The DOI matches its Crossref record; 280 of the 280 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Sustainable life support on Mars – the potential roles of cyanobacteria
Open accessAbstract
Even though technological advances could allow humans to reach Mars in the coming decades, launch costs prohibit the establishment of permanent manned outposts for which most consumables would be sent from Earth. This issue can be addressed by in situ resource utilization: producing part or all of these consumables on Mars, from local resources. Biological components are needed, among other reasons because various resources could be efficiently produced only by the use of biological systems. But most plants and microorganisms are unable to exploit Martian resources, and sending substrates from Earth to support their metabolism would strongly limit the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of their cultivation. However, resources needed to grow specific cyanobacteria are available on Mars due to their photosynthetic abilities, nitrogen-fixing activities and lithotrophic lifestyles. They could be used directly for various applications, including the production of food, fuel and oxygen, but also indirectly: products from their culture could support the growth of other organisms, opening the way to a wide range of life-support biological processes based on Martian resources. Here we give insights into how and why cyanobacteria could play a role in the development of self-sustainable manned outposts on Mars.
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“It was stated that the use of modern photobioreactors that e.g., control temperature, humidity, CO2 influx and illumination could reduce the needed surface significantly (Verseux et al., 2015).”
From Use of Photobioreactors in Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Space Exploration (2021) · cites this paper as Verseux et al., 2015
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“It has been found, that Limnospira cultures are about 2.5 times more productive in tropical environments and under these warm and humid conditions, a pond surface of approximately 80 m2 would meet the oxygen needs of one crew member.”
From Use of Photobioreactors in Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Space Exploration (2021) · cites this paper as Verseux et al., 2015
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“but even with pressurised habitats this will be challenging due to the lack of fertile soil, essential minerals, and the presence of toxic compounds such as perchlorates on the Martian surface (Verseux et al., 2016).”
From Cyanobacteria and microalgae in supporting human habitation on Mars (2022) · cites this paper as Verseux et al., 2016
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cyanobacteria have been responsible for supporting heterotrophic communities for billions of years, colonizing barren environments like deserts and creating the conditions for higher order life [25].”
From Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System—Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Hydrogen production by cyanobacteria has been demonstrated but at this point in time is not high enough to be practical for ISRU applications [25].”
From Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System—Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
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“Fortunately, Spirulina and Chlorella are widely understood to be free of these harmful toxins and rendered “Generally Recognized as Safe” by the FDA [25,55].”
From Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System—Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“without even considering that this periodical delivery of inputs is also economically and operatively unfeasible [3,4]”
From Mars Regolith Simulant Ameliorated by Compost as in situ Cultivation Substrate Improves Lettuce Growth and Nutritional Aspects (2020) · cites this paper as [4]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Mars colonization can solely be realized via the adaptation of a bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs) without umbilical support from Earth [38], by using in situ resources as much as possible and avoiding any additional reload due to technical and economic constraints [4,39].”
From Mars Regolith Simulant Ameliorated by Compost as in situ Cultivation Substrate Improves Lettuce Growth and Nutritional Aspects (2020) · cites this paper as [4]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The provision of terrestrial resources to permanent extra-terrestrial human settlements is not economically sustainable (Verseux et al., 2016), not only because of the high cost and resource/energy requirements, but also due to the difficulty and time needed to plan and execute launches (Llorente et al., 2018).”
From The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview (2022) · cites this paper as Verseux et al., 2016
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In the citing paper
“Martian regolith contains all of the elements that are needed by cyanobacteria to grow (C, H, I, N, P, S, K, Mg, Na, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Mo, Cu, Zn, etc.) [25].”
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
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“Overall, methane is a much more attractive solution due to the low density of LH2 and increased complexity of LH2 infrastructure among other reasons [25].”
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“High concentrations of Vitamin A in Spirulina, while still an essential molecule, have introduced limits to the amount able to be consumed in a day [25].”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Duri, L. G., Caporale, A. G., Rouphael, Y., Vingiani, S., Palladino, M., De Pascale, S., & Adamo, P. (2022) · Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences · doi:10.3389/fspas.2021.747821 · Cited by 107
Cyanobacteria and microalgae in supporting human habitation on Mars
Mapstone, L. J., Leite, M. N., Purton, S., Crawford, I. A., & Dartnell, L. (2022) · Biotechnology Advances · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107946 · Cited by 92
“This is partly due to its poor palatability (Verseux et al., 2016), with a flavour that is reported to be earthy and mildly sulfuric.”
InfluentialA Low-Pressure, N2/CO2 Atmosphere Is Suitable for Cyanobacterium-Based Life-Support Systems on Mars
Verseux, C., Heinicke, C., Ramalho, T. P., Determann, J., Duckhorn, M., Smagin, M., & Avila, M. (2021) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.611798 · Cited by 72
Self-citationEmerging Species and Genome Editing Tools: Future Prospects in Cyanobacterial Synthetic Biology
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Use of Photobioreactors in Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Space Exploration
Fahrion, J., Mastroleo, F., Dussap, C.-G., & Leys, N. (2021) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.699525 · Cited by 75
“, control temperature, humidity, CO2 influx and illumination could reduce the needed surface significantly (Verseux et al., 2015).”
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Evaluation of the Resistance of Chroococcidiopsis spp. to Sparsely and Densely Ionizing Irradiation
Verseux, C., Baqué, M., Cifariello, R., Fagliarone, C., Raguse, M., Moeller, R., & Billi, D. (2017) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1450 · Cited by 52
Self-citationDuri, L. G., El-Nakhel, C., Caporale, A. G., Ciriello, M., Graziani, G., Pannico, A., Palladino, M., Ritieni, A., De Pascale, S., Vingiani, S., et al. (2020) · Plants · doi:10.3390/plants9050628 · Cited by 47
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Self-citationKeller, R. J., Porter, W., Goli, K., Rosenthal, R., Butler, N., & Jones, J. A. (2021) · Life · doi:10.3390/life11080844 · Cited by 23
“High concentrations of Vitamin A in Spirulina, while still an essential molecule, have introduced limits to the amount able to be consumed in a day [25].”
BackgroundInfluentialSukhinov, D. V., Gotovtsev, P. M., & Sergeeva, Y. E. (2023) · Acta Astronautica · doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.07.006 · Cited by 11
Metadata
- Authors
- Verseux, C., Baqué, M., Lehto, K., de Vera, J.-P. P., Rothschild, L. J., & Billi, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- University of Turku (FI)
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Verseux, Cyprien
- Venue
- International Journal of Astrobiology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2015-08-03
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 65-92
- ISSN
- 1473-5504 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-3006
- OpenAlex
- W1957322865
- Cited by
- 194
- References
- 280
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2015: 6
- FWCI
- 4.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Astrobiology (publishedVersion)
- elib (German Aerospace Center) (acceptedVersion)
- Cineca Institutional Research Information System (Tor Vergata University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Yale University
- Universities Space Research Association
- Aalto-Yliopisto
- Ames Research Center
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Space and Planetary Science › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Space exploration and regulation
- Keywords
- cyanobacteria, in-situ resource utilization, nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, oxygen production, biofuel production, food production
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