Can Plants Grow on Mars? An Analysis of the Feasibility of Cultivation
I wonder if everyone has seen "The Martian", in which Mark·Watney successfully grew potatoes on Mars. So in reality, can plants be grown on Mars?
1. Can plants be grown on Mars?
American scientists prepared Martian soil based on the composition of Mars' soil, added a little fertilizer, and have already successfully grown tomatoes, peas and dozens of other plants on Earth. This shows that Mars' soil conditions are completely viable for plant growth.
2. Unresolved Problems
Although the soil on Mars can grow plants, there are still some problems that have not been solved, mainly as follows:
1. Oxygen: Plants carry out photosynthesis, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, but when there is no sun at night, plants absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This is the normal respiration of plant cells. Although from an overall perspective we see carbon dioxide being taken in and oxygen being released, the oxygen needed by the cells must still be satisfied even if light is present the whole time. However, oxygen makes up less than one percent of Mars' atmosphere, so plants still cannot survive normally.
2. Temperature: Mars' average temperature is minus 55 degrees, and Mars probes have measured that Mars' highest temperature can reach 27 degrees, while the lowest temperature reaches minus 143 degrees. Even if we plant plants when the temperature is in the 20s, by night the temperature drops to minus several dozen degrees Celsius, which is not suitable for plant growth.
3. Air pressure: Mars' air pressure is very low, far below Earth's standard atmospheric pressure, at only 600 pascals. Such low air pressure means that Mars' atmospheric density is very small, greatly affecting plant photosynthesis and respiration.
4. Water source: Although the United States confirmed during Mars exploration that intermittent liquid water exists on Mars, intermittent water is obviously far from enough for plant growth. Moreover, scientists believe that even if water on Mars exists, it exists in solid form, sealed underground.
At present, plants cannot be grown on Mars. If we want to grow plants on Mars, we can only build laboratories and artificially create conditions that satisfy plant growth. In the future, these problems may be solved and plants may be grown on Mars.