Development of martian regolith and bedrock simulants: Potential and limitations of martian regolith as an in-situ resource

Fackrell, Laura E.; Schroeder, Paul A.; Thompson, Aaron; Stockstill-Cahill, K. R.; Hibbitts, C. A.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114055

Cited by 33 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Calcium perchlorate-enriched simulants were unable to sustain plant growth, even with nutrient supply. Fackrell et al (2021) have developed and characterized five new Martian simulants-Global soil (MBas), Phyllosilicatesmectite (MPSmec), Phyllosilicate-illite/chlorite (MPChl), Sulfate-rich (MSul) and Carbonate-rich (MCarb)-for applications in space farming tests. These simulants have been found to be mineralogically, chemically, and spectrally comparable to Martian regolith and bedrock (according to available data), and are exploitable for plant growth in future studies on Martian surface analogues.…”

Section: Plant Growth Experiments On Lunar and Martian Simulantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

Duri

Caporale

Rouphael

et al. 2022

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) are conceived of and developed so as to provide food sources for crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. The in situ resource utilization (ISRU) approach aims to reduce terrestrial input into a BLSS by using native regoliths and recycled organic waste as primary resources. The combination of BLSS and ISRU may allow sustainable food production on Moon and Mars. This task poses several challenges, including the effects of partial gravity, the limited availability of oxygen and water, and the self-sustaining management of resources. Lunar and Martian regoliths are not available on Earth; therefore, space research studies are conducted on regolith simulants that replicate the physicochemical properties of extra-terrestrial regoliths (as assessed in situ by previous missions). This review provides an overview of the physicochemical properties and mineralogical composition of commercially available Lunar and Martian regolith simulants. Subsequently, it describes potential strategies and sustainable practices for creating regolith simulants akin to terrestrial soil, which is a highly dynamic environment where microbiota and humified organic matter interact with the mineral moiety. These strategies include the amendment of simulants with composted organic wastes, which can turn nutrient-poor and alkaline crushed rocks into efficient life-sustaining substrates equipped with enhanced physical, hydraulic, and chemical properties. In this regard, we provide a comprehensive analysis of recent scientific works focusing on the exploitation of regolith simulant-based substrates as plant growth media. The literature discussion helps identify the main critical aspects and future challenges related to sustainable space farming by the in situ use and enhancement of Lunar and Martian resources.

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Section: Plant Growth Experiments On Lunar and Martian Simulantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

Duri

Caporale

Rouphael

et al. 2022

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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“…It will be interesting to study if the addition of perchlorates in the soil simulants affects root nodule development. One recent study reported the development of five new regolith and bedrock simulants [ 35 ]. These simulants are chemically and mineralogically comparable to Martian regolith and can be used for future studies involving Martian soil as a plant growth medium.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The legume-rhizobia symbiosis can be supported on Mars soil simulants

Rainwater

Mukherjee

2021

PLoS ONE

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Legumes (soybeans, peas, lentils, etc.) play important roles in agriculture on Earth because of their food value and their ability to form a mutualistic beneficial association with rhizobia bacteria. In this association, the host plant benefits from atmospheric nitrogen fixation by rhizobia. The presence of nitrogen in the Mars atmosphere offers the possibility to take advantage of this important plant-microbe association. While some studies have shown that Mars soil simulants can support plant growth, none have investigated if these soils can support the legume-rhizobia symbiosis. In this study, we investigated the establishment of the legume-rhizobia symbiosis on different Mars soil simulants (different grades of the Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS)-1: Coarse, Fine, Unsorted, Superfine, and the MMS-2 simulant). We used the model legume, Medicago truncatula, and its symbiotic partners, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Sinorhizobium medicae, in these experiments. Our results show that root nodules could develop on M. truncatula roots when grown on these Mars soil simulants and were comparable to those formed on plants that were grown on sand. We also detected nifH (a reporter gene for nitrogen fixation) expression inside these nodules. Our results indicate that the different Mars soil simulants used in this study can support legume-rhizobia symbiosis. While the average number of lateral roots and nodule numbers were comparable on plants grown on the different soil simulants, total plant mass was higher in plants grown on MMS-2 soil than on MMS-1 soil and its variants. Our results imply that the chemical composition of the simulants is more critical than their grain size for plant mass. Based on these results, we recommend that the MMS-2 Superfine soil simulant is a better fit than the MMS-1 soil and it’s variants for future studies. Our findings can serve as an excellent resource for future studies investigating beneficial plant-microbe associations for sustainable agriculture on Mars.

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“…Ultimately, the selection of the most appropriate PGPB will be determined by the location of Lunar and Martian colony sites, as well as the method of plant growth. ISRU approaches will have to be tailored not just to the planetary body, but also the specific colony site as locations will vary in mineralogy, which will also require the development of site specific regolith simulants important for research in these systems (Ramkissoon et al, 2019;Fackrell et al, 2021). The use of siderophore producing or phosphate solubilizing bacteria will be dependent on the amount of insoluble nutrients available in the on-site substrate, as well as what interactions applied fertilizers may have with the geologic material.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Within Space Crop Production Systems

Handy

Hummerick

Dixit

et al. 2021

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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As we establish colonies beyond Earth, resupply missions will become increasingly difficult, logistically speaking, and less frequent. As a result, the on-site production of plants will be mission critical for both food production as well as complementing life support systems. Previous research on space crop production aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has determined that the spaceflight environment, though capable of supporting plant growth, is inherently stressful to plants. The combined stressors of this environment limits yield by inhibiting growth, as well as increasing susceptibility to infection by plant pathogens such as Fusarium spp. We propose that a consortium of space-viable, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) could assist in mitigating challenges to plant growth in a sustainable fashion. Here, we utilize biochemical and phenotypic assessments to identify potential PGPB derived from previously acquired isolates from the VEGGIE crop production system aboard the ISS. These assays confirmed the presence of bacteria capable of producing and/or interfering with plant hormones, facilitating plant uptake of high-value target nutrients for plants such as iron and phosphorus, and able to inhibit the growth of problematic fungal species. We discuss our findings with regards to their potential to support plant growth aboard spaceflight platforms as well as the Moon and Mars.

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Development of martian regolith and bedrock simulants: Potential and limitations of martian regolith as an in-situ resource

Cited by 33 publications

References 77 publications

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

The legume-rhizobia symbiosis can be supported on Mars soil simulants

Identification of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Within Space Crop Production Systems

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