Jellyplants beat man to mars a critique

The National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) is in the first of many tests to research to concept of sustaining life on Mars, the closest planet to earth. The first of many future explorers to Mars will not be a man, woman or child, but a new breed of plant called Jellyplants. Jellyplants are a cross between tiny mustard plants and jellyfish. Rob Ferl, a University of Florida professor, is bioengineering the plants by adding reporter genes, part plant-part glowing jellyfish so it can send back messages to earth about how they are adapting to the different environmental conditions. The plants are genetically wired to glow green when they have problems. Some of the plants are being programmed to report low oxygen; others are programmed to report low water or a wrong mix of nutrients in the so

il. As Ferl says, we are using genetics to create plants that give us data we can use to help them survive.” The big advantage to this experiment is there is no need for humans on the trip. The plants are going to be sent in a mobile greenhouse that will house the plants. The green house will house a camera that will watch the growth of the plants. If the plants are growing under no stresses, the plants will look normal, if not then they will glow green.

The idea behind learning how to grow plants on Mars is to come up with a plan as to humans will live there in future colonies. Future explorers will need oxygen, food and water and it will be too expensive to shuttle these products from Earth to Mars on a regular basis. What NASA is planning to do is to use the plants as part of a self-contained “bioregenerative” life support system. A Bioregenerative Life support system means that plants, humans, and microbes work together to support one another. Humans make carbon dioxide that is used by plants, which turns into breathable oxygen. Human waste can provide nutrients for growing plants, after being processed by microbes in bioreactor tanks, which will produce food for people. The idea behind the Bioregenerative life support system is a great idea, but it will take many plants to achieve the balance of oxygen they put out to the amount of carbon dioxide that us humans emit. They are estimating that the first plants will arrive on mars

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