Infrastructure

Bioluminescent fungi

Scenario by Niina Hyry, 2021

When Mars is habitable, the human colonies will be needing light. Mars does not have an infrastructure for lighting even the forming of different cities might be fast. Energy is still a scarce resource and should be used wisely. After fungi is learnt to thrive in the Martian environment, it can be applied on the Martian highways to illuminate the roads during the dark and sandstorms when light can hardly be seen. The Martian highways can be coated with a nutrition solution that is inoculated with bioluminescent fungi Bitter Oyster (Panellus stipticus) spores.

Bioluminescence is a chemical process that some animals in the deep sea, algae and fungi are able to produce. The bioluminescent mycelium could be grown on the martian highways or on the walls to bring light into the environment. The illuminating objects function as an emergency light source during storms and lack of power for light.