A vital piece of potential space colonization is the development of plant growth on foreign planets.
To achieve that goal, NASA is exploring the construction of a greenhouse on Mars. The organization is eyeing a 2021 date for the project, according to space.com. The project has been given the name the Mars Plant Experiement (MPX), and could help lay the foundation for the colonization of Mars.
MPX would employ a clear "CubeSat" box — the case for a cheap and tiny satellite — which would be affixed to the exterior of the 2020 rover. This box would hold Earth air and about 200 seeds of Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant that's commonly used in scientific research, space.com reports.
The seeds would be given about two weeks to grow, and immediately receive water upon touchdown.
To read space.com's full story click here.
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