Scientists at the University of Southampton in UK plan to grow lettuce on Mars in 2018; the project is the only proposal from the country accepted for payload in the Mars One landing.
The project dubbed #LettuceOnMars aims to grow lettuce in a greenhouse that will use the Red Planet's atmosphere and sunlight. The team came up with this idea because if humans want to live on Mars, they'll need to start producing food there.
The lettuce seeds will be planted first on Earth, and then the researchers will freeze the seeds for transport to Mars. As soon as the Mars One lander reaches the Red Planet, the seeds will be reheated between 21C to 24C. The lettuce will get the carbon dioxide it needs from the Red Planet's atmosphere while the water and nutrients will be sprayed in the chamber, The Telegraph reported.
Images of the lettuce will be sent to Earth from time to time to monitor its progress from seed to full plant. It might take about four weeks for the lettuce to grow before being heated up, according to BBC News.
"This plan is both technically feasible and incredibly ambitious in its scope, for we will be bringing the first complex life to another planet," project leader Suzanna Lucarotti said in a statement.
"Growing plants on other planets is something that needs to be done, and will lead to a wealth of research and industrial opportunities that our plan aims to bring to the University of Southampton."
"We have tackled diverse sets of engineering challenges, including aeroponic systems, bio-filters, low-power gas pressurization systems and fail-safe planetary protection systems and then integrated them all into one payload on a tight mass, power and cost budget."
LettuceonMars is one of the 10 university experiments selected by the Mars One project. Other entries came from the United States, Australia and India. The experiments were selected through public voting.
