Colonizing Mars with Crops
In The Martian, after Mark Watney reestablishes contact with Earth, he says this:
I’ve gotten e-mail from rock stars, athletes, actors and actresses, and even the President.
One of them was from my alma mater, the University of Chicago. They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially “colonized” it. So technically, I colonized Mars.
In your face , Neil Armstrong!
Is there any evidence that this is true, either from those involved with the movie, those involved with the university, or any other article/source out there?
If this should be migrated to a different SE, by all means, point the way.
Best Answer
I think this stems from the origin of the word "colonise" rather than any legal definition or opinion from any University.
The term colonization is derived from the Latin words colere ("to cultivate, to till"), colonia ("a landed estate", "a farm") and colonus ("a tiller of the soil", "a farmer"), then by extension "to inhabit". Someone who engages in colonization, i.e. the agent noun, is referred to as a colonizer, while the person who gets colonized, i.e. the object of the agent noun or absolutive, is referred to as a colonizee, colonisee or the colonised.
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Can you grow crops in Mars?
Therefore, under Martian gravity, the soil can hold more water than on Earth, and water and nutrients within the soil would drain away more slowly. Some conditions would make it difficult for plants to grow on Mars. For example, Mars's extreme cold temperatures make life difficult to sustain.What crops can survive on Mars?
The students found that dandelions would flourish on Mars and have significant benefits: they grow quickly, every part of the plant is edible, and they have high nutritional value. Other thriving plants include microgreens, lettuce, arugula, spinach, peas, garlic, kale and onions.Can food be grown on the Mars soil?
Fortunately, all the necessary nutrients have been detected in Martian regolith by Mars probes or in Martian meteorites that have landed on Earth. Dutch researchers demonstrated that crops such as tomato, cress, and mustard could grow in Martian regolith simulant, suggesting that they could grow on Mars.Is Mars good for agriculture?
Studies also show that plants are able to grow in Mars' thin topsoil. But, because this is Mars and nothing is easy, any future crops will need a lot more than water and dirt. Crops need habitats with breathable air, radiation protection and steady temperatures and pressure to survive.How We Will Farm In A Mars Colony!
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Images: Alexey Demidov, Walkers, El Capra, Arif Syuhada