NASA plans to seriously grow on Mars potato – about it in an interview, said the Agency staff. However, the idea is not new – a similar process showed us the film “the Martian”.
And here experts of the American space Agency have been so inspired by the idea presented in the film that, after some calculations, found the idea to be generally acceptable. For practical embodiments NASA even suggested the unusual collaboration organization – the International potato centre, located professionals of the highest caliber. They will help the space Agency specialists to grow the potatoes in conditions simulating the harsh conditions of the red planet.
Yes, at this stage, the reference potato tubers to Mars is not planned, the scientists just want – as the first trial is to try to create similar conditions. The soil will take in the desert of pampas de La Joya (Peru), and the atmosphere and special climatic conditions – thanks to the modern technical achievements – problems, according to experts, will not. In addition, we plan to accelerate growth of plants due to the increasing level of CO2 in the surrounding atmosphere of the plant. But, nevertheless, still, according to scientists, without the fertilizers do not succeed (perhaps in the case will go and the products/human waste).
Of course, this is not the first such experiment, overseen by NASA, but the potato specialists of the space Agency plan to grow for the first time. The main difficulty, according to them, lies in the Martian soil, formed from inorganic compounds and satisfied much like terrestrial sand.
But all this is, of course, only at the level of theory – after all, the first landing men on Mars is not expected until 2030, and the problem of future colonists products is only one of a number of quite important issues facing NASA. In the meantime, scientists are experimenting with potatoes – comment on their plans related therapists, such as nutritionists. Their comments were quite varied – nutritionists remind you of a significant level of vitamin C contained in potatoes, and that potatoes, despite their nutritional value, cannot be the basis of human diet.
