Blood, sweat, and tears: extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites with in vivo binders.

ABSTRACT: The proverbial phrase 'you can't get blood from a stone' is used to describe a task that is practically impossible regardless of how much force or effort is exerted. This phrase is well-suited to humanity's first crewed mission to Mars, which will likely be the most difficult and technologically challenging human endeavor ever undertaken. The high cost and significant time delay associated with delivering payloads to the Martian surface means that exploitation of resources in situ - including inorganic rock and dust (regolith), water deposits, and atmospheric gases - will be an important part of any crewed mission to the Red Planet. Yet there is one significant, but chronically overlooked, source of natural resources that will - by definition - also be available on any crewed

SUBMITTER: Roberts AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8463914 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature