Scientists Said That Growing Crops On The Mars Is Feasible

In the best-selling sci-fi novel "Mars Rescue" adaptation of the movie, botanist Mark Watney able to survive more than a year on Mars, the main stems from his very ingenious potato cultivation. But humans really possible to grow food in the Martian soil it?

NASA a real botanist Bruce Bugbee said, we can plant potatoes on Mars, and can be grown on Mars is not just only potatoes.

In the movie "Mars Rescue" in, Watney on the ground of Mars digging planting potatoes. He uses human waste to fertilize the potatoes, and obtained by means of liquid rocket fuel. Bugbee also a Utah State University crop physiology laboratory responsible person, he claims there is no reason not grow successfully.

But he also made a key question: "This science fiction novel (or movie) in the proposed human feces excreted directly onto the plants, plant this practice will bring microbial threat to human excreta need. compost fermentation process. "

NASA's science adviser and chief of planetary science departments movie Jim Green said: "Maybe there is an easier method than that used in the film we now know Mars has frozen water, and soil containing nitrate, which is a. good fertilizer. Since so many have nitrate on Mars, Watney you do not have to rely on homemade fertilizer plant potatoes. "

Green also asked: "Watney also fully able to avoid the use of hazardous liquid rocket fuel manufacturing chemical reactions in fact, he can find a way to extract the water from below the surface, or it was extracted from the air.."

In fact, NASA has conducted a simulation of food grown in the laboratory, the soil they use are analog real Martian soil PH value and chemical composition. Scientists have planted dozens of crops in analog soil.
Bugbee said, it is worth noting that the main food on the planet from about 1000 kinds of crops, although we are unable to grow all crops, but this is a good start. And planted crops on Mars is not the only one use for food.

Mars has a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide many plants can make use of their energy from the sun. Plants can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, so these crops is critical to help us to transform Mars into a more livable planet, so that Mars has atmosphere can breathe freely.