NASA scientists have found out that growing potatoes on Martian soil might be possible. After experimenting it, they found out that the potato cuts did indeed grow.
The NASA-backed "Potatoes on Mars" experiment together with the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Lima, Peru has built a tuber-growing experiment that has the similar environment to Mars. They did the experiment inside a rocket-launchable box named CubeSat, Science Alert has said. The CubeSat is likened to the harsh surface of Mars and was assembled with pumps, water hoses, LED lights, and instruments. Mars has a really high temperature, different air pressure from Earth, night and day cycles and gasses.
After building the CubeSat, they put a lifeless soil with the tuber inside and sealed the box. The soil was from Peru's Pampas de la Joya desert. After observing it, there were some positive outcomes, CIP reported. Even though the environment was really harsh, the potato did grow on it. "If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars," said Julio Valdivia-Silva of UTEC.
This was just the first of the many experiments, according to Time. Even if it did grow on the CubeSat, Martians-to-be still needs to make a greenhouse for their crops on Mars. Potatoes or any other food still need controlled temperature, water and air quality. If this would not be followed, the plants would, more or less, not grow, just like in the movie "The Martian". Moreover, using just potato cuttings rather than seeds might have a different outcome when it is actually planted in Mars.
Meanwhile, NASA has been dreaming of bringing humans to Mars for tens of years now. Good thing, Trump's administration is on the same side as them. The Congress recently passed a bill that will help NASA, financially, to achieve their dreams in getting to Mars.
