Researchers have proposed a plant growth experiment along with the dispatch of NASA's new rover, which is slated to launch on the Red Planet in mid-2020 and land on Mars in early 2021. Experts say this experiment will help lay the foundations for the colonization of Mars.
“In order to create a long-term, sustainable colony on Mars, we would like to establish that plants can at least grow on Mars,” says researcher Heather Smith of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. “That would be the first step in that … we just send the seeds and watch them grow.”
Smith and her colleagues do not envision that in 2020 the rover will play the role of a gardener, digging a hole with its manipulators and planting seeds in the soil of the Red Planet. Rather, the experiment will run completely offline.
It is planned to plant about 200 Arabidopsis (Rezuhovidka) seeds, small flowering plants commonly used in scientific research, in a special box.
When the rover lands, it will water the seeds, allowing them to grow within two weeks. It will be an excellent test for terrestrial plants in conditions of high radiation and rather low gravity of Mars.
“Our goal is to understand what we need to equip future greenhouses for the Martian colony,” Smith said.
Sources: http://www.space.com
