How Well Would Plants Grow on Mars?

[On the Road]

Scientists Hope Bush Space Plan Restores Mars Greenhouse Funds
By Chris Kridler

Atmospheric pressure on Mars is less than 1 percent of Earth's. A greenhouse pressurized to Earth levels on Mars would need strong, heavy walls so it wouldn't burst apart. If plants can grow in a low-pressure greenhouse, then the greenhouse itself can be made of light materials that could easily and cheaply be transported into space.

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They have found that, to a point, plants react well to the change in pressure...

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He foresees a greenhouse on Mars that might be inflatable, filled with 95 percent carbon dioxide. It could be underground, to protect it from radiation. Humans would use the plants for food and oxygen.

Rygalov contrasts plants' resilience with machinery, when "if it's broken, it's broken. Plants can overcome. That's why it makes them so reliable," he said. "They can take anything," Fowler agreed. "They just adapt."


http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mini_mars_040415.html