Hey gang, Trace here for DNews with your Weekly Space Update. Last year, NASA announced we'd

嗨大伙們，跟著這部DNews來更新你每個禮拜的太空新知吧!去年，NASA宣布

found water on Mars, and that got some people thinking... could future astronauts grow crops

他們在火星上找到了水，這讓有些人不禁納悶：太空人之後

in the Martian soil?

有可能在火星的土讓上種農作物嗎？

It's taken us thousands of years to hone farming on Earth; we could plant crops 'til the cows

我們已經在地球花了數千年的時間提升耕種技術。

come home but what's good for the Earth goose may not be good for the Martian gander. Soil

等到牛群回家，我們可以種植出農作物了。但是適合地球的不一定適合火星。

needs a lot more than water to grow a plant. Soil on Earth contains living and dead organisms

土壤不單單只需要水就能使得植物生長。地球的土壤含有有生命和無生命的有機物

including bacteria and plant matter, rocks and minerals, and nutrients like nitrogen

當中包含細菌、植物物質、石頭和礦物質，以及像是氮的營養物質

-- it takes more than 500 years to form an inch of topsoil on Earth. As far as we know,

要花五百年以上才能夠形成地球上一英吋的表土層。就我們目前所知，

Mars doesn't have organisms living in its soil to aerate and break down the matter -- so

火星並沒有有機生命在土壤中使得土壤能夠充滿空氣並分解物質

this is a huge challenge. Not all dirt is created equal, there are 70,000 different

所以這是個大挑戰。並不是所有的土都是一樣的，

types of soil in the United States alone!

光是在美國就有七萬種不同種類的土壤!

So, to simulate Martian soil we had to gather information about Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory,

所以，為了模擬或星的土壤我們必須蒐集有關火星的資訊。火星科學實驗室，

Curiosity has been doing JUST THAT, when it wasn't joyriding around Mars and snapping

在好奇心使然之下，當然不是在火星四處閒晃、

selfies, of course. Martian soil contains carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur compounds

玩自拍。火星的土壤包含二氧化碳、氧氣、硫化物，

as well as carbonates -- or things that indicate a presence of water. It's about 2% water. NASA gathered soil samples

還有碳酸鹽類(或者說這些組成物是火星有水的證明，雖然大概只有 2%)。NASA蒐集了火星的土壤樣本

on Mars and then composed an approximation of Martian soil using the volcanic soil of

並且利用夏威夷火山的土壤來合成近似於火星的土壤

Hawaii. From there, plant ecologist Wieger Wamelink planted 14 plants and grew them over

在這種土壤上面，植物生態學家Wieger Wamelink種植了14種植物，並培植了超過50天

50 days.

Obviously, the plants were given carbon dioxide, oxygen and water, but it's not just the obvious

很顯然地，植物被供應了二氧化碳、氧氣和水，但是那些不只是顯而易見的資源

resources. The seeds of a plant can sustain growth for a while, that's what they're for

種子可以維持植物一段時間的生長，那就是它們存在的目的

-- to help the plant gain a foothold. According to PhysOrg, Wamelink expected the plants to

--幫助植物取得一個立足點。根據PhysOrg網站，Wamelink預期

germinate and then die due to a lack of nutrients. The researchers were surprised to find the

植物會發芽，然後因為缺少營養物質而死亡。研究員驚訝地發現

plants did quite well, using the phosphorus and iron oxides to take root.

植物活得好好的，同時利用磷與氧化鐵來扎根。

Unfortunately, the fact the plants grew in a difficult soil environment is only one small

不幸的是，植物能夠在艱困的土壤環境下生長只是

part of the puzzle. The lower gravity and temperature of Mars will make it difficult

這個難題的一小部分。較小的引力和較低的火星溫度將使

for water to be pulled into the soil, and tougher for plants to evaporate their excess

水分難以滲入土壤，更使得植物難以蒸散它們多餘的濕氣

moisture. Plus, the sun is much farther away, so any Martian plants will need extra light.

再加上太陽離火星更遠，所以許多火星植物需要額外的光。

They're thinking LEDs at the moment, but no one is quite sure.

他們此刻正想用LED，但是沒人能夠確定。

The moon is much closer, only a few days away. So, to Newt Gingrich's delight, the moon will

月球距離比較近，只差了幾天。所以，令Newt Gingrich感到高興的是，月球將

probably be the location of Earth's first extraterrestrial colony. Wamelink is also

可能是地球的第一個外太空殖民地。

trying to grow crops in the moon's soil, called regolith. Because our moon has no atmosphere,

Wamelink也正是著種植農作物在月球土壤(也稱作上岩層)上。因為我們的月球沒有大氣層，

the regolith contains mainly meteorite pummeled rock dust, micrometeor debris, rocks and volcanic

上岩層主要包含了隕石激起的岩石粉末、小流星碎片、石頭、火山玻璃

glass... Not to mention radiation from the unchecked solar wind.

更別說是沒提到的太陽風輻射了

It would be HUGE if we can manage to get crops to take root in ANY capacity on another planet.

如果我們想使得農作物以任何形式在其他星球上深根，這項計畫會非常巨大。

Not only for food, but for oxygen recycling, and to give colonists something to DO all

不只是食物還有氧氣循環，還可以給殖民者一些可以做一整天的事情

day. It can get pretty boring to sit around in a spacecraft all the time. But that's...

一直坐在太空船會非常無聊嘛!但是，

another story...

那是另一回事了

And if this doesn't give you the train conductor kick in the head excitement about the future,

若是這沒有使得你對未來感到興奮，

how about Shots of Awe with Jason Silva? Watch Jason explore technology, space, human nature

那麼Jason Silva的影片如何呢?看Jason探索科技、太空、人的天性

and love. ... Whoa. What does your gut tell you? Are EARTH plants going to grow on the

還有愛...哇嗚。你的膽告訴你什麼?地球植物將會在

moon or Mars? Tell us below and subscribe for more DNews! Thanks for tuning in, you

月球或者火星生長嗎?在下面告訴我們並且訂閱更多DNews吧!謝謝你們轉台到這兒，

guys are the best.

你們最棒了!