Martian gardens will be the key to upcoming humans mission to the Red Planet in addressing the food issue of the astronauts.
Covered with regolith or crushed volcanic rock, Martian soil has nothing organic and is unfit for cultivation. Adding to it are toxic chemicals that pose an extra challenge.
However, after innovative experiments on growing food on Mars conditions, scientists are exuding confidence that they can face the challenge of arranging food for astronauts' long stay with the ongoing efforts.
NASA scientists are testing simulated "Martian gardens," developed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in association with the Florida Tech Buzz Aldrin Space Institute.
"Discoveries made in these Earth-based 'Martian gardens' will pave the way for future studies and technology development in terms of reliable, efficient food production a long way from the home planet," said Ralph Fritsche, senior project manager for food production at Kennedy Space Center, in a statement.
The Veggie experiment seeks to make astronauts garden in space and conduct experiments in plant biology at the International Space Station.
What makes Martian soil different is that unlike Earth's soil it has no organic material and is all crushed volcanic rock. In Mars, conditions are not conducive for plant life to survive according to NASA.
"We are using advances in science to learn about increasing plant production to supplement astronauts' diets," said Trent Smith, project manager for the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) experiment.
How The Martian Garden is Made?
In raising "Martian garden" soil was collected from Hawaii and simulated in accordance with the parameters on the soil required in Mars. Hawaiian soil helped researchers to assess how much soil is required for crops to achieve optimal growth.
The pilot study had Drew Palmer, a professor of chemical ecology at Florida Tech, and Brooke Wheeler, a professor and ecologist at the College of Aeronautics at Florida Tech, growing lettuce plants under different conditions: one in simulant, one in simulant with additional nutrients, and last one in potting soil.
The lettuce grown in the Mars-like soil stimulant tasted the same as the others. The only difference was that it was marked by weaker roots and a slower germination rate unlike the stronger roots displayed in potting soil plants.
The researchers are now getting ready to test more crops, including radishes, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, snow peas, kale, dwarf peppers and tomatoes in the Martian soil stimulants.
For the Martian garden project, NASA has a partnership with the Florida Tech Buzz Aldrin Space Institute in Melbourne. Their preliminary report on the test results is expected in mid-January 2017.
Photo: Dwight Sipler | Flickr
