NASA’s NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) program has selected a project that aims to detoxify Martian water contaminated with perchlorates, making it suitable for various purposes such as propellant production, food cultivation, and human consumption. The proposal leverages synthetic biology to engineer the reduction of perchlorates to chloride and oxygen, taking advantage of the thermodynamically favorable process.
The project involves incorporating the genes PcrAB and cld, responsible for perchlorate reduction, into the Bacillus subtilis strain 168, a spaceflight-proven bacterium. The objectives include testing the efficacy of perchlorate reduction, developing strains that secrete enzymes for extracellular efficacy, and comparing the performance of biological detoxification to traditional engineering approaches.
The significance of this project lies in addressing the challenges posed by perchlorate-contaminated water on Mars, providing a sustainable and scalable solution. Additionally, the technology developed could have applications on Earth for addressing industrial and natural perchlorate contamination, showcasing the potential of using synthetic biology for environmental challenges.
The system will be designed for launch as inert, dried spores, ensuring stability during space travel and rehydration upon arrival on Mars for water processing.
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