Alien Ale

Space Technology

By Cutright Elizabeth on Feb 2, 2018 in Technology

Start with a little volcanic ash, add a dash of vermiculite and some coffee grounds, and what you end up with is not just a reasonable facsimile of Martian soil, but also the perfect environment for the cultivation of hops. While on its own, Martian soil’s density and aridness make it inhospitable to most crops, the addition of a few crew ingredients can change barren earth into the perfect host for potatoes, herbs and, apparently, the types of grains that make beer possible. Soil analysis reveals hops could thrive on Mars, opening the door for a truly out-of-this-world brew.

That’s the discovery presented by a group of students from Villanova University to a recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington D.C. Working with astronomy and astrophysicist Professor Edward F. Guinan, 25 budding Martian farmers initiated a series of experiments to see which types of crops might thrive on the red planet. While most of the participants chose practical plants, like soybeans and kale, on group decided to see if the essential ingredient for beer might also be viable.

“Because they’re students,” Dr. Guinan said of the decision, it makes sense they’d lean toward ‘Martian beer.’”

A Handful of Mars

The Martian agricultural experiment began as a way for Guinan and his class to explore how a typical Martian colony could sustain its residents. Though real Martian soil isn’t actually available, The Martian Garden sells a unique blend of crushed basalt from the Mojave Desert based on NASA and JPL research to produce soil “as close as you can get to Mars without leaving Earth.”

While the soil is available for purchase, beginning with the MMS-1 Mojave Mars Simulant at $5 a pound, students, researchers and “space enthusiasts” can receive a free sample for their own experiments. Overall, the company hopes to inspire future STEM students by providing them “the opportunity to hold ‘Mars’ in their hand.”

“We can help connect them with an incredibly wide variety of topics, motivating them to actually want to learn,” the company says on its website. “Over the last year we’ve learned that Mars regolith simulant isn’t just a useful geologic analog for the surface of Mars – it’s also an incredibly powerful resource for STEM education.”

Colonization and Cultivation

Guinan’s motivations also involved inspiring his students to think beyond the classroom. Specifically, Guinan encouraged them to imagine life on a different planet.

“I was trying to come with a project for the students to do, a catchy project that would be fairly easy,” said Guinan in a recent interview. “I kept telling them, ‘You’re on Mars, there’s a colony there, and it’s your job to feed them. They’re all depending on you.'”

Each aspiring extraterrestrial agronomist tended to a small patch of dirt in a specially designed greenhouse covered by a mesh screen used to reduce sunlight and recreate the planet’s dimmer-than-Earth atmosphere. The additional ingredients that made the soil viable were added with an eye towards materials colonists would have on hand, including cardboard boxes and coffee grounds. In addition to the hops, Guinan’s students were also able to successfully grow carrots, spinach and scallions – with cultivation rates similar to, or even exceeding, Earth-based potting mix.

While Guinan’s research is not the first of its kind, the choice to grow hops does distinguish his group’s efforts from typical extraplanetary agricultural experiments. In fact, next semester, two of his students plan to perform a series of follow-up experiments involving the cultivation of another essential ingredient, Martian barley. So far, Guinan definitely sees potential.

“I don’t know if it’s a practical plant, but it’s doing fairly well,” he said.