A new Mars mission idea from a civil engineering professor at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom revolves around a "forest bubble" that houses trees and plants.
The main idea is to bring plants to life on the Red Planet. However, despite how simple the concept may seem, it is a challenging endeavor, given that the planet's soil is primarily made up of sand, clay, and iron-rich dust particles.
Without even mentioning the lack of water on its surface and atmosphere, Mars' soil or ground is not the best place for plant life to thrive, which might eventually cause it to die and deteriorate.
UK Engineering Professor Proposes a 'Forest Bubble' on Mars Like Andy Weir's 'The Martian'
The establishment of "Extraterrestrial nature reserves (ETNR)" for Mars is the focus of Dr. Paul Lister Smith's study "forest bubble", which was published in the International Journal of Astrobiology. It attempts to address the foundational issues and cutting-edge advancement of the Earth's ecosystem for the Red Planet, one that may exist on its surface.
Dr. Smith acknowledged that this would be difficult, particularly given that most animals and plants now depend on water and other nutrients from the soil to develop and thrive.
The objective is to create a new ecosystem that might exist on Mars rather than forcing the ecosystem, which includes certain organisms and animals, to migrate to the neighboring planet, as the research implies.
The Andy Weir novel and its well-known film adaptation by Ridley Scott, "The Martian," gave the audience an insight into farming plants for Mars. While this is still science fiction today, there may come a time when space agencies may create a functioning ecosystem that would allow certain animals and plants to survive and grow on the planet.
No Intentions of Duplicating Earth's Forests
According to CNet, Smith doesn't intend to duplicate an already-existing forest on Earth. He said that while it is now impossible to replicate Earth's woods, it is possible to create new ecosystems that work in novel ways.
Smith points out that his work needs to consider the economics of the issue. You can only imagine how expensive developing a full spectrum of life maybe if you consider how expensive it is to send humans into space in the first place (look at the billionaires who have been having joyrides).
A mental exercise like this is appropriate at this moment. As Smith points out in the report, the increasing number of humans living on Earth- up to 8 billion- is stressing nature as they colonize more territory for habitation, agriculture, and resource exploitation.
When you couple that with the worsening climate problem, it makes sense why some people consider Mars a potential haven for humans and other species of plants and animals.
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