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Revision as of 09:26, 1 October 2018
Fungal building materials for extreme environments
Colonization of uninhabitable areas, like Mars, will require building materials to be transported to the site of deployment. Transport limitations such as space and weight make this process very expensive. Based on these challenges, we propose to make building materials from fungal mycelium to be grown on site. Therefore, our project is focused on how to optimize the material properties of the fungi through engineering of basic fungal characteristics. Our initial studies identified Aspergillus oryzae as the best candidate chassis for material properties and ease of genetic engineering. Based on our choice of fungi, we decided to increase the gene expression of melanin to improve A. oryzae’s capabilities of withstanding UV radiation and change the colors of the fungi by inserting a blue chromoprotein gene. Furthermore, we have designed a final geometric structure that can withstand external conditions and reduce the amount of work needed to assemble it.
The Plan
PHASE ONE - preparations on Earth
We’d begin by having the fully prepared fungus species ready for launch.
Data confirming that the proper genes in the GMO fungus will be collected.
A clear model of the structure would be confirmed and tested for the necessary exposure.
PHASE TWO - Inventory
The space shuttle would need to have the essentials for our fungus to be grown.
Vials of spores from our GMO fungus would be prepared and a necessary means of biomass, most likely cyanobacteria, will be included.
Specific molds will let the fungus grow in a desired shape. Creating the pieces for the dome.
General laboratory tools will have to be included to perform the needed work.
PHASE THREE - producing the sheets
Plate production will be established inside a provisional inflatable tent.
Biomass and spores will be combined in easy-to-manage molds.
Growth in a confined place will let the fungus achieve the desired shape.
When the mold is appropriately filled, the fungus will be extracted and killed as preparation for the building process.
PHASE FOUR - assembly
Our design will be created as a dome from three different triangular shapes.
The actual structure will be from the dome itself, but it will not be able to counteract the inner pressure from our man made atmosphere.
For this, a layer of sand, mixed with a modified version of biocement, will be placed on top of the dome.
To create the atmosphere, cyanobacteria will be kept cultivated inside the dome.
Challenges
Growth of the fungi in Mars temperatures can prove to be a problem.
The fungal spores may be troublesome: They might smell and A. oryzae is an allergen(1).
Need to ask the physicist and mycolab for any met/known problems
(1) Mousavi B, Hedayati MT, Hedayati N, Ilkit M, Syedmousavi S. 2016. Aspergillus species in indoor environments and their possible occupational and public health hazards. Curr Med Mycol 2:36–42.