Abstract
We present results of our investigation of microbial induced calcite precipitation for manufacturing ‘space bricks’ and a proposal for study of this activity in low-earth orbit (LEO). Sporosarcina pasteurii, a urease producing bacterial strain was used to consolidate lunar simulant soil (LSS) in the form of a ‘brick’ with non-trivial strength properties. Potential of a naturally occurring polymer namely, guar gum, as an additive was investigated for enhancement in compressive strength of bio-consolidated samples. Experimental results of bio-brick exhibited an approximate 10-fold increase in compressive strength with guar gum supplementation in soil. We present results of microstructural analysis of the ‘space bricks’ and also propose a payload design for related experiments in LEO.
Footnotes
alokekumar{at}iisc.ac.in (AK), rashmi.sharma.dixit{at}gmail.com (RD), koushik{at}iisc.ac.in (KV), nitingupta{at}iisc.ac.in (NG)
arjundey{at}ursc.gov.in (AD), anuj{at}ursc.gov.in (AN), ivenu{at}leos.gov.in, sridhara{at}ursc.gov.in (NS), rajendra{at}ursc.gov.in (AR)
