Scientists are searching for ways to grow vegetables in space, especially given the multitude of missions toward Mars and astronauts spending more time in orbit.
But Mars is a difficult place, as there is almost no air there, and the Martian "soil" contains few nutrients and a lot of heavy metals, and the average temperature is estimated at sixty degrees below zero.
So where did the scholars ’research go to overcome these difficulties?
Martian-like soil
In his report, published in the British newspaper "The Guardian", writer Tim Lewis examined the efforts of those trying to find a way to grow food on Mars sometime in the future.
The author mentioned that Dr. Wager Wamelink, a chief ecologist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, prepared a theoretical study on the growth of plants on the moon and on Mars.
He took advantage of the availability of a "copy of Mars soil" supported by NASA, which is essentially soil from the earth that contains many properties in space, and conducted an experiment to find out what can be planted in this soil lacking nutrients. He started a nursery to grow a few vegetables, starting in April 2013.
The owner of this experiment did not have high expectations, and he also expressed particular concern that lead, mercury and zinc in the soil would end up in the water absorbed by the plants and then become toxic when eaten.
However, Amelink was surprised by the growth of vegetables, and more importantly, it did not absorb many minerals.
In the years that followed, Wamelink improved his experience by adding organic matter to the soil and other materials. He also expanded the experiment to a variety of crops including tomatoes, peas, radishes and root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
In this video, Wegger and Amalink talk about the details of his experiences:
The Fiji Project
On the same track, Dr. Joya Massa, a botanist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is working on a vegetable production system for NASA called "Fiji".
Launched since 2014, the project has been successful in growing three varieties of lettuce, Chinese cabbage, Russian red turnip, mizuna mustard, and xenia flowers, where astronauts are allowed to eat some plants, and others hire for testing.
In this regard, Massa published a paper confirming that the lettuce that was planted in space is nutritious and healthy similar to the crops produced by the "Fiji" team on the ground.
The author pointed out that the Fiji program differs from the Wamelink program in the best way to grow crops. Instead of using soil similar to that on the Moon and Mars, Massa and her team adopt a "modified hydroponics" system, where this method takes into account the multiples of microgravity.
Plants are grown in a solid substrate of porous and dried mud, which can conserve water and oxygen around the roots. Compost is made to provide nutrients, light bulbs provide light, and astronauts add water.
Massa admits that Fiji has some drawbacks, as it drains a lot of time and energy from astronauts to add water and be careful about how much water to add.
But it considers it better than the "Wamelink" program, because the modified hydroponics system has great potential to provide astronauts with fresh and healthy food in space.
The need to continue research
The author affirms that the two programs lead to a common point, which is the need to continue research. Although the Corona virus has slowed some research, this will not be prolonged.
Massa will resume work at the Kennedy Space Center, especially since NASA's unmanned Precision Drone is still scheduled to leave for Mars on July 17, and is expected to land in February 2021.
As for Viger and Amalink, he aims to conduct one major experiment annually, and it has already done so in 2020, and he is still engaged in further research.