Soil from Mars?
I found an interesting article on soil. When farmers use up their topsoil it can take years to replenish it, could it be a possibility to get that soil from Mars? It seems a little far-fetched, but read the following article and comment on what you think.
Mars Soil Resembles Veggie-Garden Dirt, Lander Finds
| Richard A. Lovett for National Geographic News |
| June 26, 2008 |
Soil near the north pole of Mars is surprisingly Earthlike, with a pH not unlike many vegetable gardens, according to preliminary results from the Phoenix Mars Lander.
“You might be able to grow asparagus in it, but strawberries, probably not very well,” said Samuel Kounaves, a chemistry professor at Tufts University, during a NASA press conference this afternoon.
Previous data from the two rovers exploring Mars’s equatorial zones had suggested that the geochemistry on the red planet might have been too acidic to support most forms of Earth-type life.
But as little as an inch (2.5 centimeters) beneath the surface, dirt from Mars’s arctic plains proved to be very similar to alkaline soils on Earth, with a pH between 8 and 9. The pH scale goes from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline).
The finding is good news in the hunt for signs that Mars was or could now be habitable.
“This means there is a broader range of organisms that can grow [in it],” said Kounaves, who works with the lander’s Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA).
“But Mars is a huge place, whose soils might differ radically from spot to spot,” Kounaves said. “We have to remember that we’re looking at tiny areas.”
August 26th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hey I read your thingy.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Jacob was here.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I think you could grow the right types of vegetation in Mars’ soil given the right conditions.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
i found this article very interesting i think is amazing how we might be able to live and grow food on mars!
-Tara Telkamp
August 26th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I read it.
Kristin.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
This thing is not working but I read it.
Kristin.
August 26th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
wierd…haha first comment
i read this franken
i want to live on mars and grow mars raised asparagus and charge $50 to the dozen
i will be rich!!!
Cody
August 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
It’s a artical that might be true to plant something on that soil. It would be cool to see the soil that they brought back from mars.
Ethan Sass
August 26th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
sweet..meow haha
August 26th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
awsome article
August 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
it was very intersting
August 26th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I read it.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Zach Herron has read it
August 26th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
josh was here and the address dont work
August 26th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
it is a very interesting article but i do not think that it will work or it will be way to expensive to get topsoil back to earth.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I WAS HERE……
Tyler
August 26th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
it was awesome Mr. Franken
August 26th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I think you could grow certain kinds of plants if you get the non acidic soil from the right part of mars, but it wouldn’t be cost effective to search for the non acidic soil and then take it back to earth just to grow asparagus.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
It was a very interesting article, but I think they need to do more research and experiments on the subject before they get too carried away.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
It could be possible, but how could they get it?
August 26th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
i read it
-katelyn-
August 27th, 2008 at 7:54 am
i believe that life cant be substained on Mars because of the environment that is there at the current moment.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Justin que Harry estaba aquí… esto sopla
August 27th, 2008 at 8:04 am
plant and animal life will never be able to live because of the environment that is there at the current moment.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I read it
August 27th, 2008 at 8:49 am
i read it
alex
August 27th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Yes I read it. The soil would good for planting vegtables on Earth.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
hey!! ya i read the page….is that all i have to say??
ha!! okay well i think that it’s good that we now might be able to plant something somewhere else in this small universe..haha!!
if we could lower the pH level i think it would be a better place to farm crops there…
baily jo <3
August 27th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
good article
Jordan Miller
August 27th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I read it franken
Kelsie
August 27th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
very neat and interesting article.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
i el presidente read it
August 28th, 2008 at 5:52 am
This article has its good points but the good soil is only in ceartain spots and i realy dont think it would be able to grow crops do to other factures like air quality and radiation. We could farm on it mabey in i going to guess 50 years as of right now we dont have a way to do it all we do know is we can grow crops on mars.
August 28th, 2008 at 9:14 am
very nice aricle
Trevor meints
August 28th, 2008 at 9:15 am
very nice page
kalen
August 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
i can read…..casey
September 10th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
y is it that when u ask us to write a “comment” everyone including our president just says i read it? thats very stupid.
-Tara Telkamp