Pure sulfur discovered on Mars, making Martian concrete possible
If we ever hope to build a base, a city, or a full-fledged colony on another world, the first steps are to build structures that can support human existence. The Moon is the closest option, but has many limitations: its gravity is greatly reduced, it has practically no atmosphere at all, and nearly all of the resources humans would need must be brought from Earth. Mars is a little more…
The recent discovery of pure sulfur on Mars has made the construction of Martian structures, such as bases or colonies, a realistic possibility. Mars offers substantial reserves of water, a unique mineralogy, and a thin but significant atmosphere. Moreover, Mars is a sand-rich world, which presents an intriguing possibility for constructing concrete structures.
In the past, researchers found that Martian sand is composed of a different composition and grain size compared to Earth's sand. While conventional methods of making concrete from Martian sand resulted in weak structures due to porous voids, a new method emerged in which sulfur, in its pure form, acts as a key ingredient. NASA's Curiosity rover recently confirmed the presence of pure, elemental sulfur on Mars, providing the necessary ingredient for the development of sulfur concrete.
This breakthrough paves the way for building and constructing larger structures on Mars, as the required materials now exist on the red planet.
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