A team of researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, will receive new funding under NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program to boost their research on mushroom habitats in space. As NASA prepares long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, a habitat growing concept selected Wednesday by the agency could help “grow” homes using mushrooms for future explorers.
The NIAC Phase III Award will provide two million dollars over two years to continue the technological development of the project Mycotecture Off Planet in preparation for a possible future demonstration mission. The work is led by Lynn Rothschild, senior research scientist at NASA Ames.
“As NASA prepares to explore the cosmos more deeply than ever, it will require new science and technology that does not yet exist,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Nasa’s space technology team and the NIAC program unlock visionary ideas, ideas that make the impossible possible. This new research is a springboard for our Artemis campaign as we prepare to return to the Moon to live, learn, invent, create and then venture to Mars and beyond.”
Some habitats, such as landers and rovers, will be delivered to planetary surfaces. However, the mycotectura project team is developing technologies that could ‘grow’ habitats on the Moon, Mars and beyond using fungi and the underground threads that make up the main part of the fungi, known as mycelia. With this development, explorers could travel with a compact habitat constructed of lightweight material containing dormant fungi. By adding water, mushrooms can potentially grow around that framework into a fully functional human habitat, while being safely contained to avoid contaminating the environment.
“We are committed to advancing technologies to transport our astronauts, house our explorers and facilitate valuable research,” said Walt Engelund, associate program administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We invest in these technologies throughout their life cycle, recognizing their potential to help us achieve our goals, benefiting the industry, our agency and humanity.”
The mycotectura project could enable a new multi-use material for construction in space, reducing mass and saving resources for additional mission priorities. Proof of concept for this technology was demonstrated through previous NIAC awards. The team created multiple combinations of fungal-based biocomposites, manufactured prototypes, tested materials in a planetary simulator, evaluated improvements, including the incorporation of radiation protection, and drafted detailed mycelium-based lunar habitat designs. This project also has uses on Earth in addition to applications on other worlds. Mycelia could be used for water filtration and systems that extract minerals from wastewater.
From human deep space exploration to advanced propulsion and robotics, NASA aims to change the possible by supporting early-stage space technology research that could radically change the future.
“Mycotecture Off Planet exemplifies how advanced concepts can change the way we imagine future exploration missions,” said John Nelson, NIAC program executive. «As NASA embarks on the next era of space exploration, NIAC helps the agency lay the foundations necessary to make innovative visions a reality.”
Work under the Phase III grant will allow the research team to optimize the properties of the material and will also allow the team to move toward testing in low-Earth orbit. Future applications of this project could include integration into commercial space stations or its incorporation in missions to the Moon with the ultimate goal of using it on Mars.
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts supports visionary early-stage research ideas through multiple progressive phases of study. In January 2024, NASA announced 19 Phase I and Phase II proposal selections. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the new technologies and cross-cutting capabilities the agency needs to achieve its current and future missions, funds NIAC activities.
