton and his colleagues began to think of “cold or dung-fired weapons.” But as the researchers wrote in their research, “due to health and safety, we have not been able to investigate human waste. [extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites] in this study. ”Shame. But that sounds like a good idea to try later.
The new paper is a masterpiece, but scientists still need to show how it feels with a real Martian regolith, as well as a demonstration that their systems and objects made around them would support the Martian. In addition, they should demonstrate that frequent bleeding from colleagues is safe. NConstruction projects on Mars could happen in the coming years, perhaps making the concept of blood transfusion obsolete.
More: Trips to Mars should not exceed four years because of the dangers of radiation, scientists say.