NASA Wants To Build Our Future Mars Habitat Out Of Mushroom

Inhabitants of the Moon and Mars may live in houses built with mushrooms as NASA is looking into the possibility of using fungi instead of glass and metal.

The idea is to make the mushroom grow following a pre-made framework by adding water to them.

The plan’s focus is on mycelia, the underground parts that make up most of the fungi. They can grow, replicate, and repair, making them the ideal solution for space construction.

According to Lynn Rothschild, the project’s principal investigator, for now, the whole concept of habiting on Mars is like a turtle, humans like to bring their home with them to the new place, with a massive cost of energy. The new idea is to reach the destination first and then grow the homes later.

The buildings would look like a dome with three layers. The outer one is ice, the middle is cyanobacteria, which photosynthesizes using water from the ice and the light shone through the outer layer. The oxygen produced by the second layer would fuel the growth of the last layer of mycelia.

While the project is still at its infant stage, experts are looking into the possibility of using the same concept on Earth.

Rothschild said that space gave them the freedom they need to experiment with new ideas and when they succeeded, they could bring the design back to our planet.

According to NASA, these fungi can do much more than just being building blocks. They can filter water and generate electricity without the need to use fossil fuels.

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