tl

sagansense: Discover The Life Of A Martian Gardener With...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:27:40 -0400

Discover The Life Of A Martian Gardener With AstroGardening

With Nasa looking forward to manned missions to Mars within a couple of decades, thoughts are turning to how astronauts there might sustain themselves.

Ferrying food supplies from Earth will be enormously expensive and if colonies are developed then their residents will probably need to become as self-sufficient as possible.

Some scientists are already devoting research into what plants might be cultivated on the Red Planet. It turns out that despite the thin and unbreathable atmosphere and lack of a protective shield against radiation, the soil itself is fit for crops.

One UK scientist who is investigating the potential for gardening on Mars is Dr Louisa Preston, of the Open University. After gaining her degree in geology, Louisa switched to astrobiology. Now she has joined forces with Canadian artist Vanessa Harden to design a Martian garden.

They envisage sending robots to Mars to set up space greenhouses where seed pills containing seeds, clay and nutrients could be scattered and then nurtured even before the first human residents arrive. And they are looking to Kickstarter to raise funding to begin building their concept here on Earth.

“It costs something like $80,000 just to deliver four litres of water to the Moon, let alone Mars,” Preston told Sen. “It is ridiculously expensive to ship things to other planets. And the journey takes so long that fresh fruit and vegetables just wouldn’t survive.

“So a Mars settlement would need to be self-sufficient. Fortunately, a number of plants should grow well in Martian soil, such as potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus and some seeds and grains. It has been shown that you can even grow some flowers like marigolds in ground-up meteorites.”

She added: “You can’t just plant seeds in Martian soil because of the lack of a decent atmosphere and the problem of radiation from space. You would also need to garden in self-contained units to avoid contaminating Mars — planetary protection is very important.”

Preston sees geodesic domes as a way to go to building greenhouses for Mars, with plastic covers to protect from UV radiation but let light in. She now is planning with Vanessa to build prototypes which can be installed in museums and art galleries for people to visit.

As well as being a peaceful and tranquil area, there will be plants growing in red dirt that Preston intends will simulate Martian soil as closely as possible. Interactive exhibits will entertain as well as educate youngsters. And the highlight will be to meet the robotic gardener.

“We just want to open everyone’s minds to the idea of gardening on another planet,” says Preston. “We also want them to think how, if Earth’s population continues to grow and if we keep playing around with the atmosphere, then we might have to think about living somewhere else.”

Their Kickstarter target is £10,000. At the time of writing they had raised £1,210, with 16 days to go.

Backing the project can bring you rewards such as a postcard from Mars, your own seed pills, a stylish T-shirt and more. Plus the warm glow of supporting a project that will also help research into how humans might feed themselves on another world. You can read more about the AstroGardening venture on Kickstarter.

image: Pat Rawlings/NASA

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:26:06 -0400

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

- C.S. Lewis (via astrowomyn)

we-are-punkrock: iamthewalrustoned: awaitingstoner: 7queues: ...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:24:29 -0400

we-are-punkrock:

iamthewalrustoned:

awaitingstoner:

7queues:

this should have more notes.

OMG A WITNESS

this <3

i see this guy standing on my poster :)

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:20:59 -0400

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:18:36 -0400

malformalady: Dark clouds loom over a beach on Grand Cayman...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:16:55 -0400

malformalady:

Dark clouds loom over a beach on Grand Cayman Island.

Photo credit: David Doubilet

tyleroakley: buzzfeed: George Takei responds to “traditional”...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:08:44 -0400

tyleroakley:

buzzfeed:

George Takei responds to “traditional” marriage fans.

George Takei is flawfree.

theworldjustgotlighter: They say a picture is worth a thousand...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:03:56 -0400

theworldjustgotlighter:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one deserves more.

holdnoquarter: Today I came across goats playing on a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:03:43 -0400

holdnoquarter:

Today I came across goats playing on a trampoline while I was driving around and it was the happiest thing I’ve ever seen.

I’ve yawned about twenty times in the past hour laying here but I can’t sleep. I just...

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:54:31 -0400

I’ve yawned about twenty times in the past hour laying here but I can’t sleep. I just keep thinking about all the things I need to do.

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:53:12 -0400

John Green's tumblr: The Commencement Address

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:08:26 -0400

John Green's tumblr: The Commencement Address:

fishingboatproceeds:

Some people have asked to read the commencement address I delivered this morning to the 2013 graduates of Butler University. So here it is.

My own commencement speaker, who shall remain nameless, began with a lame joke about how these speeches only come in two varieties: Short and bad. This…

4nimalparty: Waterfowl Lake in Banff National Park, Alberta /...

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:50:44 -0400

4nimalparty:

Waterfowl Lake in Banff National Park, Alberta / Canada (by anjči)

Squashed: If Yahoo buys Tumblr...

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:43:19 -0400

Squashed: If Yahoo buys Tumblr...:

azspot:

squashed:

… okay. I mean, I guess that would be fine.

I guess change is inevitable. It happens fast on the Internet. The blogs I first followed on Tumblr are by and large gone. Or less active. In some way, I feel like the old guy who hangs out with kids because all his friends…