ELASSS December 2022 - Dr Cyprien Verseux

TITLE: Cyanobacteria for biological ISRU on Mars: From a concept toward an analysis of cost-efficiency

SPEAKER: Dr Cyprien Verseux, from the University of Bremen (Germany)

WHERE: JCMB, 4325B

WHEN: December 12th, 2022, 3.00pm 

Abstract: 

If permanently crewed research stations are to be set on Mars, their sustainability will require a near-independence of Earth for material resources. Biological systems my support this independence: they could perform a wide range of functions, from metal mining to food production, with a low impact on the Martian environment. However, while biological systems should rely on resources available on site, most organisms cannot utilize raw Martian resources directly.

A solution has been proposed which lies in using diazotrophic, rock-weathering cyanobacteria to process raw Martian resources into substrates for downstream biotechnologies. The organisms’ physiology is such that they could, it seems, be fed with materials available on site: water mined from the ground or atmosphere; carbon and nitrogen sourced from the atmosphere; and the local regolith, from which it has been argued that they could extract the other necessary nutrients. The cultured cyanobacteria could then produce various consumables directly, such as dioxygen and dietary supplements, but also support the growth of secondary producers (chiefly, plants and other microorganisms). Those could, in turn, generate a wide range of critical consumables including oxygen, drugs and food.

In this presentation I will outline the theory behind this proposed solution, describe recent results which suggest its viability, and present ongoing efforts which aim at assessing its cost-efficiency.