![]() If NASA posed that question to you, how would you answer it? Self-described Astromycologist Paul Stamets (Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, ‘astro’ refers to outer space … you can do the rest) answers his own question in an interview with Scientific American – psylocibin ‘magic’ mushrooms grown from the most economical food storage packages around … spores. “Mycotecture Off Planet.”, April 7, 2021.“Do you think the astronauts are going to have loneliness and depression and PTSD? I think yes. “NASA’s Trippy Thought: Build Space Homes Out of Mushrooms.” The Daily Beast, November 16, 2021. ![]() “The future of space travel might rely on buildings made of mushrooms.”, January 25, 2023. Will mushrooms be the answer to meeting Martians? Only time will tell, but this mycelial pursuit shows no signs of stopping. ![]() Later space explorations may also use these mycomaterials to nourish planetary soil for growing crops and other organic materials necessary for life in space. While cultivating mushrooms to use as lunar habitats seems about as radically sci-fi as it can get, this newfound synthesization process can be used in more ways than one.įor our robotic friends on Mars, smaller molds have been used to make mycelial sheds to protect rovers from the elements. With controlled humidity and artificial lighting, creating the perfect growing conditions isn’t too far-fetched.ĬEO and co-founder of mycotecture design firm Ecovative Eben Bayer vouches for Rothschild’s hypothesis for the mushroom home’s viability and their ability to protect space explorers from harmful radiation.Īdditionally, keeping this fungal mycelium hydrated makes the material fire-resistant. To make matters easier, these mushrooms can be farmed inside the same greenhouses used to cultivate food for astronauts. Luckily, the biggest issue of simply growing these mushrooms has its answer: lunar soil, according to Rothschild, will be mixed with the same nutrients a mushroom gets from its usual plant-based meal, chaetomorpha. Growing these mushrooms on the moon, much less coercing them into habitable molds, isn’t easy. While tests here on Earth have yielded positive results for these mushroom molds, sending them into space opens up entirely new territory and difficulties. Through trial and error, NASA is working to identify the challenges of growing mushrooms off-planet, with eventual sights on sending these mycomaterial building blocks to the moon. Rothschild argues that when space missions bring construction materials to build lunar and planetary habitats, the added mass expends vital energy that astronauts could utilize in other, more urgent regard.Īfter synthesizing mycelia alongside the 2018 Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM team to create designs, run tests, and build items, NASA shifted to implementing mycotecture off-Earth. The initial mycotecture study by evolutionary biologist and astrobiologist Lynn Rothschild of the NASA Ames Research Center explores the synthesis of mycelia to create space stations, specifically in the context of growing these habitats off-Earth. The mycomaterial is then baked to solidify its shape and kill any remaining living organisms to prevent cross-contamination on extraterrestrial planets. Once this alga grows to a substantial amount inside the mold, mycelium is added, which slowly takes over the shape of the mold as it consumes the chaetomorpha and expands.Īfter filling the mold’s desired shape, scientists use pressurized air to compact the fungal creation into a structurally sound, dense material. To begin synthesizing the stucco-like mycelium material for building structures, Mauer adds chaetomorpha, a type of algae that serves as mushroom food, and water, to an inflatable mold. ![]() Spearheading this project, proposed initially by NASA’s Lynn Rothschild, is architect Chris Maurer, working in collaboration with NASA and the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms alongside his team from redhouse studio. Scientists are testing fungi’s ability to grow into habitable structures on the lunar surface.ĭubbed mycotecture, the study of whether mushrooms can be synthesized to be used as a building material, the project could change the game for off-planet habitats in the near future. If recent studies on the mass-communication powers of the mycelial network or mushroom-powered tech, myceliotronics, make your head spin, you may want to hold onto the Earth tight for this one.Ī new NASA project aims to put mushrooms on the moon within the next two years but not to have astronauts floating more ways than one. Has science gone too far? Like, 238,900 miles too far? ![]()
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