Perchlorate, a toxic substance found in Mars dirt, could help the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii strengthen bonds between particles of regolith.

Mars planners are increasingly treating ice not just as a resource to drink or split for rocket fuel, but as a structural material that could shape the first real neighborhoods on another world.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Will the construction of a moon base mark a great leap in planning for a manned mission to Mars or prove a wasteful diversion of funds? Sign up here. Officials working with ...