Vegetables grew in asteroid-like soil

What if astronauts instigated asteroids with vegetable crops? It sounds like science fiction, but some researchers are working to make this scenario a reality in the future.

In one experiment, lettuce, radish, and pepper were grown in a mixture of peat and a material that mimics rock and soil fragments from a type of plant. asteroid It has phosphorous and potassium on its surface – nutrients that can help plants grow.

This is one of the studies that stemmed from a problem with the astronauts’ diet. It usually consists of dried and quickly prepared food, because fresh food (which requires proper preservation, with refrigerators) cannot be transported to space.

Not only does this mean unhealthy and nutritious meals, but it also makes long-term tasks difficult – because, of course, spending a lot of time on outer space Requires carrying a lot of supplies. So space farming could be the next step toward sustainability in space, the researchers wrote. New studypublished in Planetary Science Journal.

How was the study?

The experiment was conducted at the University of North Dakota in the United States. Researcher Stephen Russell selected vegetables already grown on the ship International Space Station They compared how plants grew in a different mixture of asteroids’ pseudosoil and peat using microgravity simulators.

Russell and colleagues note that in mixtures with different concentrations of peat, plants grow. It prevents excessive soil compaction and improves water retention. On the other hand, vegetables did not thrive in pots containing only asteroid soil.

“Further research is needed to identify mitigation strategies to make the asteroid regolith a more suitable soil,” the researchers wrote.

Weber Beyer, a university scientist who co-authored the study, plans to grow vetch seeds in the soil of a faux asteroid, letting the plants decompose, then mix in the organic matter.

She hopes this will prevent the soil from over-stressing for future experimental crops. Also, the seeds are lighter than peat and can be transported more easily into space.

The world said in report. By creating terrariums on asteroids, robots can take over the maintenance of “self-sustaining farms”.

Sounds like a crazy idea, but space mining and create Gas stations in space – who have experiences and projects in progress – also looked. Not even the sky is the limit.