Unlocking Lunar Living: How Bacteria Might Revolutionize City Construction and Sustainability on the Moon

Imagine a world where humans build homes on the moon using materials found right on its surface. Scientists are exploring this possibility, focusing on using moon dust, known as lunar regolith, to create bricks. A recent study suggests that if these bricks develop cracks, we could call on bacteria to help repair them.

Constructing a lunar base using local materials is crucial. Transporting huge amounts from Earth is costly and complicated. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and others worldwide have been playing with ways to make bricks from lunar regolith simulants—essentially lab-made replicas of moon dust.

Regolith is the loose layer of dust and rock that covers the moon. Since real lunar regolith is rare, scientists use simulants to test their ideas. The IISc team first discovered that a type of soil bacterium called Sporosarcina pasteurii can turn urea, which it produces as waste, into calcium carbonate. This process, combined with guar gum from beans, helps to bind the regolith particles into solid bricks.

Later, they experimented with sintering—heating a mixture of regolith simulant and polyvinyl alcohol to high temperatures. The bricks created were stronger, but the moon’s harsh conditions present a challenge. Temperatures can swing from 250°F (121°C) during the day to -208°F (-133°C) at night, causing significant stress. Experts warn that these extreme conditions could lead to brittleness and cracking.

“The temperature swings on the lunar surface can have a big impact over time,” says Koushik Viswanathan from IISc. “If a brick cracks, it could compromise the structure.” Therefore, finding a way to repair these bricks is essential.

The IISc team returned to their bacterial solution, not for brick-making, but for sealing cracks. They applied a mixture to existing bricks, resembling a slurry made from the same bacteria, guar gum, and lunar simulant. This mixture seeped into the bricks and filled the gaps, restoring some of their strength—about 28 to 54% of their original compressive strength.

“We were surprised to see the bacteria could not only solidify the slurry but also adhere to the bricks. This might work even in low gravity,” says Aloke Kumar, a researcher at IISc. However, scientists are still uncertain how these bacteria will behave under extraterrestrial conditions. Will they stop producing minerals necessary for repair in space?

To find answers, the team plans to send a Sporosarcina pasteurii sample into space during India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission. This mission, aiming for crewed spaceflight in 2026, could be a groundbreaking experiment for understanding how bacteria function beyond Earth.

This research opens exciting avenues in space exploration, demonstrating how we’re learning to not just survive, but potentially thrive on the moon. By using local resources and innovative solutions, human life on other planets could become a reality, and we might discover even more resilient life forms and materials along the way.

For more information about this pioneering research, you can read the detailed publication in Frontiers in Space Technologies.

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