1 Hydroponics
Plants will be unable to grow in lunar or Martian soil, so an artificial hydroponics system will be needed to provide water and nutrients to enable the plants to flourish.
2 Ready meals
Some plans envision plant-bearing habitats being launched to the Moon ahead of astronauts. They would be tended to by robots until astronauts arrive.
3 Sunlight
Plants in space will grow like they do on Earth, using sunlight and carbon dioxide. If the habitat is exposed like this, the plants will easily be able to gather sunlight.
4 Life support
As well as providing food, plants consume carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Therefore, they could be a substitute for mechanical life support systems.
5 Protection
To protect plants from radiation on the Moon it may be necessary to bury habitats in lunar soil. But Mars’ atmosphere could possibly provide enough protection.
6 Self-sustaining
Denne historien er fra Issue 143-utgaven av All About Space UK.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 143-utgaven av All About Space UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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