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Potatoes on Mars? Scientists are reporting promising results growing the tuber under conditions that mimic the Red Planet in an experiment in Peru linked to US space agency NASA."Preliminary results are positive," the International Potato Center (CIP) said this week after a potato grew under simulated Mars atmospheric conditions in an experiment in Lima.The CIP, in a report, said a potato was planted in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment built by engineers from the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima.The experiment ran from February 14 to March 5."Growing crops under Mars-like conditions is an important phase of this experiment," said Julio Valdivia-Silva, a Peruvian astrobiologist at UTEC in Lima who previously worked at NASA."If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars," he said, adding that several rounds of experiments will be conducted to find out which potato varieties do best.Potatoes, one of the world's largest food crops, are believed to have first been cultivated by the Inca Indians in Peru around 8,000 to 5,000 BC.
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Yeah,since there is no oxygen or nitorgen in the Martian soil,how are they going to do that?
They don't really say much about what conditions they mimicked aside from "Very dry" soil. I'm guessing they didn't grow anything in -100 degree temperatures or at .01 atmospheric pressures.I'm not suggesting that nothing will ever be grown on mars, only that its a bit more complicated than spreading seed and waiting for the crops to come in.My guess is that we'll start by processing the soils under pressurized greenhouses. The processing will probably begin by seeding the soil with bacteria that breaks down the harmful stuff. Plenty of plants can tolerate acidic/alkaline soils and can be genetically modified to be more so.
poop
@Smokin Joe Gonna take a LOT of pooping by a small crew to grow a crop. I just don't see them creating enough "product" to fertilize enough potatoes to keep the supply chain unbroken,and what they use on one crop can't be used on another crop.
My guess is that we'll start by processing the soils under pressurized greenhouses. The processing will probably begin by seeding the soil with bacteria that breaks down the harmful stuff. Plenty of plants can tolerate acidic/alkaline soils and can be genetically modified to be more so.
Likely self-sufficiency will be years down the road, and early agricultural efforts will be supplemental, not sustaining. The poop itself isn't the only thing involved, but the bacteria in it to break down organics that are inedible, and reduce nitrogen to useable form. (Then too, by the time we get there, they'll send a political officer, and that one will be so full of fertilizer that there may be a surplus.) Building an agricultural soil (the beginnings of terraforming, even under a dome) will take time. The right bacteria will be a force multiplier, as they will reproduce and grow in number. A small culture could have a major effect.
Gonna take a LOT of pooping by a small crew to grow a crop. I just don't see them creating enough "product" to fertilize enough potatoes to keep the supply chain unbroken,and what they use on one crop can't be used on another crop.
I remember writing a short story where they had spent generations terra-forming a world. The POV characters father had driven tractors that injected the ground with nitrogen and nutrients. The first large things to grow (besides shrubs and mushrooms) were the kind of trees that grow on tops of mountains.
Ideally we would find a way to produce a large enough magnetic field to encompass mars. It doesn't need to be strong, just large. After all you average refrigerator magnet is literally 10s of thousands of times stronger than the earth's magnetic field. Then you can start building an atmosphere and warming the planet.
Quote... (Then too, by the time we get there, they'll send a political officer, and that one will be so full of fertilizer that there may be a surplus.) "@Smokin Joe You could be onto something there. Political officers make fine fertilizer,and by killing one and using him or her to grow edible food,it must might make one useful.QuoteBuilding an agricultural soil (the beginnings of terraforming, even under a dome) will take time. The right bacteria will be a force multiplier, as they will reproduce and grow in number. A small culture could have a major effect.I'll take your word for that. I can't even grow weeds.
... (Then too, by the time we get there, they'll send a political officer, and that one will be so full of fertilizer that there may be a surplus.) "
Building an agricultural soil (the beginnings of terraforming, even under a dome) will take time. The right bacteria will be a force multiplier, as they will reproduce and grow in number. A small culture could have a major effect.
@Cripplecreek DAYUM! That sounds like an excellent idea to me.One question,though. Wouldn't that depend on there being iron close to the ground on Mars?There could be an abundance of it for all I know. I'm just asking the question to learn,not sharpshooting.
I believe Mars is red due to all the oxidized iron in the soil.The problem is Mars' core is no longer molten so there's no "generator" to generate a magnetic field.
from r/askscience
A big question in my mind is whether the martian regolith simulant has the required amount of perclorates in it. These chemicals are ubiquitous on Mars, and are very toxic:http://www.space.com/21554-mars-toxic-perchlorate-chemicals.htmlhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/242525435_Perchlorate_on_Mars_A_chemical_hazard_and_a_resource_for_humans from r/askscience https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/4xv2bw/do_martian_regolith_simulants_contain_perchlorates/
