Using Microbes To Make Martian Rocket BioFuel on Mars

A new study outlines a biotechnology process to produce rocket fuel on red planet.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a concept that would make Martian rocket fuel, on

A photo of Mars’ Jezero Crater, taken by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Rocket engines departing Mars are currently planned to be fueled by methane and liquid oxygen (LOX). Neither exist on the red planet, which means they would need to be transported from Earth to power a return spacecraft into Martian orbit. That transportation is expensive: ferrying the needed 30 tons of methane and LOX is estimated to cost around $8 billion. To reduce this cost,

“You need a lot less energy for lift-off on Mars, which gave us the flexibility to consider different chemicals that aren’t designed for rocket launch on Earth.” — Pamela Peralta-Yahya. Credit: Georgia Tech

“Carbon dioxide is one of the only resources available on Mars. Knowing that biology is especially good at converting…