Mars Meteorite EETA79001 Microbial Growth Panel

A defined four-member panel of microorganisms tested for their ability to grow on actual martian regolith, supplied as sawdust of the Mars meteorite EETA79001, rather than on a terrestrial simulant. The panel comprises the bacterium Escherichia coli B, the two cyanobacteria Eucapsis sp. and Chroococcidiopsis sp. strain Chr20-20201027-1, and the cold-adapted bacterium Planococcus halocryophilus. Each organism was cultivated separately on EETA79001 sawdust for up to 23 days under terrestrial conditions across regolith:water ratios from 4:1 to 1:10; the study demonstrates that real martian regolith can support microbial growth and does not contain bactericidal agents. The panel is an astrobiology / In-Situ Resource Utilization model relevant to putative martian life and to bio-sustainable human habitats on Mars. Members were assayed individually, so the record captures a shared capacity to grow on martian regolith rather than measured interspecies interactions.