- Could we make a superhuman, like Dune\u2019s hero?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Where the ideas behind the Dune\u2019s strange universe came from<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
\u201cThis culminated in an atmosphere that could support metazoans [multicellular organisms] around 540 million years ago and then us somewhat later,\u201d says Prof Gary King<\/a>, of Louisiana State University.<\/p>\n
King is researching the possibility of using photosynthesising bacteria \u2013 also known as phototrophs \u2013 to introduce oxygen into the atmosphere of Mars<\/a>. This process of engineering an alien world to make it more like our own, and potentially habitable by humans, is sometimes known as \u2018terraforming\u2019.<\/p>\n
In 2012, NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover found direct evidence for the presence of water on Mars \u2013 a key ingredient for photosynthesis. Most of the water is frozen solid, however. One way King\u2019s terraforming plan could work is by building automated factories on Mars that generate greenhouse gases to warm the planet and melt the ice into a usable liquid form.<\/p>\n
\u201cConceivably, Mars\u2019s temperature could be raised enough to support phototrophs. But that still leaves challenges,\u201d says King.<\/p>\n
![\""Korolev\"]( "\\"\"Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater_pillars\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Korolev crater is an especially well-preserved example of a Martian crater. Korolev is filled with ice all year round \u00a9 ESA\/DLR\/FU Berlin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n One potential issue is the stream of high energy radiation pouring from the Sun. On Earth, we have a magnetic field to bat away these particles. But Mars has no such protection, and this is thought to be how the planet\u2019s original atmosphere got blasted away \u2013 a process called \u2018spallation\u2019 \u2013 some 3.5 billion years ago.<\/p>\n
How do you stop the same thing happening again?<\/p>\n
King believes that once microbes have established an active biosphere on Mars, then oxygen production may be able to keep pace with the spallation losses \u2013 in much the same way that plants on Earth keep pace with the consumption of oxygen by animals and other aerobic life.<\/p>\n
Could we survive without water?<\/h2>\n
Deserts aren\u2019t the most hospitable locations, but Dune<\/em>\u2019s Arrakis is especially harsh. Rain never falls on this desolate planet, and its human population, the Fremen, must resort to some resourceful tactics to survive.<\/p>\n
One of their innovations is the stillsuit, a full body suit that\u2019s designed to recycle all moisture excreted by a human. Perspiration passes through the porous inner layers of the suit, to be filtered and collected in pockets from where it can be drunk through a tube. Urine and faeces go to the thigh pads, from where water is similarly reclaimed. The suit is powered by the walking action of the wearer. As the Fremen leader Liet Kynes puts it, \u201cWith a Fremen suit in good working order, you won\u2019t lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing quite like a stillsuit exists in the world today, because there\u2019s not a great need for it. In space, however, the story\u2019s quite different.<\/p>\n
![\""In\"]( "\\"\"rev-1-DU-10745rv4_High_Res_JPEG\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>In Dune<\/em>, humans wear stillsuits that filter and purify water produced by the body so that it can be drunk \u00a9 Warner Brothers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n On the International Space Station (ISS) there is no natural source of water. Any new water brought to the station has to be launched on a rocket from Earth, at a cost of several thousand dollars per litre. And for that reason, the station employs a closed-loop water purification system, similar to the Fremen stillsuits, albeit on a slightly less personal scale.<\/p>\n
The ISS system is able to recycle up to 93 per cent of the water used by the astronauts on board. That includes moisture from the air, secreted by sweating and breathing, as well as waste washing water and urine \u2013 which is purified by distillation then centrifuged to eliminate further impurities. All waste water is passed through further treatment and filtration processes to eliminate toxins and microorganisms. The purity is then tested electrically, and any water not making the grade gets processed again.<\/p>\n
Read more about life in space:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- Worm astronauts will help us safely send humans on deep space missions<\/a><\/li>\n
- So, you want to live on the Moon?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
It may come with the yuck-factor, but the drinking water on the ISS is purer than what comes out of most domestic taps.<\/p>\n
Similar water-preservation measures are likely to be employed on Mars, where usable liquid water will be scarce. Other measures on the Red Planet could include water harvesting from the atmosphere, or using condensers to turn vapour in the atmosphere into liquid water suitable for drinking.<\/p>\n
A research paper published in 2018, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology<\/em>, detailed a trial of such a system in Saudi Arabia. It used 35 grams of a moisture-absorbing gel to extract 37 grams of water<\/a> overnight at a humidity of 60 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis technology provides a promising solution for clean water production in arid and land-locked remote regions,\u201d the authors of the study reported.<\/p>\n
- This article first appeared in\u00a0issue 369<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0BBC Science Focus Magazine<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0find out how to subscribe here<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/body><\/html>\n
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- So, you want to live on the Moon?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Where the ideas behind the Dune\u2019s strange universe came from<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
![\""Korolev\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater_pillars-cd714c3.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C349"\" "\\"\"Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater_pillars\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""In\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/rev-1-DU-10745rv4_High_Res_JPEG-83bab5d.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C422"\" "\\"\"rev-1-DU-10745rv4_High_Res_JPEG\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>