Disambiguating the soils of Mars

Certini, Giacomo; Karunatillake, S.; Zhao, Yuyan; Meslin, Pierre‐Yves; Cousin, A.; Hood, D. R.; Scalenghe, Riccardo

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2020.104922

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 166 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Regolith was acquired from the Martian Garden (a company that manufactures regolith based off the JSC-1 NASA regolith and the data from Mars rover missions [ 3 , 4 ]; Austin, TX, www.themartiangarden.com ). Experiments were conducted in the MMS 1 superfine grade regolith which matched average Mars regolith by 95% in consistency and chemical composition.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regolith has been analyzed from several rover missions, and surveys have found no traces of plant-available N in regolith. In addition, no known significant organic material on the Martian surface has been identified that could supply plant-available N via microbial mineralization [ 3 , 4 ]. Another problem that requires further testing is the low diatomic N (N 2 ) content in the Martian atmosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nitrogen in Earth’s soils is partly made accessible by decomposers that mineralize organic N forms to release NH 4 , yet this is not the case on Mars as organic matter and microorganisms responsible for mineralization are lacking [ 4 , 6 ]. Furthermore, on Earth Rhizobium spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Soil fertility interactions with Sinorhizobium-legume symbiosis in a simulated Martian regolith; effects on nitrogen content and plant health

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to increasing population growth and declining arable land on Earth, astroagriculture will be vital to terraform Martian regolith for settlement. Nodulating plants and their N-fixing symbionts may play a role in increasing Martian soil fertility. On Earth, clover (Melilotus officinalis) forms a symbiotic relationship with the N-fixing bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti; clover has been previously grown in simulated regolith yet without bacterial inoculation. In this study, we inoculated clover with S. meliloti grown in potting soil and regolith to test the hypothesis that plants grown in regolith can form the same symbiotic associations as in soils and to determine if greater plant biomass occurs in the presence of S. meliloti regardless of growth media. We also examined soil NH4 concentrations to evaluate soil augmentation properties of nodulating plants and symbionts. Greater biomass occurred in inoculated compared to uninoculated groups; the inoculated average biomass in potting mix and regolith (2.23 and 0.29 g, respectively) was greater than the uninoculated group (0.11 and 0.01 g, respectively). However, no significant differences existed in NH4 composition between potting mix and regolith simulant. Linear regression analysis results showed that: i) symbiotic plant-bacteria relationships differed between regolith and potting mix, with plant biomass positively correlated to regolith-bacteria interactions; and, ii) NH4 production was limited to plant uptake yet the relationships in regolith and potting mix were similar. It is promising that plant-legume symbiosis is a possibility for Martian soil colonization.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Soil fertility interactions with Sinorhizobium-legume symbiosis in a simulated Martian regolith; effects on nitrogen content and plant health

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…), Rice (Oryza sativa), beet (Beta vulgaris), pea (Pisum sativum), corn (Zea mays) potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The manufacture of vegetable hybrids of these species is considered to supply and meet requirements such as low temperature environments, production of higher volumes in an environment rich in CO2; in addition to adaptation to the Martian soil [40]. These crops also fulfill the function of releasing O2, recycling nutrients (N, P, K, S) and recovering water through transpiration [41].…”

Section: Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…thereby favoring the variety of preparations [41]. Another source of protein is beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), as well as microalgae and cyanobacteria, such as Spirulina platensis [43], which also offers opportunities for energy production (See section 5.2) [40]. The consumption of insects is another alternative for the consumption of proteins, varying in their nutritional values according to the metamorphic stage, habitat and diet.…”

Section: Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mars Dichotomy: Prospects for human life on Mars

Leal¹,

Tovar²,

Nieves³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The red planet story began with the successful flyby of the American Probe Mariner 4 in July 1965. Eventually, on December 1971 the Soviet lander Mars 3 had the first landing on the surface of Mars. However, the search for life on other planets or the human establishment on other planets was part of science fiction. Only the Viking program, in 1975, changed the mindset of the entire world. Mars Pathfinder, Phoenix, Curiosity and other technical probes, landers and rovers, updated information on the conditions of Mars and thus improve materials, technology, and capabilities to put humans on Mars. Centuries of special Career have allowed to build Martian cities, where Space X, Blue Origins, and different governments and private companies around the world, achieved in 2042 the establishment of Star City [1], the first city outside of Earth with 1000 inhabitants. However, the population has continued to grow and the design of one or more cities that have changed the accommodation of 1,000,000 people is required. The requirement is that the city must be sustainable in resources, economy, and social dynamics. In this way, Mars Dichotomy proposal will begin its implementation from now on, achieving balance in 2350. From the point of view of Mars' physiography and topography, two highly different sectors are perceived. It is possible to appreciate that 40% of the planet displays very few impact craters, while the other 60% are regions with numerous impact records. Because of this it has been called that Mars presents a dichotomy or commonly said: Two faces. When thinking about the generation of large, diverse Martian cities and where science and technology must be the center of progress, we have also thought about maintaining a dichotomous character, which is why our proposal Mars Dichotomy proposes the design of two cities with concepts, characteristics and different productive sectors as follows: A. Wisdom City: At a height of 4 kilometers above the mean planetary radius (MPR), located at Ascraeus Mons region (Fig. 1a). Strategically located because the presence of ore deposits, caverns, and lava tubes, which appear to be open to the surface and can serve as shelter for inhabitants. The name of the city is inspired by the evolution of the scientific knowledge of humanity. The concept of living underground reminds us of the myth of the philosopher Plato, where some people live in caves and what they observe are shadows, until one of them manages to get out and see the surface, observing nature and the world; and then go back and tell others what was observed [2]. In the same way it connects us with our history and our origins, human beings in their beginnings lived in caves and once we went out and knew the world, we were able to look at the sky and recognize stars and planets, dreaming of one day getting there. We are now in the sky looking at Earth planet, to start a new story as space cavemen. B. Endurance City: The Medusae Fossae region (Fig. 1b) has been chosen for the high presence of hydrogen, therefore a good pl...

show abstract

Appendices

2023

Electrostatic Dust Mitigation and Manipulation Techniques for Planetary Dust

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disambiguating the soils of Mars

Cited by 26 publications

References 166 publications

Soil fertility interactions with Sinorhizobium-legume symbiosis in a simulated Martian regolith; effects on nitrogen content and plant health

Soil fertility interactions with Sinorhizobium-legume symbiosis in a simulated Martian regolith; effects on nitrogen content and plant health

Mars Dichotomy: Prospects for human life on Mars

Appendices

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About