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10.3390/life14020251
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Article

Cultivation of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis Using Available In Situ Resources to Sustain Life on Mars

by
Giacomo Fais
1,2,
Mattia Casula
1,2,
Agnieszka Sidorowicz
1,2,
Alessia Manca
3,
Valentina Margarita
3,
Pier Luigi Fiori
3,
Antonella Pantaleo
3,
Pierluigi Caboni
4,
Giacomo Cao
1,2,5 and
Alessandro Concas
1,2,*
1
Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
2
Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Via Marengo 2, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
3
Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro, 07100 Sassari, Italy
4
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
5
Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia (CRS4), Loc. Piscina Manna, Building 1, 09050 Pula, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Life 2024, 14(2), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020251
Submission received: 28 December 2023 / Revised: 6 February 2024 / Accepted: 10 February 2024 / Published: 13 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Collection Space Life Sciences)
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Abstract

The cultivation of cyanobacteria by exploiting available in situ resources represents a possible way to supply food and oxygen to astronauts during long-term crewed missions on Mars. Here, we evaluated the possibility of cultivating the extremophile cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis thermalis CCALA 050 under operating conditions that should occur within a dome hosting a recently patented process to produce nutrients and oxygen on Mars. The medium adopted to cultivate this cyanobacterium, named Martian medium, was obtained using a mixture of regolith leachate and astronauts’ urine simulants that would be available in situ resources whose exploitation could reduce the mission payload. The results demonstrated that C. thermalis can grow in such a medium. For producing high biomass, the best medium consisted of specific percentages (40%vol) of Martian medium and a standard medium (60%vol). Biomass produced in such a medium exhibits excellent antioxidant properties and contains significant amounts of pigments. Lipidomic analysis demonstrated that biomass contains strategic lipid classes able to help the astronauts facing the oxidative stress and inflammatory phenomena taking place on Mars. These characteristics suggest that this strain could serve as a valuable nutritional resource for astronauts.
Keywords: cyanobacteria; Chroococcidiopsis thermalis; in situ resource utilization; deep space exploration; astrobiology; crewed missions on Mars cyanobacteria; Chroococcidiopsis thermalis; in situ resource utilization; deep space exploration; astrobiology; crewed missions on Mars
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MDPI and ACS Style

Fais, G.; Casula, M.; Sidorowicz, A.; Manca, A.; Margarita, V.; Fiori, P.L.; Pantaleo, A.; Caboni, P.; Cao, G.; Concas, A. Cultivation of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis Using Available In Situ Resources to Sustain Life on Mars. Life 2024, 14, 251. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020251

AMA Style

Fais G, Casula M, Sidorowicz A, Manca A, Margarita V, Fiori PL, Pantaleo A, Caboni P, Cao G, Concas A. Cultivation of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis Using Available In Situ Resources to Sustain Life on Mars. Life. 2024; 14(2):251. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020251

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fais, Giacomo, Mattia Casula, Agnieszka Sidorowicz, Alessia Manca, Valentina Margarita, Pier Luigi Fiori, Antonella Pantaleo, Pierluigi Caboni, Giacomo Cao, and Alessandro Concas. 2024. "Cultivation of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis Using Available In Situ Resources to Sustain Life on Mars" Life 14, no. 2: 251. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020251

APA Style

Fais, G., Casula, M., Sidorowicz, A., Manca, A., Margarita, V., Fiori, P. L., Pantaleo, A., Caboni, P., Cao, G., & Concas, A. (2024). Cultivation of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis Using Available In Situ Resources to Sustain Life on Mars. Life, 14(2), 251. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020251

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