Tuesday, June 24, 2025

SPACE/COSMOS

Growing homes on Mars: Texas A&M research pioneers autonomous construction using synthetic lichens

New self-growing technology could revolutionize Martian architecture by using living biomaterials to 3D print structures — without human intervention.

Texas A&M University

Mars Construction — image:
A synthetic habitat could be built with the help of a self-growing technology that harnesses local resources and microbes to autonomously form structures on the Red Planet.
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Credit: Texas A&M University

Inhabiting Mars has long been a futuristic fantasy fueled by science fiction. However, successful landings on our neighboring planet over the past half-century have made this seemingly far-fetched idea increasingly plausible.

But don’t start packing just yet. First, we must figure out how to build structures millions of miles from Earth. Sending rockets carrying massive payloads of construction materials into space isn’t practical or affordable. So, how can we use the resources already present on the Red Planet to build your dream home?

Enter Texas A&M University’s Dr. Congrui Grace Jin with the possible answer.

Jin and her colleagues from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have worked for years on bio-manufacturing engineered living materials and have developed a synthetic lichen system that can form building materials with no outside intervention. Their latest study, funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program and recently published in the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, applies this research to the autonomous construction of structures on Mars, using the planet’s regolith, which includes dust, sand and rocks.

This advancement has the potential to revolutionize extraterrestrial construction by enabling structures to be built in the most demanding environments with restricted resources.

“We can build a synthetic community by mimicking natural lichens,” explains Jin. “We’ve developed a way to build synthetic lichens to create biomaterials that glue Martian regolith particles into structures. Then, through 3D printing, a wide range of structures can be fabricated, such as buildings, houses and furniture.”

Others have researched a variety of methods for bonding Martian regolith particles, including magnesium-based, sulfur-based, and a geopolymer creation. Yet all the methods require significant human assistance and thus are not feasible with the obvious lack of manpower on Mars.

Another approach has been microbe-mediated self-growing technology. Various designs have been developed, such as bacterial biomineralization to bind sand particles into masonry, ureolytic bacteria to promote the production of calcium carbonate to make bricks, and NASA’s exploration of the use of fungal mycelium as a bonding agent.

Although microbe-mediated self-growing technology is very promising, the current practices are not completely autonomous because the microbes being used are limited to a single species or strain, thus their survivability requires a continuous supply of nutrients, meaning outside intervention is needed. Again, the lack of manpower on Mars makes this challenging.

To solve this problem, Jin’s team has developed a completely autonomous self-growing technology by designing a synthetic community making use of the advantages of multiple species. This system eliminates the need for external nutrient supplies.

The design uses heterotrophic filamentous fungi as bonding material producers because they can promote large amounts of biominerals and survive harsh conditions much better than heterotrophic bacteria. These fungi are paired with photoautotrophic diazotrophic cyanobacteria to create the synthetic lichen system.

How does it work? The diazotrophic cyanobacteria fix carbon dioxide and dinitrogen from the atmosphere and convert them into oxygen and organic nutrients to help the survival and growth of filamentous fungi and increase the concentration of carbonate ions by photosynthetic activities. The filamentous fungi bind metal ions onto fungal cell walls and serve as nucleation sites for biomineral production, as well as enhance the growth of cyanobacteria by providing them water, minerals, and carbon dioxide. Both components secrete biopolymers that enhance the adhesion and cohesion among Martian regolith and precipitated particles to create a consolidated body.

The system grows with only Martian regolith simulant, air, light and an inorganic liquid medium. In other words, no manpower needed.

“The potential of this self-growing technology in enabling long-term extraterrestrial exploration and colonization is significant,” states Jin.

The next step of the project, already underway, is the creation of regolith ink to print bio-structures using the 3D printing technique of direct ink writing.

Jin is an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology program in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University. Her fellow researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are Dr. Richard Wilson, Nisha Rokaya and Erin Carr. Read about the team’s related research.

Funding for this research is administered by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the official research agency for Texas A&M Engineering.

Journal

Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering

DOI

10.1115/1.4068792

Method of Research

Observational study

Article Title

Bio-Manufacturing of Engineered Living Materials for Martian Construction: Design of the Synthetic Community

Article Publication Date

23-Jun-2025

Novel SwRI-developed instrument delivered for NASA’s IMAP mission

CoDICE will measure energized interstellar and solar particles to better understand boundary of heliosphere

Southwest Research Institute

CoDICE UV Inspection — image:
Following ultraviolet light inspections for contamination, Southwest Research Institute delivered the novel Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) instrument for final integration into NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft. Initially developed through the Institute’s internal research and development program, CoDICE combines the capabilities of multiple instruments into one patented sensor about the size of a 5-gallon paint bucket and weighing about 22 pounds.
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Credit: Southwest Research Institute

SAN ANTONIO — June 24, 2025— Southwest Research Institute has delivered the novel Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) instrument for final integration into NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft. Scheduled to launch in late 2025, IMAP will help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble that surrounds and protects our solar system.

CoDICE will measure the distribution and composition of interstellar pickup ions, particles that make it through the “heliospheric” filter. The instrument will also characterize solar wind ions as well as the mass and composition of highly energized solar particles associated with flares and coronal mass ejections.

