Indian scientists develop space bricks for lunar habitation

Researchers have developed a process to make bricks on the moon for habitation.

The research was led by a team of scientists from the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Indian space agency launched two unmanned missions to the moon in 2008 and 2019 as part of its inter-planetary exploration to study the earth's natural satellite, though it failed to land on the lunar surface.

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The making of space bricks brings biology and mechanical engineering together and using them to assemble structure for habitation on the moon's surface.

As guar gum is used instead of cement for structures, space bricks will also lower carbon footprint in the lunar atmosphere.

Since micro-organisms produce minerals through metabolism, one bacterium called 'sporosarcina pasteurii' can be used to form calcium carbonate crystals through a metabolic pathway called the ureolytic cycle.

The team mixed the bacteria with a simulant of lunar soil and added urea and calcium with gum extracted from guar beans to increase the strength of the material for carbonate precipitation. The product after a few days of incubation was strong and resilient.

The expertise can also be used to make interlocking structures for construction on the moon without additional fastening mechanism.

The scientists also plan to enhance the strength of the bricks and test them under varied loading conditions like impacts and possibly moonquakes.