Space & Astronomy

Vegetables grown on Mars should be edible

By T.K. Randall
June 24, 2016

Image: Mars Greenhouse
Credit: (PD) NASA via Wikimedia Commons The idea of growing vegetables on the surface of the Red Planet may not be as far-fetched as it seems - that is according to a team of researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands who have managed to mix up samples of soil with the same properties as the soil found on Mars.

They discovered that, not only did the vegetables grow, but they were found to contain no toxic substances that would prevent astronauts from being able to eat them."These remarkable results are very promising," said senior ecologist Wieger Wamelink. "We can actually eat the radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes, and I am very curious what they will taste like."

The idea of growing vegetables on Mars was also explored in the recent Ridley Scott movie 'The Martian' in which Matt Damon's character grew and ate potatoes to survive.

It is now looking increasingly likely that doing this will eventually be possible in real-life as well.

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Mars, Vegetables