Agricultural engineer Ray Bucklin and Holly Kichinko examine a project in one of the University of Florida's research greenhouses. American Society of Agricultural Engineers photo.

April 4, 2001 -- Someday teams of astronauts may grow fruits and vegetables on Mars, thanks to pioneering work by Ray Bucklin, University of Florida agricultural engineer.

Although a manned mission to Mars is probably 10 or more years away, Bucklin is designing a greenhouse that explorers might use on the cold, waterless planet. He and his associates are experimenting
with growing plants in vacuum chambers that simulate conditions on Mars, such as air pressure, light levels and climate. They will use mathematical models to determine the raw materials best suited for
construction, to design heating and ventilation systems, and measure light and heat transfer between plants and the outside environment.

Once the greenhouse meets specifications, it will be tested on Mars. "It probably would be something we would inflate," Bucklin says. "There are some engineering problems, but they are doable things."

The greenhouse would allow Mars explorers to supplement their diets with fresh fruit and vegetables. ""When they land on Mars, they're going to be there for a while," Bucklin says. "You get awfully
tired of eating all that dehydrated food."

Career opportunities will abound for agricultural engineers in the field of space exploration, says Bucklin, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "NASA is very interested in working with
students," he says.

In fact, NASA envisions the eventual "terra-forming" of Mars, the modification of the the planet's environment to sustain life as it is known on Earth. This might be accomplished through the deliberate
release of "greenhouse gases" like those believed to be affecting the Earth's climate. There is no ozone layer in the Martian atmosphere that would be threatened by these gases and planetary warming could
allow the survival of plants and insects.

Dr. Imre Friedmann, a microbiologist at Florida State University, believes that bacteria named Chroococcidiopsis, which can survive in extremely harsh environments such as the Ross Desert in
Antarctica, could turn the mixture of rocks and fine dust that now covers the surface of Mars into soil through the introduction of organic matter.

NASA scientists have studied hydroponic food production for space flights for a long time. The space agency also maintains a technology transfer program in which its scientific discoveries may be
applied to agriculture and other industries here on this planet.

For more information, see On the Farm with NASA and the href="http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2001/news-marsgreening.asp">Greening of Mars on the NASA Kids site.

The University of Wisconsin has devised this farming in space experiment for high-school students.