Leading space agencies aspire astronaut missions to Mars in the future. These are designed for a long-term stay, which poses new challenges for science: In addition to a habitat, for example, the few materials brought from Earth must be used efficiently and sustainably to equip and feed the astronauts. Humboldt fellow Cyprien Verseux from ZARM at the University of Bremen has now published initial research results at frontiers that indicate that cyanobacteria can reproduce excellently under Martian conditions and thus form the basis for biological life support systems.