China gets set to grow veggies on Mars

China is planning a trip to Mars — and they have the vegetables to prove it. In a recently concluded lab experiment, a 300 cubic meter cabin was converted into a grow-space that served as a "ecological life support system." The tiny biosphere could pave the way for a future mission to Mars in which plants will be used to take in carbon dioxide, while providing oxygen and sustenance for the pioneers living within in.

According to Deng Yibing, deputy director of the Beijing-based Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, the experiment was an attempt to create and study the complex interplay of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water with people and plants — and all within a closed system. The study was conducted in Beijing with the help of German scientists.

The experiment, the first of its kind in China, produced four different types of vegetables. The system could someday allow astronauts to produce their own stocks of air, water, vegetables, and fruits.

China is planing to land an exploratory craft on the Moon for the first time next year, the first critical stage in what is an ambitious space programme — one that includes a long-term plan for a manned Moon landing.

io9.com...

Well since the US is broke maybe China will be able to send the next manned mission to the moon or Mars.

Even though I kind of doubt it, but who knows. Maybe China really did develop a working complete biosphere.

reply to post by Trustfund

Ya know all those intros to those sci-fi horror movies and books and games about some life form that has migrated to a new planet where unexpected things happen and...

Very cool stuff, thanks for posting the story.

They'd better bring along some rat traps though, just in case.

Very cool.
The more competition and active exploration done, the better.

Who cares if it's China, US, Russia, France, Mexico, N. Korea, or anyone else pushing the envelopes of exploration for all of mankind?

When it comes down to it, we're all humans, all from Earth.

I really do often wish we had some hostile aliens knocking at our door, threatening to huff and puff so that we could all finally set aside our differences and learn to be humans, together, united, representatives of a single planet and solar system we share together beneath the same sun.

I think the martians got em beat already

www.marsanomalyresearch.com...

Originally posted by Trustfund

China is planning a trip to Mars — and they have the vegetables to prove it. In a recently concluded lab experiment, a 300 cubic meter cabin was converted into a grow-space that served as a "ecological life support system." The tiny biosphere could pave the way for a future mission to Mars in which plants will be used to take in carbon dioxide, while providing oxygen and sustenance for the pioneers living within in.

They just learned how to launch an aircraft from their brand new, refurbished old Russian, aircraft carrier...and they're already looking to Mars?

"Cart before the horse" comes to mind.

According to Deng Yibing, deputy director of the Beijing-based Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, the experiment was an attempt to create and study the complex interplay of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water with people and plants — and all within a closed system. The study was conducted in Beijing with the help of German scientists.

Well they'd better get busy, we've been doing the whole 'Biosphere' thing for years.

www.b2science.org...

And with it came massive issues:

Not too long afterwards there were reports that the air quality inside Biosphere 2 was deteriorating rapidly: oxygen levels were falling and carbon dioxide levels rising. Various people struggled to find an explanation for this development and in the course of the search the biospherians let slip that they had even had to turn on their CO2 scrubbers to purify the air. “What CO2 scrubbers?” outsiders asked, at which point the group running Biosphere 2 revealed that they had put carbon dioxide scrubbers like those used on submarines inside the facility—and conveniently forgotten to tell anybody about them.

The lack of oxygen was traced to excessive organic material in the soil used in the greenhouses. But in the meantime, massive amounts of fresh air had been pumped into the Biosphere to prevent the eight jumpsuited crewpersons from dying. The crew made it to their two-year mark and emerged into Biosphere 1 looking a lot thinner, and happy to be on the outside again.

This article exposed the whole 'sex, lies, and video tape' of the project. What a mess.

www.thespacereview.com...

Looks like we finally got the kinks worked out since 2005.

Before they start planting crops they'll need to address the rodent problem.

Maybe they can also send a billion-plus Chinese over there as well to tend to these gardens??

Nah...

Originally posted by ErgoTheConclusion
reply to post by Trustfund

 

Ya know all those intros to those sci-fi horror movies and books and games about some life form that has migrated to a new planet where unexpected things happen and...

edit on 5-12-2012 by ErgoTheConclusion because: (no reason given)

Reminds me of the movie total recall. Schwarzenegger did two movies that Really portray the future. Total recall & Running Man. Desensitizing the masses....

Originally posted by Trustfund

China is planning a trip to Mars — and they have the vegetables to prove it. In a recently concluded lab experiment, a 300 cubic meter cabin was converted into a grow-space that served as a "ecological life support system." The tiny biosphere could pave the way for a future mission to Mars in which plants will be used to take in carbon dioxide, while providing oxygen and sustenance for the pioneers living within in.

According to Deng Yibing, deputy director of the Beijing-based Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, the experiment was an attempt to create and study the complex interplay of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water with people and plants — and all within a closed system. The study was conducted in Beijing with the help of German scientists.

The experiment, the first of its kind in China, produced four different types of vegetables. The system could someday allow astronauts to produce their own stocks of air, water, vegetables, and fruits.

China is planing to land an exploratory craft on the Moon for the first time next year, the first critical stage in what is an ambitious space programme — one that includes a long-term plan for a manned Moon landing.

io9.com...

Well since the US is broke maybe China will be able to send the next manned mission to the moon or Mars.

Even though I kind of doubt it, but who knows. Maybe China really did develop a working complete biosphere.

edit on 5-12-2012 by Trustfund because: (no reason given)

So what exactly does this have to do with Aliens and UFOs?