Synthetic biology for spaceflight encompasses the long-duration-mission biology research cluster surfaced at abscicon26 (src-abscicon26-media-tips-2-2026-05):
- Freeze-dried protein-builder “pharmacies” — “just add water” drug-synthesis kits viable for ~3 years in space.
- Bioplastic Mars habitats (robin-wordsworth, Harvard).
- Plasma-jet cleaning of astronaut fabrics (decontamination without water).
- Microbial remediation of Martian water sources.
- Blind-astronaut simulated-mission research as a robustness test for accessibility-aware mission design.
The cluster sits alongside the AbSciCon26 mars-caves and icefin/icy-worlds robot-explorer threads as part of NASA-funded human-spaceflight foresight work.