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On the Cody's Lab YouTube channel, Cody did expose potato plants to Martian atmospheric pressure for short periods of time. Apparently, potato plants can surviv

On the Cody's Lab YouTube channel, Cody did expose potato plants to Martian atmospheric pressure for short periods of time. Apparently, potato plants can survive a decompression event, so long as you get them back to an Earthlike environment promptly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8VPvBr4ppU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8VPvBr4ppU I doubt they could survive extended exposure, though.

sandworm101 10y ago
And 'survive' is something far different than 'grow'.
- sigmaprimus 10y ago
  Even saying they are growing doest mEan they will work, I've peeled many potatoes and they grow eyes if left long enough...in the dark too!
ColanR 10y ago
So does this mean the environment was only partially simulated? It sounds like we're assuming Martian potatoes will be grown in pressurized environments.
- stcredzero 10y ago
  Given an inexpensive transparent material with very high tensile strength and resistance to weathering in the Martian environment, I could see a passive pressurization/thermal regulation scheme for greenhouses on the surface of Mars that relies only on, say, a heat source, some valves, and some consumable gasses. I could imagine such schemes using mainly water as an input. That said, such a material would be asking for a lot. Then, there's also the UV and other radiation to consider.
  - jsolson 10y ago
    Just replace/recycle it regularly.
- malandrew 10y ago
  I reckon there is value in only partially simulating the environment and grow lots of potatoes at scale. Take those potatoes that succeed and breed them and repeat. With every iteration, change the environmental conditions to better simulate Mars. Over successive generations, I reckon we can get to potatoes (and other plants) that fair well. The big question is how you optimize this process to assist evolution in moving faster.
  - adrianN 10y ago
    It will need many generations before you have a plant that can live in a natural martian environment. I don't think you'll be able to get much nutrition out of it anymore.
    - stcredzero 10y ago
      The less demanding the crops are, in terms of sheltering them from Mars, the cheaper they will be to grow. So it's useful, even if you don't get them to a natural Martian environment. Lowering the temperature and pressure they can grow at would still be a win.
      - adrianN 10y ago
        Only if you don't lose too much yield. Look at high mountain plants on Earth, they're hardly edible and live in a much friendlier environment than Mars.
  - frozenport 10y ago
    Near impossible, on Earth there are no plants in most of Antarctica. And that has more water than Mars. There is no solution that matches all the constraints.
    - Gravityloss 10y ago
      There arent many minerals available on ice and stuff gets buried under snow quickly too.

sandworm101 10y ago

And 'survive' is something far different than 'grow'.

sigmaprimus 10y ago
Even saying they are growing doest mEan they will work, I've peeled many potatoes and they grow eyes if left long enough...in the dark too!

ColanR 10y ago

So does this mean the environment was only partially simulated? It sounds like we're assuming Martian potatoes will be grown in pressurized environments.

stcredzero 10y ago
Given an inexpensive transparent material with very high tensile strength and resistance to weathering in the Martian environment, I could see a passive pressurization/thermal regulation scheme for greenhouses on the surface of Mars that relies only on, say, a heat source, some valves, and some consumable gasses. I could imagine such schemes using mainly water as an input. That said, such a material would be asking for a lot. Then, there's also the UV and other radiation to consider.
- jsolson 10y ago
  Just replace/recycle it regularly.
malandrew 10y ago
I reckon there is value in only partially simulating the environment and grow lots of potatoes at scale. Take those potatoes that succeed and breed them and repeat. With every iteration, change the environmental conditions to better simulate Mars. Over successive generations, I reckon we can get to potatoes (and other plants) that fair well. The big question is how you optimize this process to assist evolution in moving faster.
- adrianN 10y ago
  It will need many generations before you have a plant that can live in a natural martian environment. I don't think you'll be able to get much nutrition out of it anymore.
  - stcredzero 10y ago
    The less demanding the crops are, in terms of sheltering them from Mars, the cheaper they will be to grow. So it's useful, even if you don't get them to a natural Martian environment. Lowering the temperature and pressure they can grow at would still be a win.
    - adrianN 10y ago
      Only if you don't lose too much yield. Look at high mountain plants on Earth, they're hardly edible and live in a much friendlier environment than Mars.
- frozenport 10y ago
  Near impossible, on Earth there are no plants in most of Antarctica. And that has more water than Mars. There is no solution that matches all the constraints.
  - Gravityloss 10y ago
    There arent many minerals available on ice and stuff gets buried under snow quickly too.