Production of Martian fiber by in-situ resource utilization strategy

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using Martian soil simulant to produce high-strength fibers through in-situ resource utilization, supporting sustainable construction on Mars.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for producing Martian fiber from soil simulant, advancing ISRU techniques for Martian construction materials.

Findings

Produced fibers with a maximum strength of 1320 MPa

Studied composition, melting behavior, and fiber forming process of soil simulant

Confirmed feasibility of in-situ fiber production on Mars

Abstract

Many countries and commercial organizations have shown great interest in constructing Martian base. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) provides a cost-effective way to achieve this ambitious goal. In this paper, we proposed to use Martian soil simulant to produce fiber to satisfy material requirement for the construction of Martian base. The composition, melting behavior and fiber forming process of soil simulant was studied, and continuous fiber with a maximum strength of 1320 MPa was obtained on a spinning facility. The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility of ISRU to prepare Martian fiber from the soil on the Mars, offering a new way to get key materials for the construction of Martian base.