NASA's habitat-growing design might allow future explorers "grow" homes using fungi as the agency gets ready for long-duration missions involving humans on Moon and Mars for the benefit of all. Under NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, a group of researchers at NASA Ames Research Centre in Silicon Valley, California, will get additional funds to advance their studies on habitats.

Mycotecture: Growing Homes Using Fungi

In order to advance the technology of the Mycotecture Off Planet project in anticipation of a potential future demonstration mission, the Phase III NIAC award will provide $2 million spread over two years. Senior research scientist at NASA Ames Lynn Rothschild is in charge of the project.

"As NASA prepares to explore deeper into the cosmos than ever before, it will necessitate new science and technology that do not yet exist," stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA's space technology team and the NIAC program enable innovative ideas, making the unthinkable attainable. This new research is a step forward for our Artemis program, which aims to return to the Moon to live, learn, develop, and create before moving on to Mars and beyond."

"You can't take boards or bricks," says Chris Maurer, creator of redhouse, a Cleveland-based architecture firm that collaborated with NASA to address the interplanetary construction challenge. "So, what will you build with? And taking already-built habitats is quite expensive."
He adds the notion that most academics are looking at is termed ISRU - In-Situ Resource Utilisation - "which means you build with what you have there, and what you have there is going to be water, maybe, and regolith (lunar dust)".

humans on moon
Image Source: Marca.com

As it turns out, these limited resources are more than enough to fuel some fungal species, which can subsequently be transformed into unexpectedly robust building materials that are stronger than concrete and offer a slew of other advantages.
Some habitats, such as landers and rovers, will be transported to planetary surfaces. However, the mycotecture project team is working on technologies to "grow" housing on the Moon, Mars, and other planets using fungi and the subterranean threads that make up the majority of fungi, known as mycelia.

With this advancement, explorers could travel with a compact habitat made of lightweight material packed with dormant fungi. By adding water, fungi have the ability to grow around that framework into a completely functional human habitat while remaining safely controlled to avoid contaminating the environment.

On Earth, Maurer's team creates myco "bricks" by feeding organic debris from plants or construction waste to various fungal strains. The resulting material is then heated and compressed to form blocks that are more durable than concrete and significantly better for the environment. However, when it comes to space, this process is slightly reversed.

"The strongness doesn't really matter on the moon or Mars because gravity is much less and the building forces are going to be outwards because you're in a pressurised vessel," says Maurer. "Instead of gravity pushing down on your building, you have air pushing out, so you don't need a good material for compressive strength, but for tensile strength that can hold that pressure."

Protection Against Radiation

As the research progressed, other important benefits were revealed. As it turns out, the mycomaterial is also extremely effective at protecting against cold, micrometeorites, and lethal radiation.

"Radiation is the show-stopper for any manned missions," warns Maurer. "That's why we haven't gone back since the 1970s: it's too risky to send people. We were quite flippant back then because we wanted to beat the Soviets to the moon, but astronauts were in grave risk the whole time." He adds that a single burst of solar wind would probably certainly have caused cancer.

However, mushroom melanin has proven to be extremely effective at shielding cells and DNA from dangerous electromagnetic radiation, and the mycomaterial also slows and scatters particle radiation via an unknown method. Regardless of the reason, Maurer reports that NASA scientists have discovered that with just 8 cm (3 inches) of material, they can block over 99 percent of radiation - a significant increase over regolith, which requires 3 meters (10 feet) to offer the same degree of protection.

Furthermore, these habitat constructions are expected to grow swiftly, within 30-60 days. The procedure will involve landing a sealed package containing a toilet and a kitchen sink, the interior of which is inflated by onboard gases as its rubber shell is filled with water and a combination of fungal spores and autotrophic algae that develop and solidify in accordance with the shape of the mould. That rapid readiness may not be as important initially, as the first structural moulds would be set in place remotely long before humans arrived, but Maurer's team envisions how they could be used to grow "pup tents" (small tents) in a matter of hours for people exploring extraterrestrial landscapes.

While testing on Earth has yielded outstanding results, there is always the possibility that unexpected obstacles would surface once the concept is introduced into the harsh environment of space.

"In general," Rothschild agrees, "there are technological risks." Will the construction be strong enough? Will it actually give the insulation that we expect? What will the material's qualities be? Will it actually grow well? NASA may not know until the first full-scale structures are deployed on the moon.

But it is still at least a decade away. The project is currently preparing to deploy proof-of-concept models into space with the Starlab space station, which is planned to launch in 2028.
Associate Administrator for Programs Walt Engelund stated, "We are committed to advancing technologies to transport our astronauts, house our explorers, and facilitate valuable research" at NASA Headquarters in Washington. We invest in these technologies throughout their lifecycle, recognising their potential to help us accomplish our goals - benefiting industry, our agency, and humanity."

The mycotecture project could create a new, multi-purpose material for in-space building, lowering mass and freeing up resources for other mission priorities. Previous NIAC awards served as proof of concept for this technology. The researchers developed several fungal-based biocomposites, built prototypes, tested materials in a planetary simulator, evaluated upgrades such as radiation shielding, and draughted extensive mycelium-based Moon housing concepts. This project has both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications. Mycelia could be utilised to filter water and recover minerals from effluent.

NASA wants to influence the future by financing early-stage space technology development, ranging from deep space human exploration to enhanced propulsion and robots.

"Mycotecture Off Planet exemplifies how advanced concepts can change how we envision future exploration missions," said John Nelson, NIAC Programme 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 funding will enable the research team to optimise material qualities. It will also allow the crew to move forward with testing in low Earth orbit. Future applications for this concept could include integration into commercial space stations or injection into lunar missions, with the ultimate goal of use on Mars.

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fosters creative, early-stage research concepts through various stages of development. NASA announced the selection of 19 Phase I and Phase II proposals in January 2024. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is in charge of developing the new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities required by the agency to carry out its current and future missions, sponsors NIAC activities.

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