Charlie StrossPeter Thiel will be very disappointed!
Didi Chanoch (they/them)@cstross
Whereas I am greatly relieved!
Stina Leicht@StinaLeicht @cstross I didn't know either. I experienced both the discovery and the relief simultaneously.
@StinaLeicht @Didi They were researching cheap binders for regolith bricks (sharp-edged glassy lunar surface dirt). Potato starch is a logical one. Blood clotting (fibrin polymer) would be another. The finding was that 1kg of potato starch makes 20kg of bricks, and every gram counts when your shipping bill is to the lunar surface!
@StinaLeicht @Didi It *does* have promise for Vampire Space Opera, though! (Especially if Scott Westerfeld ever writes another Risen Empire book—unlikely, alas.)
Shu Daizi@cstross Are those... I mean, are those our only options?
FeralRobots@cstross
"By Josh Dinner"
"By Josh Dinner"
Angus McIntyre@cstross All the more for him!
2xfo@cstross
Suddenly the SpaceX Mars missions don't need as many "volunteers"
Suddenly the SpaceX Mars missions don't need as many "volunteers"
AllyRdr@cstross There's a headline that's a sure bet to turn up in the Fortean Times "Extra! Extra!" section soon
Sam Bowne 
Badwolf303
Duane O'Brien@cstross my next Mothership game takes form….
militant_dilettante
Joe Uchill@cstross The story doesn't actually mention blood.
I hope Space.com starts comparing everything to human blood. Starliner? It could carry way more astronauts than human blood.
Gary E. Walker@JoeUchill @cstross things more refreshing than human blood when served in a Pilsner glass, an admittedly brief retrospective. Section One: potables…
@JoeUchill @cstross it’s only an 800 page book if you don’t count the appendices.
@cstross The planet is roughly the size of the earth - large enough to fit 1.1 sextillion liters of human blood.
FirefighterGeek 
@cstross I should point out, this doesn't RULE OUT using human blood if there are no potatoes and the AI decides it needs more bricks.
This should emphasize to any would-be explorer the need to always have an adequate supply of potatoes on hand.
David Edmiston@cstross Mark Watney's going to be really happy, though!
Michael Rawdon@cstross Your timeline often saves me from making some very costly mistakes.
Charlotte Ariel Finn@cstross I have to ask how the hell they decided to test these specific materials
aes@cstross human blood is still cheaper than ink-jet cartridge ink, unless I'm wildly out of date. (bonus: contacts literally written in blood)
Ryan The Red 🖥️🚲🍺🏳️🌈
semantichrist@cstross Unfortunately the space potatoes must be grown in a substrate of shredded babies, and Thiel already has a significant market share in that industry
@cstross now we only need to be able to grow potatoes on the Moon!
szescstopni@cstross For those who, like I, need a link to the article:
https://www.space.com/space-bricks-potato-starch-mars-moon-dirt
and the original papar:
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/eng-2022-0390/html
Sid 🇵🇸@cstross too bad these are the only two options
Cera Cole@cstross And they discovered this how? !!!
Enema Cowboy@cstross From having to clean up the aftermath from "Mashed Potato Fights," I am not in the least bit surprised.
MostlyTato@cstross
Toot of the day 👍
Toot of the day 👍
Andy Beaton✅@cstross A lot of action down at the airlocks today.
Patrick H. Lauke@cstross it's what blood-having biased scientists would say...
Tim Newman@cstross he'll be delighted surely, he won't need to share his supply with the builders
Holly 🚀⚜️@cstross best comment.