Over 50 years after the first human set foot on the Moon, humanity is preparing to take the next big steps in space exploration. The Moon, and eventually Mars, will be the first destinations for human settlement.

Scientists have been testing various materials for the construction of such habitats on Mars. An innovation in this field comes from scientists at the University of Manchester. They have developed a new ‘cosmic concrete’ composed of extraterrestrial dust, a press release stated.

As no quick return to Earth would be possible during these deep-space missions, it is important to rely on materials that can be found on the spot. Exporting infrastructure materials from Earth would be prohibitively expensive for space agencies.

The new material is known as ‘StarCrete.’ In addition to extraterrestrial dust, it is composed of potato starch and salt. 

When mixed with simulated Mars dust, the team demonstrated that the potato starch acts as a binding agent for this concrete. The resulting material was twice as strong as regular concrete and can be used for construction on outer worlds. 

Keep reading on interestingengineering.com