#Mars #bricks #colonizing #MartianSoil #NASA #curiosity #space #newtech
Scientists have manufactured tiny bricks, about 0.1 inch thick and disc-shaped, using artificial Martian soil. The technique only requires the red Martian soil to be compressed in a precise way. There are no additives required or no baking to be done.
NASA’s Curiosity rover collected samples of Martian dust and sand for the first time in 2012, analyzing its composition in a laboratory inside the mobile robot.
These bricks can be used by people during manned mission, and will be effective in the colonization of Mars. Since the soils just needs to be compressed, there will be no need of building nuclear plants to fire bricks, or hauling large quantities of polymer from Earth.
The main reason is due to the presence of Iron oxide in the Martian soil, which is thought to be the ‘cementing agent’ that makes the soil so malleable. The bricks thus formed can be considered stronger than steel of the same dimensions.
Amazing. Now all that is left is someone working on Space suits.
LiveSid 