Crops grown in Martian soil are edible

[Noomz]

https://futurism.com/crops-grown-in-...hy-and-edible/

Colonization of Mars would require almost 100% self-reliance as supplies needed by humans would take some time to reach the planet from Earth. So I'm pleased that agriculture is feasible on Mars.

Now the issue becomes keeping the crops safe from radiation and other cosmic problems caused by a lack of atmosphere and magnetic field.

[Thoughtcrime]

Now the issue becomes keeping the crops safe from radiation and other cosmic problems caused by a lack of atmosphere and magnetic field.

Actually, generating a magnetic field on the surface where you would supposedly have a suitable power source doesn't take a lot of energy, even a domestic solar panel could do that (it won't stop everything though), and the lack of atmosphere is what the habitat is for. One of the things that the movie The Martian gets wrong is when his habitat is basically destroyed by a storm on Mars. While there are storms that can at times cover the entire planet, the wind speeds on Mars aren't particularly threatening. The fastest winds recorded are around 60mph which doesn't come close to the weather on Earth and the atmosphere is so thin (1% of Earth) that they really can't do much other than move a lot of dust around. A 60mph wind with an atmosphere that thin wouldn't even be strong enough to knock you over, let alone your habitat.

[Deleted]

I don't think the 10-15 years to Mars would be to start colonizing, that would be more like a test trip maybe around Mars and back at best. My guess would be 20-25 years before any manned base or colonizing might start. The SpaceX people are amazing though so who knows. But most of what I've seen for estimates have said mid-2030's for an exploratory manned trip there, 2050's for colonization to begin.

There are just so many obstacles to overcome. The 6-12 month journey each way in a small capsule. Having fuel for a return trip. Having food for the 6-12 month journey without being too heavy to get it there. Being so far away from Earth that there's really no contingency for help if there's an emergency of any kind. That's why it would be a herculean effort. It would really take numerous missions from what I've seen to launch supplies separately as well, just for the exploratory trip.

Plus on top of that, the bill for SpaceX's current launches have been paid by the government or companies for satellite launches. So there is commercial support. Mars is a whole different deal where it's going to cost a fortune and NASA or the government with limited budgets will need to pay for most of it. Mars sounds great, but I'm not sure the budget is going to support a 1960's Moon Landing-level of all-in space spending to do it. NASA has been on a shoestring budget for years.

Yes, its going to cost a fortune. The one upside about Trump right now (apart from comedy) is that he wants the USA to be the best in space as well. He`s planning on raising the budget for NASA. Which is a very good thing.

Also, do not underestimate Musk and co. Their falcon heavy is still in development but its power is Unrivaled. I expect great things about this particular rocket.

Add in AI becoming stronger and stronger every day, ASI might assist (or destroy us lol) one day. Great (or terrible) things are waiting right around the corner folks.

[Teri]

I've been eating Mars and Milky Way for a long time

Just kidding of course, but really imo, humans need to focus on earth instead of moving to another planet which will end up ruined anyway if nothing changes in how mankind is doing things.

[Mormolyce]

Now we just need water and oxygen...

I mean, it makes sense. Soil is just crushed up bits of rock mixed with shit and death. There's plenty of the former out in space, we just need to take the rest with us.

I believe plants need a certain mineral makeup from the soil that they take up through taproots? I'm no expert on this though.

[Thoughtcrime]

Just kidding of course, but really imo, humans need to focus on earth instead of moving to another planet which will end up ruined anyway if nothing changes in how mankind is doing things.

This is a sentiment I largely share when talking about more than exploration and scientific endevour. Unless we're going back to the doctrine of manifest destiny and applying it to space I don't think we have a right to colonise other worlds except for the explicit purpose of preventing the extinction of life.

[Themerlin]

https://futurism.com/crops-grown-in-...hy-and-edible/

Colonization of Mars would require almost 100% self-reliance as supplies needed by humans would take some time to reach the planet from Earth. So I'm pleased that agriculture is feasible on Mars.

Mars will always be an outpost to humans from earth. Always.

