Nine circles in a line, plant researcher Grace Crain wearing on the right forearm. One of them is the earth, next to Mars – the 25-year-old, lively American woman has tattooed the solar system.
from an early age was fascinated by Crain of the universe. Little wonder, then, if you know that your father as an astrophysicist for the American satellite-programmed and his daughter took commercial Algorithms early on to professional meetings.
Since September, Crain’s research in the ETH research station in Lindau for the European space Agency (ESA). It is part of the project, Melissa, studied since 1989, as one can create an artificial Ecosystem on an alien planet. Talk: how to make a planet for people at all habitable.
urine from ETH-toilets
The magic word in recovery is:. The goal is the perfect ecological cycle, without leaving anything unused. “Because to carry Humus on other planets, would be incredibly inefficient,” says Crain.
Therefore, she has been conducting research with what accumulates all of human urine and feces. So examine you currently, what are the urine-composition of the plants can best thrive. The urine comes from the toilets of the ETH-water research Institute Eawag. There it is processed to liquid fertilizer Aurin.
Matt Damon, who grows left alone with Mars sand, and his feces for a week of potatoes, so it is only partially realistic.
“urine naturally contains a higher salt content, but due to our increasingly higher Salt intake, our urine is always salty,” says Crain. This is a challenge, because many plants don’t like salt. But where to put it, if you have the perfect cycle as a Vision? One possibility would be salt-loving plants to grow.
another type of salt, Per Chlorates, in the Martian sand, in a high concentration. “Plants makes you nothing, but for humans, it is toxic,” says Crain. The scene in the Hollywood movie “The Martian” with Matt Damon, who grows left alone with Mars sand, and his feces for a week of potatoes, so it is only partially realistic. The sole Recycling of human excreta would be the Alternative.
60 one person
rats are another Problem in All the place is like, as weird as that sound. Since the temperature fluctuations can be on Mars between day and night good and like 100 degrees, you must be into gardening in greenhouses. “It is, above all, efficient plants, and still allowing for a balanced nutrition needs,” says Crain. As one of the optimum plant had done it the soy bean.
A challenge to the carbon dioxide that we exhale people. The plants need this to convert it back to oxygen. Otherwise, the astronauts suffocate at some point. To test this, created the ESA, a pilot plant in Barcelona. Algae to supply the oxygen. In the closed system of rats, the oxygen inhalation are sixty, which corresponds approximately to the consumption of a people. Although there are also Considerations, the Mars artificially warm up to open Fields creating, Crain considers it rather unrealistic.
Successful experiments
Realistically, however, is the cultivation of plants. In January, it was managed by the Chinese probe Chang’e 4, for the first time, a cotton seed on the moon sprout. In addition, the German centre for air and space travel took a shot at the beginning of December a greenhouse – satellite into orbit. In: tomatoes and other vegetables.
“It will explore the impacts of weightlessness on plant growth,” says Crain. Also on the ISS space station already experiments with plants were conducted. “The plants have for the astronauts is also a psychological effect that many feel in this high-tech capsule to the nature of recalls,” says Crain. Observable this effect is also on the earth: If we put plants into the large office space, we feel more comfortable.
“Mental block”
Crain holds a colonization of Mars in the coming decades is realistic. “It sounds like Science Fiction, but we live in a time in which the is becoming a reality.” She hopes that a future settlement of the research and not of commercialization: “A Hotel on Mars, I would find very inappropriate.” She believes, however, that before the world room-Hotels is where you can spend a few days in weightlessness.
Regardless of whether or not mankind should colonize Mars in the near future, Crain’s research, as appropriate. Her drive is to understand the complex ecological Connections on earth better. This Knowledge could also be used here.
“for example, We have a lot of problems with chemical fertilizers, a fertilizer from human excreta could help to solve many problems.” The technological possibilities are available. “However, many still have a mental block, because in the middle ages by human feces in drinking water, many people died.” (Country messenger)
Created: 26.02.2019, 15:37 PM
