>Potato starch wasn’t the first medium that University of Manchester scientists tested in their search for ISRU building supplies. In a previous study, the same team explored the possibility of using human blood and urine as binding agents for their extraterrestrial concrete. The blood and urine of astronauts, after all, are renewable resources, and they’re available wherever an astronaut’s mission might take them.
>Concrete from the researchers’ trials using blood and urine also produced strengths above traditional mixtures, measuring around 40 MPa. These bricks’ construction, however, would require that astronauts repeatedly drain their own bodily fluids, which was viewed as a drawback.
>Aled Roberts, the lead researcher for the StarCrete project and research fellow for the Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub at the University of Manchester, concedes that using potato flakes is preferable to blood and pee.
Are these scientists just bored? Phoning it in? Stoned? What’s next, Scientists find that Bananas are better than saliva for making space carpets.
Why are they space bricks? Wouldn’t they just be bricks? In space, but still just bricks. And why do you need bricks in space? If you are going to use them on the Moon or Mars, they would be Moon or Mars bricks, not space bricks.
I think these scientists are just fucking with us.
Well that’s good to know, but I’m a little bit confused as to why somebody was suggesting that human blood could be used to make concrete bricks in space?
jjnefx says
Yeah, that’s just a hypothesis.
I say human blood is superior!
WimpyLimpet says
>Potato starch wasn’t the first medium that University of Manchester scientists tested in their search for ISRU building supplies. In a previous study, the same team explored the possibility of using human blood and urine as binding agents for their extraterrestrial concrete. The blood and urine of astronauts, after all, are renewable resources, and they’re available wherever an astronaut’s mission might take them.
>Concrete from the researchers’ trials using blood and urine also produced strengths above traditional mixtures, measuring around 40 MPa. These bricks’ construction, however, would require that astronauts repeatedly drain their own bodily fluids, which was viewed as a drawback.
>Aled Roberts, the lead researcher for the StarCrete project and research fellow for the Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub at the University of Manchester, concedes that using potato flakes is preferable to blood and pee.
MikeOnBike says
Mark Watney knew that.
Krayzewolf says
Well that’s good I guess.
Singular_Thought says
[GPT making notes on usefulness of humans]
Fetlocks_Glistening says
Umm.. how come they zeroed in on those two specific alternatives, rather than, say, mud, sand, cellulose or plastic?
Jman50k says
Finally some science news relevant to my diverse interests such as blood and potatoes.
J4MES101 says
Well I could have told them that
Jeraimee says
But only one of them tastes fantastic. The other is a potato.
ItchyK says
Are these scientists just bored? Phoning it in? Stoned? What’s next, Scientists find that Bananas are better than saliva for making space carpets.
Why are they space bricks? Wouldn’t they just be bricks? In space, but still just bricks. And why do you need bricks in space? If you are going to use them on the Moon or Mars, they would be Moon or Mars bricks, not space bricks.
I think these scientists are just fucking with us.
bubba7557 says
So if the robots run out of potatoes are we next?
ManyFacedGodxxx says
Ahhh, what recipes did they try? I mean I’ve had great success using human blood for…. Ah, maybe…
Actual__Wizard says
Well that’s good to know, but I’m a little bit confused as to why somebody was suggesting that human blood could be used to make concrete bricks in space?
Aldayne says
Wait, what? Why is human blood being considered for anything other than being used for human blood? Vampire jokes aside.
Recycling gone wrong.