Unless we find someway to start up the core, life on Mars is not generally sustainable. To humans....those generations that amazingly survived on the planet would have a completely different physiology compared to us over time. For the short term humans and plant life would need to be permanently enclosed from the actual martian environment.

Plants in general also rely on the properties of water that are dependent on a smaller scale on earths gravity, atmospheric pressure, etc.


To colonize that planet...we need to genetically modify all life (including us) that plans on planting its roots in that martian soil.


Edit: So far from what nature has shown us, in harsher environments life has a tendency to go small in order to adapt faster. Mars is harsh as it comes, with radiation capable of rendering all possibility of life inert on the first few dozens of meters of martian soil. So, there is that problem. Basically at this point in our technological momentum, we are building a cottage by a lake we will see every few years, to build up memories. An actual home is something way way in the future. At that point it will be actually cheaper to colonize distant planets with sustainable atmospheres and compositions.

[Thoughtcrime]

I believe plants need a certain mineral makeup from the soil that they take up through taproots? I'm no expert on this though.

Me either honestly, I just have an interest in these things rather an expertise. Like I said in my original reply I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because I don't really want to read too much in depth into this particular aspect of exploration and the methods they used to reach the conclusion that they did.

Plants do need certain things from the soil, it's a massively complex and interconnected ecosystem that accounts for most of the biodiversity of life on Earth; but it's not hard to reset all of that on Earth and start over. That's what fertilization does, given enough water you could fertilize any desert on the planet.

I'd assume the idea would be to create a suitably fertilized habitat on Mars and seed the area in which you intend to grow crops with a soil sample from Earth. Given time and appropriate conditions the organisms that live in the soil 'should' be able to spread within the habitat since there's nothing special about Mars or Earth other than composition which makes no difference to micro organisms except for the numbers produced. When enough of these are eating and shitting and dying you have healthy soil and can grow anything.

[Chickat]

Why not learn to live on one before we fuck up any more?

Yeach cause Mars is perfect and hospitable now. Its already fucked. Anything we do could only help it.

[Jinpachi]

How exactly do you want to TERRAform only a part of the planet?

Wife and grandkids just came back from COSI, where they watched a planetarium presentation on how they are manipulating weather here on earth, to prove the concept that it can be done on mars for the EXPRESS PURPOSE of terraforming. This shit is confirmed science now.

[Thoughtcrime]

Yeach cause Mars is perfect and hospitable now. Its already fucked. Anything we do could only help it.

By what definition? We don't know that there's no life there yet. If there is, what right do we have to basically over write it with life from Earth? We are literally alien invaders then. Beside that, don't you think it's a good idea to learn how to function on a planet before we start spreading out into the galaxy? (which I'm against anyway but that's another topic) Because sooner or later we will run into life. Is it fine to just go on as we are and fuck up the universe, wiping out species as we go? Would finding another Earth mean that we take care of that one in addition to our own or would we not give a shit about Earth anymore because we'd have a backup? I'd like to think we can and should aspire to be better than that.

Otherwise, We'd better hope that;
A: There's no one else with that mindset out there.
B: We don't find someone more advanced than us that doesn't appreciate what we're doing to the galaxy.

[Themerlin]

I'd assume the idea would be to create a suitably fertilized habitat on Mars and seed the area in which you intend to grow crops with a soil sample from Earth. Given time and appropriate conditions the organisms that live in the soil 'should' be able to spread within the habitat since there's nothing special about Mars or Earth other than composition which makes no difference to micro organisms except for the numbers produced. When enough of these are eating and shitting and dying you have healthy soil and can grow anything.

Plants in this current state of martian atmospheric conditions can not survive. There is a reason why that planet is barren. So many prerequisites of life are not present, especially for large mammals. All life including this arable soil would need to be enclosed and protected from radiation either through layers of lead like composites, or have livable facilities 30 meters underneath martian soil. Having fertile soil only means the proper minerals are present for adequate homeostatic development of the plant.

All this means is we have bags of dirt waiting for us....


Great!

[Jerot]

All this means is we have bags of dirt waiting for us....


Great!

