Scientists discovered that they could make a cosmic concrete using a protein from human blood combined with a compound from urine, sweat or tears. These ingredients are then glued together to simulate Moon or Mars soil, resulting in a material that is far stronger than ordinary concrete, making it perfect for construction work in extra-terrestrial environments, possibly even a Mars base.
The common protein from blood plasma, human serum albumin, basically acts as a binder for simulated Moon or Mars dust to produce the concrete-like material, called AstroCrete. This cosmic concrete boasts compressive strengths as high as 25 MPa (Megapascals), which is quite impressive, compared to the 20–32 MPa seen in typical concrete. However, scientists found that by incorporating urea – made by the body and excreted through urine, sweat and tears – could further increase the compressive strength by over 300%, or up to 40 MPa.
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Scientists have been trying to develop viable technologies to produce concrete-like materials on the surface of Mars, but we never stopped to think that the answer might be inside us all along. The concept is literally blood-curdling,” said Dr Aled Roberts, from The University of Manchester, who worked on the project.
