Expanding Into Space

One approach NASA is considering for deep space exploration and settlement involves the custom genetic engineering of tiny, simple life forms. The idea is to engineer organisms that will thrive in an alien environment and produce necessities, like food, that would otherwise have to be brought from Earth.

The idea is not terraforming. The alien environment would not be altered in any wholesale way. Rather, the life would be designed to operate within specific confines to accomplish specific tasks. Carrying bacteria from Earth that could produce food or fuel at the destination could reduce the initial mass of an expedition by substantial amounts, for example, thus making a given expedition cheaper, or a larger expedition possible.