Image Credit: NASA
Astronauts who visit the planet could be able to have a nice sit-down salad upon arrival.
Mars is not your ideal setting for plant growth, but scientists now believe that they have a solution to farming on its cold, arid surface. The creation of aerogel sheets would mimic Earth’s greenhouse effect. Energy from the sun would be trapped on the planet by carbon dioxide and other potential gases. The sheets would warm up the ground and melt enough of the surface to keep plants alive.
Mars, however, is filled with radiation, toxic chemicals in the ground, and contains low nitrogen. How then could we ever consider growing plants on such a harsh environment? The aerogel sheets would allow for growth to occur under the sheets. The sheets are made up of 97% of air, while the rest is made up of a light silica network. Sheets of silica aerogel block harmful UV rays, while allowing visible light to shine through to help with photosynthesis. It would be strong enough to trap enough heat to melt frozen water in the soil.
The sheets could be laid directly on the ground to grow algae and aquatic plants as well as be suspended in the air to allow for some land plants to grow. The long-term goal is that it could help to support human exploration missions and eventually produce long-lived habitats that could be as self-sustaining as possible.
The next time you have a delicious salad that tastes “out of this world,” you could potentially be making an accurate statement!
