I want to say one word to you. Just one word: Fungi.
NASA’s Ames Research Center is prototyping technologies to “grow” extraterrestrial habitats out of fungus—specifically vegetative mycelia.
The space agency’s myco-architecture project envisions a future where human explorers can carry compact lodgings, built of lightweight material and dormant fungi, on long journeys to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Upon arrival, simply unfold the basic structure, add water, and voila! Fungus grows around the framework into a fully functional accommodation—all without contaminating alien environments.
Future astronauts might one day live in habitats fabricated with fungus (via 2018 Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM Team)
“Right now, traditional habitat designs for Mars are like a turtle—carrying our homes with us on our backs—a reliable plan, but with huge energy costs,” according to Lynn Rothschild, principal investigator on the early-stage project.
“Instead,” she continued, “we can harness mycelia to grow these habitats ourselves when we get there.”
The green initiative, supported through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, could even lead to more sustainable ways of living on Earth.
“We’re a very long way from being able to grow usable habitats for Mars,” a NASA press release said. “But the early-stage research is well under way to prove the potential of these creative solutions. That works all starts with experimenting with fungi.”
Humans are no stranger to fungus: The eukaryotic organisms are found in antibiotics like penicillin, bread and beer yeasts, and edible mushrooms.
But the unseen mycelia—tiny threads that build complex structures with extreme precision—are ideal building blocks for not only Martian homes, but also the furniture that could bloom inside them.
Imagine a three-layered dome:
- The outermost crust is made of frozen water ice, perhaps trapped from resources on the Moon or Mars, to protect from radiation
- That water trickles down to the second layer—the cyanobacteria—which harnesses energy from the Sun to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen for astronauts and nutrients for fungi
- The final layer of mycelia is what organically grows into a sturdy home, first activated in a contaminated environment, then baked to kill any lifeforms
A stool constructed out of mycelia after two weeks of growth (via 2018 Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM Team)
“But this is just the start,” NASA boasted.
Mycelia could be used for water filtration and biomining system to extract minerals from wastewater. Or as bioluminescent lighting, humidity regulation, and self-generating habitats capable of healing themselves.
“When we design for space, we’re free to experiment with new ideas and materials with much more freedom than we would on Earth,” Rothschild said. “And after these prototypes are designed for other worlds, we can bring them back to ours.”
There’s a great future in fungi. Think about it. Will you think about it?
More on Geek.com:
- Fungii Turn Rice, Glass Waste Into Eco-Friendly Building Material
- This Psychedelic Fungus Can Turn male Cicadas Into Horny ‘Zombies’
- AI SpaceFactory Wins NASA’s 3D-Printed Red Planet Habitat Challenge
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