Scientists Discover We Can Grow Asparagus on Mars

[curiousjane]

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[Max T]

... but the carbon footprint to transport them back to earth would be too much, surely?

The scientists say the conditions are "excellent" for such growth. So there's the risk that we infect earth with "Day of the Triffids"-like asparagus.

The real issue is, can Mars support a McDonalds?

It's a pity the scientists stopped at Asparagus. Presumably Apples and Artichokes were tested but died.
Carrots could have a lovely orange tinge to them, but we'll never know...



*Collects coat and exits before the serious discussion begins*

[TheLastMohican]

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Sorry to burst your bubble, but that only means the soil has the necessary composition. It does not mean asparagus could survive on Mars. It would have to contend with (usually) sub-freezing temperatures, an extremely thin atmosphere (a lot of carbon dioxide, but very low density), no liquid water (except for trace amounts during certain times of the year at the equator), and a hefty dose of ultraviolet radiation.

Of course, there's always terraforming. ;)

[curiousjane]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but that only means the soil has the necessary composition. It does not mean asparagus could survive on Mars. It would have to contend with (usually) sub-freezing temperatures, an extremely thin atmosphere (a lot of carbon dioxide, but very low density), no liquid water (except for trace amounts during certain times of the year at the equator), and a hefty dose of ultraviolet radiation.

Of course, there's always terraforming. ;)

*stomps feet petulantly*

But I wanna eat a Martian Asparagus! NOW!

:)

[Marcus]

But I wanna eat a Martian Asparagus! NOW!
:)

Me too!

[Monte314]

Given the interest people have in novelty items, this would probably be a market sensation.

[TheLastMohican]

*stomps feet petulantly*

But I wanna eat a Martian Asparagus! NOW!

:)

It still would only be Martian in name. Genetically it would be distinctly terrestrial.

Given the interest people have in novelty items, this would probably be a market sensation.

Of course...if it could be transported cheaply enough. I imagine a lot of snobs would make a point to eat only Martian asparagus, just to prove their wealth. Or it could become an environmentalist agenda. "Enough abuse of the earth's resources! We're going to Mars!"

[rwyatt365]

Now they had to go and pollute Mars by planting asparagus there! :irked:

Can't you people stop screwing up every planet that you are on?!!

[Lucid]

Asparagus is good. Now brussels sprouts on the other hand... that would be pollution.

[Max T]

Given the interest people have in novelty items, this would probably be a market sensation.
This reminds when radioactive material was first commercially manufactured in the early 20th century.
Suddenly you could buy various products with claimed life-enhancing qualities; radioactive drinking water was a favourite. History tends to repeat.

"Of course you can use mobile phones for 3hrs a day [until we have more data]".

[thod]

Mars has about as much water as a small lake and almost no atmosphere. The asparagus would explode. Of course you could terraform mars, there are all sorts of ideas about bombarding it with water asteroids etc. Of course these would set of volcanoes adding more gas too making it like an early Earth. Estimates are that the atmosphere would last a million years before being lost into space. Thats the big problem, not enough mass to hold an atmosphere for long.

[TheLastMohican]

Mars has about as much water as a small lake and almost no atmosphere. The asparagus would explode. Of course you could terraform mars, there are all sorts of ideas about bombarding it with water asteroids etc. Of course these would set of volcanoes adding more gas too making it like an early Earth. Estimates are that the atmosphere would last a million years before being lost into space. Thats the big problem, not enough mass to hold an atmosphere for long.

Mars probably doesn't even have a small lake full of liquid water, but it does have a very large amount frozen in the caps underneath the layer of dry ice. In theory we could wait for the (relatively) warm season, when the CO2 is evaporated, and cut up blocks of ice to ship to the equator for the thirsty asparagus plants.
As for the atmosphere, it is very thin, but considering that there is still enough gas around for the global dust storms, we could probably create a high-pressure pocket of Martian atmosphere in a greenhouse. That thicker atmosphere would be fantastic for flora, with its extremely high CO2 content.
Mars has an extremely weak magnetic field, so the solar wind takes a toll on the atmosphere. The planet's mass is still enough to hold a decent atmosphere, but that lacking magnetosphere would probably be our biggest problem. I don't think we could ever grow plants there outside of a pressurized glass case.

[Marcus]

TheLastMohican, you sounded like a certified astrogardener.

[TheLastMohican]

TheLastMohican, you sounded like a certified astrogardener.

Thanks. It's about time the rapidly-growing field received some recognition. :p

[thod]

Mars probably doesn't even have a small lake full of liquid water

I was thinking of atmospheric water vapor. Clearly there is no surface water in the form of lakes.

I am not into pressure domes. To me its walking outside or nothing. All we need to do is move the Jovian satellites and crash them. Europa is all water for example, it would steam the planet and create oceans whiles the volcano's release gas. The extra mass would even help. Angle the impact just right and you get a perfect 24 hour day by altering the spin.

Nah, too much effort, by the time we can move moons we probably wont need planets and could move mars anyhow. Perhaps we should invent stable wormholes stick one end in Europa and the other on Mars and just suck the water there.

[Marcus]

Europa is all water for example, it would steam the planet and create oceans whiles the volcano's release gas.

Still, "asparagus from Europe" does not have the same marketing effect as "asparagus from Mars".

[Monte314]

Mars has about as much water as a small lake and almost no atmosphere. The asparagus would explode.

Perhaps we should anticipate an interplanetary arms race. "Munitions Farming" could become the Red Planet's cottage industry!

[burazekun]

If we were to grow asparagas on Mars, it would most likely start in the isolation of a greenhouse. Most likely hydroponic systems ran autonomously using solar energy, introducing martian soil to the mixture with varying degree's of treatment for each "cell" of growth to provide a plant more suitable for the martian landscape.

I could see rover like constructs and large greenhouses later for autonomus growth and slow teraforming of the martian soil with the introduction of many more plants that could root deep and hold down the soil enough to prevent dust storms in the large expanses of the green houses.

Also the Martian equivilant of the temprate line for earth would me suitable seeing the larger growths of ice would provide more water to the vegitation. Mining opperations of the ice could be used to provide water to the plants with tools like drills and other equipment to bring it back on mass. With compost providing methane for the atmosphere, heat in the greenhouses would become less and less a problem and with more installations less and less an issue for the planet.

But that's just an idea.

[mkay]

If we were to grow asparagas on Mars, it would most likely start in the isolation of a greenhouse. Most likely hydroponic systems ran autonomously using solar energy, introducing martian soil to the mixture with varying degree's of treatment for each "cell" of growth to provide a plant more suitable for the martian landscape.

I could see rover like constructs and large greenhouses later for autonomus growth and slow teraforming of the martian soil with the introduction of many more plants that could root deep and hold down the soil enough to prevent dust storms in the large expanses of the green houses.

Also the Martian equivilant of the temprate line for earth would me suitable seeing the larger growths of ice would provide more water to the vegitation. Mining opperations of the ice could be used to provide water to the plants with tools like drills and other equipment to bring it back on mass. With compost providing methane for the atmosphere, heat in the greenhouses would become less and less a problem and with more installations less and less an issue for the planet.

But that's just an idea.

Or you could just keep growing asparagus in California and Washington state, tell consumers it's from Mars and charge $500 a pound. ;)