A manned mission to Mars is
NASA’s next major project, but
researchers are not only concerned
with when and how humans will get
there, but also how they will be able
to survive on the inhospitable planet.
The main problem: In order to build a
settlement on Mars, the members of
the mission would have to bring many
tons of building materials from Earth
along with them. This is an expensive
undertaking when you consider that
the transport costs associated with a
fl ight to the Red Planet are estimated
to be in the range of $3 billion per ton.
Scientists at Northwestern Universityin Illinois have found a signifi cantly
more cost-effective solution: They’ve
succeeded in producing a new type of
concrete using raw materials that are
suffi ciently available on Mars. To make
the material, they used sulfur heated to
460°F so that it was in liquid form and
then mixed it with simulated Mars soil
made of silicon dioxide and aluminium
oxide. Upon cooling the sulfur becomes
solidifi ed once again and binds with
the soil particles. The advantage of the
new material: Not only can the Mars
concrete be melted down again and
recycled—it’s also twice as stable as
regular Earth concrete.HOW DO YOU CONSTRUCT A BUILDING ON
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