Chinese scientists achieve major step toward Mars base construction

This photo released on April 24, 2023 shows the Mercator projection plus an azimuthal projection of Mars. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) jointly released a series of global images of Mars obtained during China's first Mars exploration mission. (CNSA/Handout via Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A study by Chinese researchers has confirmed the feasibility of continuously producing fiber materials from Martian soil, indicating that "in-situ resource utilization" could be achieved in the construction of future Mars bases.

A research team from the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with various institutions including the CAS Institute of Geochemistry and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, successfully simulated Martian soil using Earth-based basalt and produced continuous Martian soil fibers through melt-drawing experiments, the ScienceNet.cn reported on Monday.

The researchers also analyzed the impact of factors such as Martian low gravity and the planet's unique atmosphere -- characterized by low pressure and inert atmosphere -- on the fiber production process and performance.

The research findings confirm the feasibility of producing continuous, controllable-diameter fiber materials from Martian soil. These fibers could be used in the preparation of fiber-reinforced composite materials, which have important application value for using Martian soil to build future Martian bases, said Ma Pengcheng, who led the research team.

Ma's team has long been committed to the study and application of high-performance basalt fiber.

"Although physical samples of Martian soil are currently not available, basalt, which is widely found on Earth, is very similar to Martian soil in terms of chemical composition, mineral composition, and similar melting behavior," Ma added.

In recent years, the research team has conducted extensive experiments using basalt to simulate Martian soil, which showed that the simulated Martian soil could be completely melted at 1,360 degrees Celsius, and no obvious crystal precipitation occurred during the melting-cooling process.

The molten material transformed into an amorphous glassy state after quenching, demonstrating excellent properties for further fiber production, according to Ma.

Based on these experimental results, the researchers used the melt-drawing method to produce continuous Martian soil fibers. After further analysis, it was found that lower drawing speeds result in a denser atomic structure in the soil fibers, enhancing their resistance to external damage and improving their mechanical properties, Ma noted.