Scientists from University of Manchester think starch & blood can aid construction on Mars

Researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a new material that could prove instrumental in the colonisation of Mars. Dubbed "StarCrete", the substance is composed of a unique combination of space dust, salt, and potato starch, and is said to be ideal for transporting heavy materials to the red planet. Notably, the development of StarCrete involved more than just potatoes. Lead researcher Dr. Aled Roberts reportedly infused his own blood, spit, and tears into the material. In a lighthearted comment, Dr. Roberts quipped: "You don't want to know what else I tried," as per a report from the Daily Mirror. 

By adding Martian salt or "tears of an astronaut", the resilience of StarCrete - the material developed by scientists at the University of Manchester - can be enhanced even further. Boasting a compressive strength of 72 MPa, StarCrete is stronger than traditional concrete, which has a strength of 32 MPa. Starch is a key component of StarCrete, serving as a binding agent. A single 25kg sack of dehydrated potatoes can produce approximately 213 bricks, although constructing an average house would require 7,500 bricks. The researchers tested a range of binding agents before settling on starch. Initially, they experimented with synthetic spider silk as an engineered glue/binder, but found that a cheap protein derived from cow's blood proved more effective.

Using human blood to construct buildings on Mars?

However, given the impracticality of taking cows into space, the researchers turned to a human version of the blood protein, called Human Serum Albumin, which performed exceptionally well. "Since humans will be there anyway on any crewed mission, we thought we'd explore using the human version of this blood protein," explained lead researcher Dr. Aled Roberts.

The notion of using bodily fluids to construct structures on Mars may seem far-fetched, but it is precisely what the team of scientists at the University of Manchester has done. In developing their StarCrete material, the researchers experimented with various fluids, including blood, urine, and spit, before settling on starch as the ideal binding agent. According to lead researcher Dr. Aled Roberts, the idea to use starch arose after a conversation with a friend about historical glues. Dr. Roberts discovered that traditional arrows in Britain were constructed using starch-active enzymes found in saliva. Furthermore, evidence suggests that sticky rice starch glue was used in the mortar for the Great Wall of China.

The use of StarCrete could greatly simplify the process of building on Mars, as it utilises starch that will already be produced as food for astronauts. "This simplifies the mission and makes it cheaper and more feasible," remarked Dr. Roberts. In fact, the researchers believe that StarCrete could also serve as an alternative to concrete for builders on Earth. Despite the ingenuity of the StarCrete material, the idea of using bodily fluids to construct structures has raised some eyebrows. As Dr. Roberts quipped: "Everyone's fine with giving blood, but if you want to use it to build houses on Mars you've 'gone too far' apparently."