Recently, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Xinjiang Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology (hereinafter referred to as the "Xinjiang Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology") released an eye-catching research achievement: scientific researchers used earth basalt as raw material to simulate Martian soil, and prepared it into continuous simulated Martian soil fiber through melting wire drawing technology. This means that in the future, humans are expected to use local resources to build a Mars base. The relevant research paper was recently published in the international journal "Interdisciplinary Science". Imagine in the future, high-strength fibers made from Martian soil will be combined with soil matrix from Mars to form composite materials. Using technologies such as 3D printing, composite materials are created into various building modules, ultimately used to build a Mars base suitable for human survival Ma Pengcheng, a researcher at Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, gave an outlook in an interview with Science and Technology Daily. Theoretical research suggests that Mars was 400 million kilometers away from Earth at its farthest point and approximately 55 million kilometers away at its closest point. Even though it is out of reach, humanity's longing and exploration for moving to Mars have never stopped. In recent years, with the rapid advancement of space technology, human landing on Mars seems no longer far away, and the construction of Mars bases has become a research hotspot in related fields both domestically and internationally. Guo Zeshi, a doctoral student at Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, introduced that due to the high cost of space transportation, transporting building materials from Earth to Mars is almost an impossible task. Therefore, in the future, the construction of a Mars base must rely on local materials. In this regard, there have been some studies internationally. For example, some studies suggest that Martian soil can be used to make various building materials such as bricks or concrete. However, humans have not yet obtained Martian soil, so most research can only stay at the theoretical level. Since 2019, the research team of Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry has focused on the field of deep space. Through cooperation with the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) and other units, and starting from the demand for high-performance reinforcement materials in the construction of the Mars base, it has explored the feasibility of using Martian soil to prepare continuous fibers and use them in the construction of the Mars base. Although humans have not yet obtained physical samples of Martian soil, the basalt widely present on Earth is very similar in chemical composition and mineral facies to Martian soil Ma Pengcheng said that if basalt can form fibers through melting and drawing, then Martian soil with similar composition should also have the possibility of preparing fibers. Technology support basalt is a kind of rock formed by the magma emitted from volcanoes after cooling on the surface, with dense or foam structure, which is widely distributed in China. For a long time, basalt has been commonly used as paving stones due to its hardness and corrosion resistance. Don't be fooled by the fact that this stone is black and hard, if it is made into fiber, its value can double Ma Pengcheng introduced that basalt fiber is a filamentous material made from natural basalt ore through ore crushing, melting, drawing, and coating with wetting agents. It is one of the four high-performance fibers that China focuses on developing. For decades, Ma Pengcheng has led a research team to continuously explore the construction of basalt distribution data platforms, basalt melt fiber forming technology, and the design and optimization of infiltration agent formulas. This provides theoretical and technical support for the study of Martian soil fibers. Normally, most basalt is completely melted into liquid form after being crushed into powder and heated at a high temperature of 1450 degrees Celsius. It is then cooled by drawing and finally forms fibers. Researchers conducted basic thermal property analysis on simulated Martian soil prepared from basalt as raw material, and simulated the theoretical melting temperature through artificial intelligence technology. The experimental results show that simulated Martian soil can completely melt at 1360 degrees Celsius, changing from a solid to a liquid state. Then, under the action of gravity, it is drawn through a platinum rhodium alloy wire through a leak plate, and then drawn at high speed by a machine to form continuous fibers. By using this fusion traction method, researchers obtained continuous simulated Martian soil fibers at different fiber forming speeds. After further analysis, researchers found that simulated Martian soil fibers prepared at lower fiber formation rates have denser atomic structures and better mechanical properties, making them more resistant to external damage. As the fiber forming speed increases, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the fibers show a decreasing trend. Guo Zeshi introduced that the team members also theoretically analyzed the influence of low gravity, special atmosphere and other environmental conditions on the fiber forming process and performance on Mars. The application potential is enormous. The diameter of a single simulated Martian soil fiber is only one-third of a human hair, but its strength is twice that of steel fibers of the same diameter, and it has characteristics such as corrosion resistance and extreme temperature resistance. This means that Martian soil fibers can become an ideal building material for building a Mars base. However, fibers cannot be used alone as building materials. They are like steel structures that must be organically integrated with concrete and other substrates Ma Pengcheng introduced that after merging multiple Martian soil fibers into one strand, it can be immersed in a infiltration tank and fused with the matrix to produce building materials, which can then be printed into specific shaped building components through 3D technology. Guo Zeshi said that on Mars, matrix preparation can also be achieved by using local materials. Loose Martian soil can be transformed into relatively stable solid material by adding adhesives or applying high pressure. When used alone, this material may not have high strength, but by using it as a matrix and adding Martian soil fibers, a high-strength reinforced composite material can be formed. It is reported that China's Tianwen-3 mission plans to carry out two launch missions around 2028 to achieve the return of Mars samples to Earth. Our goal is the Starry Sky Ocean, and this news has excited our team and shown us the vast prospects of Martian soil research. "Ma Pengcheng said that the environmental conditions such as gravity and atmosphere on Mars are very different from those on Earth, which requires researchers to innovate the corresponding production processes and equipment. There is still a long way to go from theory to practice. It will take time to realize the dream of "building houses" on Mars, but the related research results have shown great potential for application. The research team led by Ma Pengcheng has been continuously exploring the potential of basalt fibers and expanding their application fields in recent years. For example, by combining basalt fibers with polymer matrices and using specific processes, fiber-reinforced composite materials with high strength can be used to manufacture the shells of tanks, ships, and aircraft. Xing Dan, deputy researcher at Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, introduced that basalt fiber itself is a non-conductive fiber and has long been regarded as an insulating material. However, the research team utilized the metal elements contained in basalt fibers themselves to achieve controllable growth of carbon nanomaterials on the fiber surface, successfully obtaining conductive fiber materials, increasing the functional value of basalt fibers, and expanding the application prospects of materials in electromagnetic shielding and other fields. Basalt fiber still has the potential to make significant contributions in the field of gas purification. The research team has successfully developed an environmentally friendly and efficient PM0.3 air filtration material by combining basalt fibers with nanocellulose fibers. The PM0.3 initial filtration efficiency of this material exceeds 99.99%, and its comprehensive filtration capacity is superior to some commercially available high-efficiency air filtration materials. In addition, the composite fiber filter material has excellent mechanical strength, high temperature resistance, and fire resistance. After being treated at 180 degrees Celsius, the filtration efficiency for PM0.3 can still be maintained at over 92%. (New Society)