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Follow @SpaceMossUCPH

Project SpaceMoss

SpaceMoss is working on a new breed of moss, designed to be able to live on Mars. Moss can be engineered to produce an almost limitless variety of compounds, and the implications are enormous. As a first step SpaceMoss is designing moss that will be able to survive the violent temperature fluctuations present on Mars. In a separate experiment the moss will be altered to produce the healthy compound resveratrol which has shown promising results in preventing memory loss and which would be beneficial to Astronauts. To design as moss so that it is able to survive new and harder conditions and at the same time produce valuable compounds for humans is leading the way to more advanced technologies such as producing pharmaceuticals, food or plastics for use in 3D printers on the first Mars outpost. And even in the long run begin terraforming Mars.


Follow our ideas, work, research and production through the next few months.

Our webpage is under construction. However, you can already get to know the team and our project. Please have a look. More information, photos etc. will come as our work proceeds so stay close!

SpaceMoss is made up of an interdisciplinary team of biologists, physicists, and business students. Meet the team!

Tweets by @SpaceMossUCPH

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Red Lab and Green Lab

Red Lab

In the 'Red Lab', the team will expose the moss to harsh martian conditions, including extreme temperature differences, fake martian soil, radiation exposure, pressure and CO2 concentrations. More about Red Lab

Green Lab

The 'Green Lab' is working on modifying the moss to survive the extreme temperatures, and then also producing useful compounds. We will insert an 'anti-freeze' gene from a ringworm. This amazing feature works by attaching onto the ends of the ice crystals forming in the cell, slowing down the rate of freezing.

Then, we will attempt to produce resveratrol in the moss, demonstrating the potential of using the hardy moss to produce compounds, such as pharmaceuticals which have shelf lives shorter than the trip between the planets. More about Green Lab