Virginia researchers are at work on a specialized brick that astronauts could use to build shelters on Mars, reports Civil Engineering (Reston, Va.).

The researchers at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg have combined a lunar soil substitute with a polyethylene powder to create bricks that could shield astronauts from radiation. Since the distances between Earth and Mars are only short enough for interplanetary travel every two years, such protection will be needed in the future, researchers say. Use of the brick would reduce the weight of building materials that would need to be transported from Earth.