Martian soil can support life. Perfect for asparagus.

[BurtWorm]

:insert smiley wearing chef hat over space helmet kissing fingers through face shield:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7477310.stm

Martian soil 'could support life'

Martian soil appears to contain sufficient nutrients to support life - or, at least, asparagus - Nasa scientists believe.

Preliminary analysis by the $420m (£210m) Phoenix Mars Lander mission on the planet's soil found it to be much more alkaline than expected.

Scientists working on the spacecraft project said they were "flabbergasted" by the discovery.

The find has raised hopes conditions on Mars may be favourable for life.

"We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life, whether past, present or future," said Sam Kounaves, the project's lead chemist, from the University of Arizona.

Exciting data

Although he said further tests would have to be conducted, Mr Kounaves said the soil seemed "very friendly… there is nothing about it that is toxic," he said.

"It is the type of soil you would probably have in your back yard - you know, alkaline. You might be able to grow asparagus in it really well."

[hobbit709]

1. Mars is a good place to grow asparagus.

That way it won't take up valuable garden space here.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. Good soil, but the climate may be a tad cold

[madinmaryland]

2. Are we casting asparagus on Mars now???

:wow:

[BurtWorm]

3. It could evolve into warlike asparagus people.

I sense a blockbuster (or direct-to-video bomb) in the making...

[madinmaryland]

4. THIS IS HUGH!!! Seriesly, Steven Speilberg needs to get on this!!

[slackmaster]

14. BurtWorm, I like the way you think

:hi:

[Dogtown]

5. Will future astronauts

have stinky pee?

[Brewman_Jax]

6. Are you series??2?2

[The Stranger]

7. Fuck it -- I'm outta here.

Asparagus will work for me.

Adios, Motherfuckers.

[pokerfan]

8. Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your vegs

In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did

[BurtWorm]

9. Spoilsport!

:cry:

[The Stranger]

10. I think he/she was channeling Elton John.

[pokerfan]

19. *He* was channeling Zapp Brannigan channeling William Shatner

channeling Sir Elton.

[NeedleCast]

11. Cool

Organic, Martian grown asparagus. Yum.

[leftofthedial]

13. but asparagus make my pee taste funny

LOL

[BurtWorm]

17. You know how your pee tastes?

Both before and AFTER asparagus?!

:wow:

[leftofthedial]

20. weird, huh?

[Marrah_G]

18. I don't wanna know how you know what your pre- and post- asparagus pee tastes like

[leftofthedial]

21. not even if it's funny?

well, okay.

[originalpckelly]

24. That's not all that it makes taste funny.

:evilgrin:

[Duer 157099]

15. Yeah but the fuel cost to transport it will be astronomical!

I mean, it's expensive enough as it is now, and it's only grown a couple hundred miles away!

[flvegan]

16. Maybe we can get cheap Martian labor to harvest it.

[undeterred]

22. Somehow, I don't find that very comforting.

[blues90]

23. What's the point ?

So on mars there is soil that may be able to grow things. No to be downbeat but what are we going to do with this , grow food on mars and wrap in those green plastic bags and hope it does not spoil on the trip back?

Or are we going to just go there and screw up another planet like we did to this one?

Perhaps this is the turf of another planet with an advanced life form that we will end up pissing off.

[BurtWorm]

26. Seriously?

I think the point is to keep looking for signs of organic history in the Martian soil. If it could grow or nourish some life form, maybe it already has. And if it has, it would be very interesting to see how it compared to life forms on earth. It could shed new light on the origins of life on earth.

[blues90]

27. it may be important if there were life on mars

and they screwed up much in the same way we have and we could learn how to prevent this but that's dreaming.

[BurtWorm]

I'm thinking more of prehistoric life. It's not likely there's actual life right now.

And if there's anything, it's probably microscopic. And fossilized. But who knows?

[BurtWorm]

28. .

.

[Love Bug]

25. The Good News from NASA

The Good News: We can grow asparagus on Mars!

The Bad News: It will cost $1,359/lb

[pt22]

29. Well shit, it's already 4 bucks a pound...

;-)