Science, Space and Technology News 2024
Bricks produced using mycelium, yard waste and wood chips as a part of the myco-architecture project. Similar materials could be used to build habitats on the Moon or Mars. Credit: 2018 Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM TeamThe mycotecture project, which has received $2 million for further development, could create sustainable, compact habitats that grow on-site, potentially transforming space construction and resource management.
“As NASA prepares to explore farther into the cosmos than ever before, it will require new science and technology that doesn’t yet exist” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA’s space technology team and the NIAC program unlock visionary ideas – ideas that make the impossible, possible. This new research is a stepping stone to our Artemis campaign as we prepare to go back to the Moon to live, to learn, to invent, to create – then venture to Mars and beyond.
The mycotecture project could enable a new, multi-use material for in-space construction, reducing mass and saving resources for additional mission priorities. The proof of concept for this technology was demonstrated through earlier NIAC awards.
“Mycotecture Off Planet exemplifies how advanced concepts can change how we envision future exploration missions,” said John Nelson, NIAC Program Executive. “As NASA embarks on the next era of space exploration, NIAC helps the agency lay the necessary groundwork to bring innovative visions to life.”Work under the Phase III award will allow the research team to optimize material properties. It also will enable the team to progress toward testing in low Earth orbit.
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts supports visionary, early-stage research ideas through multiple progressive phases of study. In January 2024, NASA announced 19 Phase I and Phase II proposal selections. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities the agency needs to achieve its current and future missions, funds NIAC activities.SciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998.
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