Scientists all around the world have set 2030 as the deadline for a human mission on Mars, and, among all the technical challenges presented by this ambitious plan, oxygen production represents one of the biggest. Since 2015, NASA is using bacteria and algae for the development of an oxygen-production plant inside an experimental martian colony. This context inspired the design of a machine capable of producing oxygen and food through the photosynthesis of algae, an artificial meteor (Meteorite is the name of the project) that brings life, a photo-bioreactor that blends together human, technological, social and aesthetic challenges.

Panning back to planet Earth, it’s possible to notice how the entire world benefits from the powerful impact of algae, which, together with cyanobacteria, can generate up to 70-80% of the oxygen we breathe. For this reason, a responsible application of this technology on a global scale could enable us to contrast the growing levels of CO2 in the air and increase the amount of oxygen in our atmosphere. In this framework, the meteorite is a thought-provoking device that aims at spreading awareness about some of the global environmental issues that humanity must face. Meteorite associates careful aesthetics with the functionality of a liquid techno-garden that communicates to us in real-time the oxygen, biomass and nutrients levels produced. By scaling this up to an urban environment, Meteorite could contribute to the construction of a collaborative public space with the ability to bring urban communities closer to ecological problems.