Scientists Propose "Growing" Houses on Mars: What Has Been Done and What to Expect

A group of international researchers has presented an innovative concept for Martian construction in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, which could change the approach to building habitats on Mars. Since transporting construction materials from Earth is extremely costly (up to millions of dollars per kilogram), scientists propose using local regolith, converting it into a solid "biocement" through microorganisms.

How the Technology Works
The idea is based on biomineralization, a natural process by which organisms produce minerals. The main players include:

• Sporosarcina pasteurii - a bacterium that produces calcium carbonate and can bind sand into a solid rock mass. It is already used on Earth for soil stabilization and concrete repair.
• Chroococcidiopsis - one of the most resilient microorganisms on the planet, able to withstand extreme conditions, including in the Atacama Desert or even the exterior of the International Space Station.

By mixing Martian regolith with these bacteria and minimal nutrients, a process akin to limestone formation is initiated: microbes produce mineral compounds that bind dust particles into a solid, construction-ready material. This can be used for 3D printing walls or even entire housing modules.

More than Just Construction
The technology has several key advantages.

• Chroococcidiopsis produces oxygen, which could become a vital resource for the first Martian habitats.
• Byproducts of microbial metabolism can be utilized in closed agro-systems for growing plants.

In the long term, such microorganisms could represent the first steps towards terraforming Mars.

What Has Been Done and What to Expect
Currently, the system has only been tested in laboratory conditions with analogs of Martian regolith (MMS-1 and MMS-2). The results are promising: within a few days, the powder-like material has been transformed into biocement with a strength of up to 20–30 MPa, sufficient for constructing one- to two-story structures.

The next steps include testing in low gravity conditions (parabolic flights, orbital laboratories), checking resistance to Martian radiation and temperature variations from -90 to +20°C, and searching for minimal nutrient sets that could be sourced locally, for instance, from astronauts' life support waste.