A Large Order of Jupiter Fries, Please!

Have been reading about the possibility of growing vegetables on other planets? Saw a preview of that movie which starred Matt Damon, “The Martian” (2015), where he was growing stuff in a place where nothing grows. I dismissed the notion because it was a science fiction movie. I mean … it's “fiction”. Not science.  :)

However, there are some scientists who are serious about pursuing this endeavor. Researchers want to and have been experimenting with plants growing in soil similar to kind of dirt one would find on Mars or Jupiter, for example.

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As a non-scientist, I would not completely write off farming on Mars or Jupiter as an impossibility.  But I will say the scientists were very smart in choosing the potato as the test crop.  As my late non-scientist sister with a green thumb once told me: "If you can't grow a potato, you can't grow anything."  :)

According to a 2012 BBC News report, food futurologists are looking into the kind of food we may be eating in 20 years.  But they are only researching food available here on earth like insects, algae, lab-grown meat, and sonic-enhanced food (???).

Who knows? Fries from Jupiter might be quite tasty. :) But I bet they'll be expensive.  :)

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References:

Flook, Jamie. "Could Foods Taste Better On Other Planets Than They Do On Earth?" Popular Science. A Bonnier Corporation Company, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. ( http://www.popsci.com/could-food-taste-better-other-planets ).

Schneibel, Andrea. "SPACE: Scientists Try to Grow Peruvian Potatoes on "Mars"." Scientific American. A Division of Nature America, Inc., 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. ( https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-try-to-grow-peruvian-potatoes-on-mars/ ).

Jean-Louis, Lawrence. "Life on Mars? For Potatoes Maybe…." Cook, Mix, Mingle. N.p., 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. ( http://web.archive.org/web/20161118063714/http://www.cookmixmingle.com/food-recipes/growing-potatoes-on-mars/ ).

Winterman, Denise. "Future Foods: What Will We Be Eating in 20 Years' Time?" BBC News Magazine. BBC News Services, 30 July 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2017. ( http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18813075 ).

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Would You Eat Food Not Grown on Planet Earth?

Have you ever thought that:

“Plants grown on other planets may be tastier than Earth veggies.”

Obviously, this thought has crossed someone’s mind.

Per my non-scientific observation and logic, none of the other planets even have trees! Why would anybody think the soil on Mars or Jupiter would be good for planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables? (O.o)

Nevertheless, ignoring the obvious scientific fact about the lack of trees, according to an interesting article published by Popular Science, there are working teams of scientists exploring the possibilities of farming Mars or growing plants on Jupiter.

The article is a fascinating read. Couldn’t help but note that when discussing or even imagining the possibilities of growing plants elsewhere in the universe, they used the term “Earth-like planet”.

They have already conducted some experiments utilizing soil that is similar to that of Mars, and it seems that “Martian berries will be tasty”. Not only that, but another experiment indicated that “fries cooked on Jupiter would be the best in the solar system”.

To me, this is all the stuff of fiction, like that 2015 movie, “The Martian” which starred Matt Damon.   The most interesting (and humorous) takeaway was what was deemed a crucial focus of all of this scientific experimentation. Forget about berries and fries. This is the really important question, and it’s a direct quote from the PS article.

“So how do we identify known exoplanets as potential future homes for great-tasting chocolate?”

Really?

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Reference:

• Flook, Jamie. “Could Foods Taste Better On Other Planets Than They Do On Earth?” Popular Science, Bonnier Corporation, 22 Sept. 2015

Source: Virily.com

A Large Order of Jupiter Fries, Please!

In movies, people can grow food on a planet other than earth. But it's "fiction". Not science. However, some scientists are serious about experimenting with plants growing in soil similar to the kind of dirt one would find on Mars or Jupiter.