Also: Mars regolith simulant, Anabaena, Xanthoria elegans
Experiments growing plants, cyanobacteria and lichens in simulated Mars or Moon soil and atmosphere. See also the lunar regolith, Apollo samples, radiotrophic fungi and Deinococcus pages.
Only what the cited papers report.
Uses proposed by researchers for this topic are listed on Potential uses.
Search Google Patents for this topic: all patents · recent applications (2022+)
Patent searches are generated from the topic's key terms; a patent is a legal claim, not proof that something works. See the Patents page.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Export this topic's references: BibTeX · RIS (Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley)
Wamelink and colleagues grew plants including tomato, rye, wheat and cress on Mars and Moon soil simulants for 50 days without added nutrients; growth on the Mars simulant was much better than on the Moon simulant.
As reported in: Wamelink, Frissel, Krijnen et al. (2014). Can Plants Grow on Mars and the Moon: A Growth Experiment on Mars and Moon Soil Simulants. PLoS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103138
Verseux and colleagues found the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7938 grew well under a low-pressure nitrogen/CO2 atmosphere, and could be grown on Mars-regolith-like substrate, supporting cyanobacterium-based life support on Mars.
As reported in: Verseux, Heinicke, Ramalho et al. (2021). A Low-Pressure, N2/CO2 Atmosphere Is Suitable for Cyanobacterium-Based Life-Support Systems on Mars. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.611798
De Vera and colleagues exposed the lichen Xanthoria elegans to Mars-like conditions for 22 days and found no significant decrease in vitality.
As reported in: Vera, Möhlmann, Butina et al. (2010). Survival Potential and Photosynthetic Activity of Lichens Under Mars-Like Conditions: A Laboratory Study. Astrobiology. doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0362
Abstract only