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Why exactly did this experiment require a satellite? For biological purposes Martian gravity is probably closer to Earth gravity than to microgravity, and all t

by azernik 10y ago

Why exactly did this experiment require a satellite? For biological purposes Martian gravity is probably closer to Earth gravity than to microgravity, and all the other conditions could be reproduced for cheaper and at larger scale in a ground laboratory. This smells of a publicity stunt to me.

adrusi 10y ago
Martian gravity is lower than earth gravity, and if the test was run in earth like gravity there could be concerns that that variable would have an effect. By conducting the experiment in lower gravity than Mars's, it's hard to doubt that martian gravity would pose a problem.
- piker 10y ago
  Practically speaking, honest question, how do we simulate lower gravity for extended periods other than orbit? Seems hard.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    Technically, what you're doing in orbit is free fall ;). I've seen devices used to simulate microgravity in cell research. Devices like these: http://www.grimm-space-research.com/RPM/RPM.html http://www.grimm-space-research.com/RPM/RPM.html As far as I understand, the basic idea is to spin the sample in such a way that over time that the forces acting on it (including gravity) average out to 0. Apparently the processes they're interested in occur slowly enough that they behave as if in free fall.
_rpd 10y ago
> This smells of a publicity stunt to me. I don't know, some people are irrational about plants and farming. Sure we've grown all kinds of plants in orbit before, but maybe potatoes need to commune with the Earth in order to grow. Turns out that potatoes obey the laws of physics and chemistry as well.
AdamTReineke 10y ago
From the photo, I'm pretty sure the CubeSat is on the ground. http://nkxms1019hx1xmtstxk3k9sko.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CubeSat.jpg http://nkxms1019hx1xmtstxk3k9sko.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-... The photo is from their press release: http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes-can-grow-mars/ http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes...
- maxander 10y ago
  Isn't a cubesat on the ground called... a box? There's no mention of a past or future launch in the article, so this looks like an egregious case of buzzwording.

by azernik 10y ago

adrusi 10y ago

Martian gravity is lower than earth gravity, and if the test was run in earth like gravity there could be concerns that that variable would have an effect. By conducting the experiment in lower gravity than Mars's, it's hard to doubt that martian gravity would pose a problem.

piker 10y ago
Practically speaking, honest question, how do we simulate lower gravity for extended periods other than orbit? Seems hard.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  Technically, what you're doing in orbit is free fall ;). I've seen devices used to simulate microgravity in cell research. Devices like these: http://www.grimm-space-research.com/RPM/RPM.html http://www.grimm-space-research.com/RPM/RPM.html As far as I understand, the basic idea is to spin the sample in such a way that over time that the forces acting on it (including gravity) average out to 0. Apparently the processes they're interested in occur slowly enough that they behave as if in free fall.

_rpd 10y ago

> This smells of a publicity stunt to me. I don't know, some people are irrational about plants and farming. Sure we've grown all kinds of plants in orbit before, but maybe potatoes need to commune with the Earth in order to grow. Turns out that potatoes obey the laws of physics and chemistry as well.

AdamTReineke 10y ago

From the photo, I'm pretty sure the CubeSat is on the ground. http://nkxms1019hx1xmtstxk3k9sko.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CubeSat.jpg http://nkxms1019hx1xmtstxk3k9sko.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-... The photo is from their press release: http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes-can-grow-mars/ http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes...

maxander 10y ago
Isn't a cubesat on the ground called... a box? There's no mention of a past or future launch in the article, so this looks like an egregious case of buzzwording.