[meteorite-list] Vegetables Planted in Meteorite Soil Could One Day Feed Human Colonies on Alien Planets

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2015 15:50:34 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201511182350.tAINoYor023633_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2658956/To-boldly-GROW-Vegetables-planted-meteorite-soil-help-feed-human-colonies-alien-planets.html

To boldly GROW: Vegetables planted in meteorite soil could one day feed
human colonies on alien planets

* Meteorites contain phosphate, nitrates and water that plants can feed on
* Dr Michael Mautner grew asparagus, potatoes and algae in meteorite soil
* His plan is to find several plants and extraterrestrial soil to farm in space
* Dr Mautner thinks it is entirely possible to, in the future, directly grow
  certain plants on other planets

By Ellie Zolfagharifard
Daily Mail
16 June 2014

If you thought tending to plants on Earth was tricky, then try growing
them in the hostile environment of space.

That's exactly what one scientist from Virginia is hoping to do using
meteorite soil to grow everything from asparagus to potatoes.

If the study proves successful, it could help humans grow their own food
in space, helping in the quest to colonise other planets.



COULD NASA FARM IN SPACE?

At nearly ?14,000 ($23,000) to send a kilogram of food into space, cosmic
cuisine doesn't come cheap.

But Dr Michael Mautner isn't the only one looking at space farming as
a possible solution to getting food into space. Nasa currently has plans
for a 'space farm' and is already experimenting with growing lettuce on
the ISS.

As well as cutting costs, Nasa is hoping a 'space farm' will deliver a
lasting supply of food for astronauts on deep space missions.

It could also provide something called "horticultural therapy" for astronauts
to reduce stress, alleviate depression and improve their overall general
health.

The work is part of the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) to grow six
romaine lettuce plants under pink LED lamps. Nasa claims that after extensive
testing on plants on Earth, it doesn't expect zero-gravity conditions
to affect the growth of the plants.

As one of the world's only "astroecologists", Dr Michael Mautner thinks
it is entirely possible to, in the future, directly grow certain plants
on other planets.

This will be vital for a future colony to survive on Mars, he claims.

The privately-funded Mars One mission plans to have a human settlement
on Mars within a decade. Meanwhile, Nasa believes putting man on the red
planet will be possible by 2030.

But one of the biggest challenges is providing food to sustain astronauts.
Currently its costs nearly ?14,000 ($23,000) to send a kilogram of food
into space.

The ability to grow cosmic cuisine will cut these costs and provide astronauts
with "horticultural therapy" to reduce stress.

Dr Mautner from Virginia Commonwealth University researcher told Motherboard
that meteorites often contain phosphate, nitrates, and even water that
plants can feed on.

To grow the plants, Dr Mautner ground up meteorites to create something
closely resembling soil.

"A variety of soil bacteria, algae, and asparagus and potato tissue cultures
grew well in these asteroid/meteorite soils and also in Martian meteorite
soils," Dr Mautner reported.

His plan is to eventually find several different plants and extraterrestrial
soil types that provide the best conditions to farm in space.

"Given the estimated amounts of asteroid materials shows that these resources
can support trillions of humans comfortably in our solar system, and eventually,
in billions of other solar systems throughout the galaxy," Dr Mautner
said.

Dr Mautner's experiment are currently at a very early stage.

For instance, he has not yet factored in the lack of oxygen on other planets,
or the varying gravity conditions.

But, he believes, this is the first step to providing the tools needed
for humans to better explore the solar system and beyond.

"Life on Earth is fragile, endangered by nuclear proliferation, genetic
misengineering, runaway climate change or major asteroid impacts, and
limited by depleting resources," Dr Mautner said.

"Eventually, Earth will become uninhabitable by the expanding sun. In
contrast, life in many independent worlds in space can secure life for
trillions of eons."
Received on Wed 18 Nov 2015 06:50:34 PM PST