Summary
Asks whether plants could grow on other planets — thinking through what photosynthesis requires and how engineers might need to modify those conditions in a space greenhouse on Mars or a future colony.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What does a plant need to grow? How many of those things are available on Mars?
- What engineering solutions would a Mars greenhouse need to provide?
- Why would growing food in space be important for long-duration space missions?
- What challenges might arise from growing plants in low gravity?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: photosynthesis, nutrients, gravity, atmosphere, greenhouse, engineering constraint.
Try it: Design a Mars greenhouse on paper. List five engineering problems (no atmosphere, low gravity, radiation, cold temperatures, no liquid water) and for each write one possible engineering solution.