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The Northerner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 11:31 AM
Original message
Astronauts to grow own food in Mars?
Astronauts travelling to Mars are mulling growing their own food in a “kitchen garden” in space and should also need adequate chef skills, according to a NASA scientist. Maya R Cooper, a senior research scientist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the Space Food Systems Laboratory in Houston, Texas, says that feeding astronauts could be one of the greatest challenges to the first manned mission to Mars.

Cooper explained that the challenges of provisioning space vehicles and Martian surface bases begin with tangible factors, such weight and nutrition, and encompass psychological nuances, such as providing a varied, tasty menu that wards off boredom.

MarsThe solutions envisioned now include requiring astronauts to grow some of their own food and engage in much more food preparation than their counterparts on the International Space Station.

The major challenge is to balance weight, food acceptability and resource utilization, said Cooper. Astronauts currently dine on pre-packaged foods that are quick and easy to prepare and include everything from scrambled eggs to brownies.

Read more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Astronauts-to-grow-own-food-in-Mars/Article1-739261.aspx
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L. Coyote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 11:35 AM
Response to Original message
1. Reality sets in, Mars missions seen as completely insane?
And, to protect the global environment, space and upper atmosphere travel outlawed.

Additionally, hubris was outlawed to protect the innocent from the ignorant :rofl:
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spin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 11:55 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Actually it would make more sense to go to the Moon first...
If nothing else, we could eventually build a Howard Johnson on the moon and offer the ultra rich an opportunity for a interesting vacation.

In a few years there will be only two classes of people in this nation, a few people who the uber-rich and can afford ANYTHING they want and everybody else who struggles to survive from paycheck to paycheck. Therefore, the Howard Johnson would only need a few rooms.

It's good to be rich in the United States.

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drm604 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 12:03 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Howard Johnson jokes aside
it probably would make sense to first try to maintain a self sufficient base on the moon. When we've mastered that then we'll have learned a lot about what we'd need for a successful Mars mission.
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L. Coyote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 01:01 PM
Response to Reply #3
8. First, you need to manipulate gravity to match Earth's, then ....
Humans think they can live in space? Guess again. Not possible today.
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spin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 01:28 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. However, we had had people survive on space stations ...
for over a year.


Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov (Russian: Валерий Владимирович Поляков, born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov on April 27, 1942) is a former Russian cosmonaut. He holds the record for the longest spaceflight in human history, staying aboard the Mir space station for more than 14 months (437 days 18 hours) during one trip.<1> His combined space experience is more than 22 months.<2>

Selected as a cosmonaut in 1972, Polyakov made his first flight into space aboard Soyuz TM-6 in 1988. He returned to Earth 240 days later aboard TM-7. Polyakov completed his second flight into space in 1994–1995, spending 437 days in space between launching on Soyuz TM-18 and landing on TM-20, setting the record for the longest time continuously spent in space by an individual in human history.<2>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeri_Polyakov



It is uncertain whether the low (one-sixth g) gravity on the Moon is strong enough to prevent detrimental effects to human health in the long term. Exposure to weightlessness over month-long periods has been demonstrated to cause deterioration of physiological systems, such as loss of bone and muscle mass and a depressed immune system. Similar effects could occur in a low-gravity environment, although virtually all research into the health effects of low gravity has been limited to zero gravity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_the_Moon


But you do mention a serious concern.


Gravity in Space

by Tega Jessa on August 10, 2009

One of the big challenges to long term travel in space is gravity. We now know that other than radiation and the cold vacuum of space, the biggest threat to a person’s health is lack of gravity. The human body was developed to thrive under the force of gravity. This is why our muscular and skeletal systems are shaped the way they are. Over time, in a zero g or weightless environment, the bones of the body become brittle and certain muscles, like those in the thigh actually weaken. There are also worries about its effect on the circulatory system as well.

***snip***

So scientist and even science fiction writers have been thinking about how to create gravity in space. There are several proposals some already proven and others that are still theory. The first is to us the centripetal force of a rotating hull. This is method is the most trustworthy as the effect has been observed on Earth. Every object in the universe wants to go in a straight line. In the case of planets, its the pull of gravity from an object with great mass that curves most celestial object’s paths. In the case of a space craft it would be the hull itself. Since you can’t walk through solid walls the force of your body wanting to go in a straight line would resemble gravity.

This theory has drawbacks. First, the amount of gravity you feel would vary depending on how close you are to the center of the craft. Scientists believe that the longer the radius of the spacecraft the less the effect will be felt. The other challenge is nausea. You are still basically on something like a huge merry go round. Like on its namesake, some people will be able to handle it and others will experience nausea. But in most cases its believed that if if the space craft rotates at 1 rotation per minute the nausea won’t be an issue.

The other method of maintaining gravity is to constantly accelerate a spacecraft at 9.8 m/s, Earth’s acceleration due to gravity. The problem with this is that due to limitations imposed by fuel there is no spacecraft that can maintain this rate of acceleration more than 7 minutes. This idea might become possible if a more reliable source of propulsion is found.
http://www.universetoday.com/37091/gravity-in-space/

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drm604 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 01:33 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Not possible today.
People have lived in space. Granted for relatively short periods. The point is to learn how to do so for longer periods.

Can we do that today? No. No one is talking about doing it today. They're talking about learning so that we do it tomorrow.
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spin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 01:33 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. I totally agree ...
It's much easier to rescue people from the moon than it would be if they were on a journey to Mars or on a base on Mars.

As you point out, we can learn a lot by building a permanent base on the moon and avoid serious mistakes that could doom a base on Mars. Plus we may find interesting and valuable resources on the moon.
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RaleighNCDUer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 12:08 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. Actually, this is very reasonable, and essential if we are to colonize Mars.
And if we want the human species to survive, colonizing Mars is absolutely necessary.

I believe it is also inevitable.

What is completely insane about making Mars settlements self-sustaining?
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MilesColtrane Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 12:26 PM
Response to Reply #1
6. Putting all your eggs in one cosmic basket is fine.
As long as you're OK with the species being wiped out at some point.

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JHB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 12:05 PM
Response to Original message
4. Just to note, this is reporting on a research paper, not not an actual program underway
I understand how the distinction might cause confusion, as we don't have "science reporting" in the U.S. mainstream media anymore.
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hunter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 12:40 PM
Response to Original message
7. Intelligent robots will settle Mars first.
And when any humans finally get around to visiting Mars it will be as these robot's guests, coddled in an artificial earthlike environment of the robot's making.

An intelligence that can build a body from scratch optimized for the Martian environment has the upper hand in comparison to a natural life intelligence that must bring along a few billion years worth of evolutionary baggage.
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spin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-31-11 01:35 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. That is a good possiblity...
especially with the advances we keep seeing in computer technology and robotics.
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