Performance of cyanobacteria in artificial Martian regolith.

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The world's space agencies (NASA, CSA, ESA, JAXA, etc.) have declared the common goal of returning to the Moon by 2024 and establishing a sustainable presence there by 2028 to serve as a research outpost for the realization of manned missions to Mars. Among the many scientific and technological challenges of this endeavor, the establishment and sustainable development of Lunar and Martian agriculture is of the utmost importance. The reliability and stability of the operating and recycling systems of the greenhouses within these future space settlements on the Moon and Mars will be crucial for the astronauts’ survival. The study, development and customization of a Higher Plant Compartment (HPC) is one of the first steps toward this goal. The reliability of these systems relies on recycling and the use of the sources in situ. Technologies known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) hold promise in enhancing long-term self-sustaining human outposts on the Moon or on Mars by conferring the capability of living off the land. In situ large-scale food harvesting and oxygen production will depend on plants and, to a lesser extent, the unicellular organisms included in bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). The highly efficient use and recovery of biogenic minerals, and their efficient recycling, will significantly reduce the space missions’ costs by minimizing the need for replenishing supplies from Earth.

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