Selection of <i>Anabaena</i> sp. PCC 7938 as a Cyanobacterium Model for Biological ISRU on Mars
Tiago P. Ramalho, Guillaume Chopin, Olga M. Pérez-Carrascal, Nicolas Tromas, Cyprien Verseux
Abstract
The sustainability of crewed missions to Mars could be increased by biotechnologies which are connected to resources available on site via primary producers: diazotrophic, rock-leaching cyanobacteria. Indeed, this could greatly reduce the mass of payloads to be imported from Earth. The concept is gaining momentum but progress is hindered by a lack of consistency across research teams. We consequently describe the selection process that led to the choice of our model strain, demonstrate its relevance to the field, and propose it as a shared model organism. We expect this contribution to support the development of cyanobacterium-based biotechnologies on Mars.