Supplying spaceship provisions for a journey as long as the one to mars presents many problems. Researchers have been investigating the possibility of cultivating living crops in space. The idea of lofting a few hundred pounds of seeds into orbit seems far more practical -- and appetizing -- than launching tons of processed and packaged food.
Evidence from the Soviet space stations has shown that growing food in space has a positive effect on crew members; not only does it give them something with real flavor and color to eat, but it also offers them the enjoyment of tending the garden. The tiny patches of green become places of living natural beauty set against the mechanical interiors of the stations and the emptiness of space. Crops also help cosmonauts feel more connected to the Earth.
Given such positive effects, scientists are pursuing the potential. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for instance, researchers have successfully grown compact rows of crops in mineral-rich solutions of water. In fact, by varying the atmosphere, the mineral mixture, and the light intensity, they have been able to grow wheat more efficiently than Dakota farmers and cultivate potatoes with better yields than harvests in Idaho or Maine.
Despite such successes, scientists do not know how well crops will grow in zero or low gravity over long periods of time. Yields could deteriorate over several generations, or crops could react much as humans do to micro-gravity and lose some of their natural Earth-tied capacities and structures. Solar and cosmic radiation may also be important factors; they may cause genetic harm to seeds and mature plants.
Further tests in space stations, and perhaps someday on a Moon base, will have to determine the real potential for successfully growing crops in space. If such tests continue and succeed, a manned journey to Mars might move closer to reality.
