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- Research from the International Space Station reveals the benefits of using bacteria to extract minerals from material found on the Moon and Mars.
- A specific bacterium is capable of extracting rare earth elements from volcanic rock under multiple gravity conditions.
- NASA has historically avoided contaminating its mission with bacteria, but it turns out they could be useful.
NASA has always done its best to ensure that its missions were as sterile as possible. Sending bacteria from Earth to space is a bad idea for a variety of reasons, but new research suggests that some bacteria may be useful. The research, which was published in Nature Communications, reveals that terrestrial bacteria could help extract minerals from the material that covers the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.
The research, which is based on experiments conducted on the International Space Station, revealed that a specific bacterium was named Sphingomonas desiccabilis he is particularly good at extracting rare earth elements from basalt, a type of volcanic rock that has been used as an analog for what could be found on the Moon and Mars.
The bacteria were able to do their little trick with standard Earth gravity, microgravity, and gravity that mimics that of Mars. This is important news for researchers and could signal a partnership between humans and bacteria during future space explorations.
Typically, NASA and other space agencies do everything they can to prevent bacteria from getting into space. The idea is that we don’t want to accidentally seed another world with life, as it could cause problems later on. If we eventually send more advanced manned missions or rovers to a place like Mars and then discover the bacteria there, we might mistake the terrestrial bacteria we brought ourselves for true Martian life. It would be a rather embarrassing mix, and it’s something scientists would like to avoid.
However, bacteria are capable of pretty amazing things, and we’ve already seen discussions about using bacteria as a food source or in food production for future long-range missions to places like Mars. Now, apparently, bacteria can help us get the most out of the material we also find on those planets.
“Our experiments provide support for the scientific and technical feasibility of biologically enhanced elemental extraction through the Solar System,” Charles Cockell, lead author of the work, said in a statement. “For example, our findings suggest that the construction of robotic and man-made mines in the Moon region Oceanus Procellarum, which has rocks with enriched concentrations of rare earth elements, could be a fruitful direction of human scientific and economic development beyond the earth . “
NASA’s Artemis missions to the moon are coming soon, and with the manned missions included in that program, humans will have plenty of time to play with the material covering the moon’s surface. At that point, we could learn a lot more about how bacteria could pave the way for a sustainable existence in space.
Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and the technology of the future. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot and appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and print media. His love of reportage is second only to his addiction to games.
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