Mars Plants
Written by Fraser Cain
If you took one of your house plants and tried to make it grow on the surface of Mars, the results wouldn't be pretty. It would freeze solid in the frigid temperatures, lose all its water because of the lack of air pressure. Not to mention the lack of nutrients in the soil, the higher radiation and the reduced sunlight. Mars is not the place for plants.
But NASA scientists are working on strategies that future colonists might be able to bring their garden with them to Mars, and grow some plants in a greenhouse. By growing their own vegetables, Martian colonists will help replenish their oxygen supply while enjoying fresh vegetables, and even medicines.
Before plants are ready for Mars, though, they'll need to be toughened up. NASA-funded scientists are working on ways to genetically modify planets, to make them more tolerant of the lower pressure and alien soil in a Martian greenhouse.
And in the far future, plants will help humans terraform Mars. Some of the toughest lichens on Earth could almost survive on Mars. If temperatures are increased, or the atmospheres thickened, plants would carry the project even further. And one day, we might see a green Mars.
Here's an article about getting a greenhouse to work on Mars, and tricking plants to grown on Mars.
ScienceDaily has an article about designing plants to grow on Mars. And a SPACE.com article about seeding Mars with plants.
Finally, if you'd like to learn more about Mars in general, we have done several podcast episodes about the Red Planet at Astronomy Cast. Episode 52: Mars, and Episode 91: The Search for Water on Mars.
Filed under: Astronomy
