What The Fungus? NASA Has A Wild Plan To Grow Mushrooms On The Moon

As NASA gets closer to returning humans to the Moon, the space agency is also looking at ways of providing shelter for future astronauts on the lunar surface for long-term missions. One idea that is regaining momentum involves feeding fungal species to build materials that would be stronger than concrete and provide other benefits as well.

NASA and other space agencies have researched ideas of how to efficiently build lunar bases for future long-term missions. China scientists have discussed using 3D printed blocks made with lunar soil. NASA used a large 3D printer to build a simulated Mars habitat, which four volunteers spent a year in performing various experiments, such as growing and harvesting crops. However, getting the equipment to build such a base on the Moon would be quite expensive. This is where a concept referred to as In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU), or build with what you have, can cut costs dramatically.

“You can’t take boards or bricks,” remarked Chris Maurer, founder of redhouse, a Cleveland-based architecture firm partnered with NASA to help overcome the lunar base issue. “So, what are you going to build with? And it’s really expensive to take already-built habitats, which means you build with what you have there, and what you have there is going to be water, maybe, and regolith (lunar dust).”

A team of researchers at NASA Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will receive funding to propel the idea of building a lunar habitat in this manner. The Phase III NIAC award will provide $2 million over two years to continue the technology development of the Mycotecture Off Planet project to prepare for a potential future demonstration mission.

“As NASA prepares to explore farther into the cosmos than ever before, it will require new science and technology that doesn’t yet exist” remarked NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA’s space technology team and the NIAC program unlock visionary ideas – ideas that make the impossible, possible. This new research is a steppingstone to our Artemis campaign as we prepare to go back to the Moon to live, to learn, to invent, to create – then venture to Mars and beyond.”

Mycotecture, the use of fugal-based materials for constructive purposes, has been growing in popularity in recent years. It has been used in things such as art, to building, to “biocycling” waste. An example is a program run by redhouse in Namibia, which uses mycomaterial to build housing for climate refugees while simultaneously growing edible mushrooms to help with food scarcity issues.

According to NASA, the mycotecture project could enable a new, multi-use material for in-space construction, reducing mass and saving resources for additional mission priorities. A proof of concept has already been demonstrated, with the team creating multiple combinations of fungal-based biocomposites, fabricated prototypes, tested materials in a planetary simulator, evaluated enhancements including incorporating radiation protection, and drafted detailed mycelium-based Moon habitat designs.

“Mycotecture Off Planet exemplifies how advanced concepts can change how we envision future exploration missions,” remarked John Nelson, NIAC Program Executive. “As NASA embarks on the next era of space exploration, NIAC helps the agency lay the necessary groundwork to bring innovative visions to life.”