Not having to get several tons of dirt into orbit, 54 million kilometers to mars, and landed safely is a pretty nice.

[Thoughtcrime]

Plants in this current state of martian atmospheric conditions can not survive. There is a reason why that planet is barren. So many prerequisites of life are not present, especially for large mammals. All life including this arable soil would need to be enclosed and protected from radiation either through layers of lead like composites, or have livable facilities 30 meters underneath martian soil. Having fertile soil only means the proper minerals are present for adequate homeostatic development of the plant.

All this means is we have bags of dirt waiting for us....


Great!

I'm talking about exploration and habitation not colonisation. I don't think we should, or could colonise Mars or any other planet any time soon. Besides there are good reason for Venus being a more realistic prospect for colonisation in the long term, albeit with an equally daunting set of challenges.

[Themerlin]

Not having to get several tons of dirt into orbit, 54 million kilometers to mars, and landed safely is a pretty nice.

agree


Now to make several trillions of tons of it like our planet.....

To tell you the truth without bacteria or some kind of harsh solvent to stir things up on the surfacem Mars will remain a very dry irradiated tomb.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm talking about exploration and habitation not colonisation. I don't think we should, or could colonise Mars or any other planet any time soon. Besides there are good reason for Venus being a more realistic prospect for colonisation in the long term, albeit with an equally daunting set of challenges.

I do agree Venus seems like a better prospect, but requires a different path in our technology.

[breadisfunny]

I'll wait for the first Mc Donalds on Mars.

i wouldn't send my worst enemy to eat at mc donald's.

[Thoughtcrime]

agree


Now to make several trillions of tons of it like our planet.....

To tell you the truth without bacteria or some kind of harsh solvent to stir things up on the surfacem Mars will remain a very dry irradiated tomb.

Yeah that's more than colonisation, that's going to take terraforming. It's non-applicable to a habitat which can be contained, self sustaining and evolve into a colony over time. Atmospheric conditions don't matter inside a habitat. With our level of technology I think habitation 'could' (it won't) be done within a century, a colony could evolve from that within a few hundred years and terraforming the planet would take hundreds to thousands more after that. Unless of course we develop technology to speed things up drastically, such as machine general intelligence paired with full automation.

I think the lack of magnetic field isn't really an issue if we were committed to actually terraforming Mars though, it's not like we'd press a button and an atmosphere goes *Poof!!!* then we just go about our lives. It would take constant maintenance but if there's one thing we've learned in the past century it's that we're really good at creating atmosphere, much better than most natural processes are at stripping it away. The reason why Mars is barren is because there is no mechanism to create atmosphere that can output greater than solar radiation blows it into space. We would be that mechanism.

[Spiffums]

Simulates........not the same thing.

And like was posted in the 2nd or 3rd comment Matt Damon did it.

As to Matt Damon everyone watch The Great Wall......he's not lost and no one is looking for him. It's a fresh breath in his body of work.

[Theodarzna]

Mars will always be an outpost to humans from earth. Always.

Unless we find someway to start up the core, life on Mars is not generally sustainable. To humans....those generations that amazingly survived on the planet would have a completely different physiology compared to us over time. For the short term humans and plant life would need to be permanently enclosed from the actual martian environment.

Plants in general also rely on the properties of water that are dependent on a smaller scale on earths gravity, atmospheric pressure, etc.


To colonize that planet...we need to genetically modify all life (including us) that plans on planting its roots in that martian soil.


Edit: So far from what nature has shown us, in harsher environments life has a tendency to go small in order to adapt faster. Mars is harsh as it comes, with radiation capable of rendering all possibility of life inert on the first few dozens of meters of martian soil. So, there is that problem. Basically at this point in our technological momentum, we are building a cottage by a lake we will see every few years, to build up memories. An actual home is something way way in the future. At that point it will be actually cheaper to colonize distant planets with sustainable atmospheres and compositions.

In Theory if we put a powerful enough magnet in orbit around mars we would simulate the effects of an active core. But I am unsure how powerful or big the magnet would have to be.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I bet the mars colony wouldn't be in the Paris accords either.