Despite the fact that the planning of missions to Mars is already in full swing, the question of the planet's suitability for existence remains open. And if it is still possible to cope with the lack of oxygen somehow, then something must be done with the cultivation of agricultural crops on the soil of the red planet. To do this, you need to conduct a lot of tests on Earth, and it seems that scientists from the University of Central Florida have found a simple and cheap way to do this and even shared the "recipe for Martian soil."
The work was published in the Icarus magazine and, according to one of the developers, Dan Britt, a variety of simulating substances are now used for such experiments. This means that there is no single standard for experiments, and also that researchers will get different results.
Therefore, a team of scientists decided to develop a kind of "gold standard" for such events. Their materials are based on analyzes of the chemical composition of the soil on Mars, provided by the Curiosity rover.
Comparison of different soil samples. Under the letter a - soil from Gale crater, b - soil created by a new recipe, c and d - other formulations for simulating Martian soils.
The soil was named MGS-1 (Mars Global Simulant), and its composition can be easily changed in such a way as to obtain not only different types of soils on Mars, but also the soil of other planets. The authors of the study have already received their first order. Kennedy Space Center plans to purchase 500 kilograms of MGS-1. But scientists have posted a recipe for soil in the public domain, so even you can create it. Provided, of course, that you can find all the necessary components.
Vladimir Kuznetsov
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