Making the soil of Mars fertile
SmartGreen Space works on simulated Martian regolith: a ground with no organic matter, where a plant will not take on its own. We amend it at different doses, grow, measure, and use that data to train an algorithm that learns at what quantities the soil becomes fertile.
Why we study it
Whoever farms on Mars will not be able to bring soil with them. They will have to use what is there, and know exactly how much to add. The same question, how much a poor soil needs before it gives a harvest, holds down here too, on depleted land.
The test rig
The test beds
Beds of substrate under the same light as the strawberries: this is where the mixes are tried.
The project in the lecture hall
The work on tubers in Martian conditions, presented at Politecnico.
Where we want to get to
One seed, a tray of simulated soil and a label for every dose. Illustrative image.