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Bacteria and algae could be used to solve oxygen production on Mars, one of the most critical issues for colonization.
As scientists work to meet the 2030 target to send humans to Mars, NASA has turned to private industry to devise a strategy. Techshot, a development company that has designed products including X-ray systems for the International Space Station and deep-sea chambers for submersible vehicles, is working to develop a method to utilize bacteria and algae for the production of oxygen on the Red Planet, writes Science Times.
Techshot developers believe that the answer could rest on the Martian surface. The soil on Mars in rich in nitrogen, and bacteria and algae from Earth could be tasked with removing the chemical from the soil and converting it into oxygen.
"This is a possible way to support a human mission to Mars, producing oxygen without having to send heavy gas canisters," Techshot's chief scientist, Eugene Boland said in a statement. "Let's send microbes and let them do the heavy lifting for us."
To support their theory, Techshot has constructed a replica of the Martian environment. The "Mars Room" is a special laboratory designed to mimic the atmosphere and soil chemistry of Mars, including appropriate levels of radiation and length of daylight,with some of their experiments proving to be successful.
NASA envisions bio domes, stretching across the Martian landscape, which would house immense colonies of oxygen-producing algae and bacteria. However, this still needs to be tested on a smaller scale. They intend to send tightly sealed canisters of microorganisms aboard future rover missions that would then be implanted in the Martian soil. The canisters will then be monitored, with the hope that they will successfully produce oxygen.
The concept being tested by these scientists is not a new one as these organisms have been performing this function on Earth for millions of years.
Between 70 and 80 percent of the oxygen on Earth is generated by photosynthetic algae and cyanobacteria. Algae contain light-absorbing chloroplasts and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. They can be found in fresh and saltwater, and on rocks, trees, and in soil. Cyanobacteria are also aquatic and photosynthetic and make up the oldest known fossils on Earth: the 3.5 billion-year-old stromatolites that dot the shallow shores of Western Australia.
These organisms are essential to life on our planet and perhaps they will be able to do the same on Mars.
