An illustration of how tiny space robots could power themselves with Earth microbes.
By Jeremy Hsu
Today's robotic space missions take careful steps to avoid
carrying tiny bacterial life from Earth that could contaminate the
surface of Mars or other planets. That may all change if a NASA-funded
effort can harness microbes as an almost endless power source for the
next generation of robotic explorers.
Such microbial fuel cells could power space robots almost
indefinitely, as long as their bacteria have the tiny amounts of food
needed to stay alive and create electricity through their chemical
reactions. That would offer an alternative to space missions that rely
upon either nuclear or solar power for their batteries — NASA's Spirit
Mars rover was officially declared dead last May after the Red Planet's
harsh winter deprived it of sunlight for its solar panels. MORE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45902844/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/#.TwexDflmbt8
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