Can Plants be grown on Mars?- By Arush Sarkar

 Can Plants be Grown on Mars?

Scientists have set their sights on the Red Planet and a visit to the Mars is expected in a decade or so. Now the most important question that is going on in their minds is whether plants can be grown on Mars.

In the famous science fiction book “The Martian” by Andy Weir, we see how Mark Watney, a space astronaut uses the Martian soil to grow potatoes in a controlled environment habitation module.

In reality, research suggests that there are some soil on Mars that do have the nutrients that plants would need to survive. However the nutrients may not be present in the right amount; so fertilizers might be needed for the soil. Further, the soil there contains perchlorates (chemical compounds), however that can be washed with water. The soil on Mars can also hold more water than on Earth, since Martian gravity is less.

Then the atmosphere of Mars is mostly carbon dioxide and plants need this gas. However the extreme cold temperature there is one of the deterrent factors. Mars receives much less sunlight and heat than Earth; this is because Mars is 50 million miles further away from the Sun. Also Martian atmosphere is thin.

There are many challenges to overcome but Scientists believe that Mars can host plant life; as such are experiments going on, simulating Martian conditions. NASA is said to be developing a simulant, a replication of Mars’s soil, to better understand how it can be used for plant growth and other purposes.

We can eagerly hope for the day when we can grow plants on the Red Planet.