What if the secret to surviving on the moon isn’t in high-tech alloys or futuristic gadgets—but in bacteria?
Yep, good old microbes might just be the lunar repair crew we never knew we needed.
As scientists dream of building bases on the moon, one thing’s clear: hauling heavy materials from Earth is wildly expensive.
So why not use what’s already there?
Enter lunar regolith—a fancy term for moon dust and rock.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have been experimenting with using this stuff to make bricks.
But moon life isn’t easy—blistering heat, bone-chilling cold, and micrometeorites can easily crack these space bricks.
That’s where Sporosarcina pasteurii comes in.
What Happens?
This Earth-dwelling bacterium can churn out calcium carbonate, filling in cracks like nature’s own cement.
“We were initially not sure if the bacteria would bind to the sintered brick,” said IISc’s Aloke Kumar.
“But we found it can not only solidify the slurry but also adhere well to this other mass.”
Their bacterial slurry restored up to 54% of the brick’s strength.
Not perfect—but a pretty wild start. Now, the team wants to send the bacteria into space on India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
Moon repair by microbes? The future might just be alive—literally.