“We integrated the instrument into the spacecraft on June 20,” said Susan Pope, executive director in SwRI’s Space Science Division and IMAP’s payload manager. “IMAP will give us a more complete picture of the interaction between the interstellar medium and the solar wind, providing a better understanding of our place in the universe.”

The heliosphere is created by the constant flow of particles from the Sun known as the solar wind, which separates our solar system from the interstellar medium, the ancient cast-off winds of other stars. IMAP instruments will collect and analyze particles that make it through the barrier. The mission will also examine the fundamental processes that accelerate particles throughout the heliosphere and beyond. These energetic particles and cosmic rays can harm astronauts and space-based technologies.

“Initially developed through the Institute’s internal research and development program, CoDICE combines the capabilities of multiple instruments into one patented sensor,” said Dr. Mihir Desai, director of SwRI’s Space Research Department and an IMAP co-investigator and part of the CoDICE leadership team. “The instrument is about the size of a 5-gallon paint bucket, weighing about 22 pounds, and has a unique and beautiful thermal management design.”

Spacecraft experience extreme temperature variations, ranging from the intense heat of direct sunlight to the frigid cold of deep space. To maintain operational reliability and longevity, the half of CoDICE that will always face the Sun has a shiny “gold” surface to deflect heat energy. The opposite side has a matte black surface to absorb as much heat as possible.

SwRI plays a major role in the IMAP mission, managing the payload office and providing a scientific instrument and other technology for the mission.

“SwRI is also contributing to the development of the next-generation energetic neutral atom imagers as well as electronics to support IMAP instruments that measure solar wind electrons,” said Pope. “We are also providing digital electronics for four IMAP instruments.”

By studying the nature of the interaction of solar and stellar winds, IMAP will join a fleet of NASA heliophysics missions seeking to understand how the Sun affects the space environment near Earth and across the solar system. Heliophysics spacecraft studying the Sun, near-Earth space, and the boundaries of the heliosphere form a system observatory. Understanding the fundamental processes that govern our neighborhood in space continues to build a foundation for prediction of Earth’s and the solar system’s space weather.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/earth-space/space-research-technology/space-science/heliophysics.

The SwRI-developed CoDICE instrument has a unique thermal management design to address extreme temperature variations ranging from the intense heat of direct sunlight to the frigid cold of deep space. To maintain operational reliability and longevity, the half of CoDICE that will always face the Sun has a shiny “gold” surface to deflect heat energy, while the opposite side has a matte black surface to absorb as much heat as possible.

Credit

Southwest Research Institute

Handy ‘MasSpec Pen’ collection could help detect opioids from the skin

American Chemical Society

Opioids like fentanyl, morphine and oxycodone are the drugs most linked to overdoses in the U.S. Typical screening methods for drug usage involve collection of blood, saliva or urine samples. Now, in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, researchers demonstrate a pen-like tool that can quickly and non-invasively collect molecules from the skin’s surface to be screened for opioids with mass spectrometry.

“After seeing Dr. [Livia] Eberlin’s fascinating work using the ‘MasSpec Pen’ on non-destructive sampling of tissues for cancer identification, I became very interested in investigating how this technology could be used for rapid, non-invasive toxicology screening in clinics and acute care settings,” says study coauthor William Clarke. “Access to this information in real time could allow for earlier intervention for patients at risk for drug overdose or in need of substance use treatment.”

A common analytical method for detecting opioids in blood, saliva and urine samples is liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). Clinic-based LCMS screening offers excellent detection and sensitivity, but sample collection and preparation is complicated and time-consuming. In addition to body fluids, opioids are also distributed in the skin. So, William Clarke, Livia Eberlin and colleagues came together to modify their handheld MasSpec Pen into a modular tool that quickly collects molecules from the skin’s surface to be tested for opioids, eliminating the need for additional sample prep.

The new version of the MasSpec Pen delivers a small droplet of water and ethanol to the surface of the skin. While it sits there, the liquid extracts molecules that could indicate past drug use. After 3 seconds, the liquid droplet is sucked up by the pen into a collection vial. The sample can be immediately analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry or stored for future analysis.

After successful proof-of-concept demonstrations on patches of human skin, the team tested the MasSpec Pen on the arm or hand of eight participants with known exposure to fentanyl and hydromorphone. When the researchers compared the new collection tool’s skin sample data to traditionally collected urine and saliva data, they found:

Fentanyl in seven of the MasSpec Pen skin samples but no hydromorphone.
Fentanyl and hydromorphone in all eight urine samples.
Fentanyl in five saliva samples (one sample could not be tested) and hydromorphone in four saliva samples.

Although the samples collected by the MasSpec Pen did not have the same level of detection as the urine and saliva samples, the device’s easy use and portability show promise for future development. The researchers note that discrepancies might stem from the time of drug ingestion relative to when the testing was performed. The team’s future studies may explore the impact of skin type, skin cleanliness and extent of drug exposure on the MasSpec Pen detection limits and analysis of opioids.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Eli Lilly Young Investigator Award, a Welch Research Grant and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The human skin samples used in this work were collected per the approved protocol from the Cooperative Human Tissue Network Institutional Review Board. The clinical study was conducted per the approved protocol from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Some authors have patents on the MasSpec Pen and are involved in MS Pen Technologies, Inc., a company commercializing the technology.

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