Crops grown in ‘Martian’ soil

Experimental crops grown in ‘Martian’ soil have been harvested – and the tomatoes are out of this world.

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CrazyNeutrino said:

Crops grown in ‘Martian’ soil

Experimental crops grown in ‘Martian’ soil have been harvested – and the tomatoes are out of this world.
…

While the soil resembled that found on Mars, the experiment did not mimic the other conditions found on the Red Planet – such as extreme temperatures and harsh space radiation. Instead, the crops enjoyed stable humidity, light and temperature. Mr Wamelink said this is because the first crops grown on Mars are likely to be grown in underground rooms.

Lead and arsenic.

I take it you’ve seen the latest results from the International Space Station about the survival of fungi and lichen in Martian Conditions for 18 months. In that case Martian Conditions included Martian soil, atmosphere and radiation dose (and temperature?). Survival yes, but the best result was for a 30% loss of biomass over those 18 months.

They could quite easily check for safe lead and arsenic levels in the plants, couldn’t they?

Umm, which particular Martian soil?

The video from the link shows a varied Martian landscape

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=5749

I think everyone’s at mass.

………….and in the wrong thread.

tauto said:

Umm, which particular Martian soil?

um, simulated soil conditions, I think, ?

one could imagine different soil conditions as you move around the planet

and verified with actual returned soil samples would be interesting

tauto said:

Umm, which particular Martian soil?

Fair question. Martian soil is basically weathered basalt, so would expect to grow crops easily. But what I hope they’ve done is taken the detailed composition from one or more of the Martian meteorites . Then matched the composition using a combination of ground up Earth rocks and soils.