Can Plants Grow with Mars Soil?

In “The Martian,” Mark Watney uses the Martian soil to grow potatoes in the controlled environment of the “Hab.” In reality, the soil on Mars actually doeshave the nutrients plants would need to survive on Mars! There may not be the right amount of nutrients depending on where astronauts land on the Red Planet, so fertilizers may need to be added to the soil. The perchlorates in the soil would be leached out and separated from the water.

NASA is developing a simulant, a replication of Mars soil, to better understand how it can be used for plant growth and other purposes.

Here is what astronauts are doing with plants on the International Space Station today.

Gary Jordan

NASA Johnson Space Center read more