Can plants grow on Mars?
If you focus on the red color that covers the entire planet Mars, it is a layer in which agriculture can be made. The date that was agreed upon by the US space agency NASA and a company led by Elon Musk. Human colonies on Mars are completely impossible because they can take all their food from the planet because one kilogram The launch time of the rocket costs about 100,000 dollars, and this may cause an increase in the amount of fuel it needs to escape from the gravity of the planet. As a result of this big problem, it was necessary to think of an alternative solution and rely on the environment of Mars to solve the food problem that human colonies on Mars will face in the future.
Can Mars soil be farmed?
After statements on June 10, 2022, the first Starship vehicle will be ready to launch on the first orbital flight around the planet, starting from the next month, 11. 2028 He conducted research in accessing the composition of Mars soil by chemically analyzing it and photographing it using vehicles and missions were sent to the red planet to make sure that the Martian soil actually contains the basic compounds that give it the ability to support plant life in principle, the Martian soil contains chemical compositions such as oxygen Nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc and chlorine, and their distribution ratios in the soil vary according to your presence on the Red Planet. The composition and actually some plants succeeded in growing, the examples of which are mustard plants, leeks, corn, garlic and onions. Spinach has faced some difficulties in growing, but it has reached the required level of growth that allows it to be consumed naturally by humans
What was discovered in the farming experiment on Mars
During the experiment, it was discovered that these voids in the soil are very important to support plants in the long term, especially plants that need a long time, and that the problem they faced was relatively easy to solve, but the real challenge they face is in the composition of the soil at the chemical level, the soil of Mars is rich in some kind of salt Calcium is called chloride and salt. This is toxic if humans consume large quantities and leads to death in case of overdose. The scenario of poisoning for astronauts happens as follows. When planting Martian soil, plants grow and absorb calcium salt over the course of their growth. After this, the astronauts begin to consume it in their daily meals and with Repeatedly using in large quantities, symptoms of poisoning will occur, and in the long term, a sudden death for the astronaut will occur
Methods and solutions for farming on Mars without any problem
Two methods have been resorted to, which is to get rid of the calcium salt
first method
The Martian soil that will be used in agriculture is submerged in water. Which begins with salt hydration and over time the soil that was used for cultivation alone and calcium salt alone will be separated
The second method
And it will often be difficult to implement because when applied, Mars will be contaminated with a new type of bacteria whose reaction is not expected once it is exposed to the environment of the Red Planet. To provide sufficient oxygen for astronauts during their lives on the red planet
