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Discussion about bamboo - definitely a good crop for Mars but also one that has its limits in terms of uses, prompted me to research trees and tree growth.
Like bamboo, trees are of course good for oxygen production, but could also have many other uses and wood is a more durable material than bamboo.
Some tree species like hybrid poplar can grow 2 metres per annum. So, useful wood supplies could be produced within maybe 3 to 4 years.
I have never heard of growing trees successfully using hydroponics, so I presume soil would either need to be manufactured or imported.
Trees I think do have a psychological benefit for humans as well and give a sense of permanence to a location.
The pioneers might wish to grow trees internally for aesthetic reasons. But as a form of farming, wood would make for a very useful material especially if it is difficult to manufacture metals on Mars. One of the most successful aeroplanes of WW2, the Mosquito, was made of wood.
Wood can of course be used to make furniture and fashion utensils, or as flooring, wall facing etc.
As part of a Materials Development Programme for Mars, both timber and bamboo should be seen as key materials to be produced. Research should be carried out into the best species for Mars. My recommendations would be to focus on fast growing species. On Earth these might be considered uneconomic but on Mars speed is of the essence and the tonnage requirements are low.
In support of this part of a materials development programme a decision would need to be made whether to import the soil or use mainly ISRU to manufacture it on site.
Soil is going to be required for a number of crops and so I think the establishing of a Soil Manufacturing Facility on Mars should be an early goal.
Soil manufacture will require a complex recipe. Rocks will need to be ground down; sand, gravel and clay will be added. The soil will need to be fertilised. Successful plant growth may require the introduction of bacteria and fungi. Space X should really be looking into this in detail already. Taking organisms like fungi and bacteria from Earth to Mars is a big step and the implications need to be addressed.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=7836
Trees by IanM
http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=7354
bamboo by SpaceNut
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Thanks for the links SpaceNut.
Of course trees can be a tremendous food source - fruit and nuts.
But I was thinking on this thread mostly about material usage.
It would be good to get a tree plantation going on Mars within the first 10 years.
100 trees for a 100 person colony could be a great resource.
Industrial robots could use the timber to make a range of products from furniture to bedsteads to bins to shelving and so on.
Interestingly, wood seems to operate well in cryogenic temperatures so it might have some outdoor uses e.g. maybe as the outer body of a night rover.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Trees take time to mature. Bamboo grows very quickly. There are also options for including wood and other natural fibres in laminated composites with polymer adhesives.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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For Louis ... this is an interesting topic!
This post is reserved for an inventory of atom types and quantities needed to grow a tree (anywhere)
Human DNA requires an atom of Phosphorous. Wikipedia came up with this list of atoms needed to make DNA:
DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, resembles a long, spiraling ladder. It consists of just a few kinds of atoms:
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Combinations of these atoms form the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA -- the sides of the ladder, in other words.
A Science Odyssey: DNA Workshop: Replication - PBS
www.pbs.org › wgbh › aso › tryit › dna › replication
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SearchTerm:Atoms needed to make a tree
SearchTerm:Tree atoms needed to make
Mars is short on hydrogen, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Even Carbon and Oxygen require some work to make available to a seed of any plant, but fortunately a seed can do the work given energy.
An arborist would need to plan ahead to have an adequate supply of ** all ** the atoms needed, plus a supply of photons of the right frequency.
Planning ahead is what (I ** think **) this forum is about.
Edit#1: I asked Google what elements are needed to make a tree, and it found this pdf reference:
https://www.urban-forestry.com/assets/d … ub%20I.pdf
The document dates to 2009 .... nothing much will have changed since then.
Components
Eighty percent (80%) of all component materials of a living tree is water taken from the soil, with
minute amounts taken directly from the atmosphere and precipitation. Of the remaining components seen as
a tree, roughly 19% are three elements derived from water and carbon-dioxide gas. These elements (i.e.
carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O)) are chemically combined and elevated to a higher energy level
visible as all tree parts. The remaining ~1% of tree material is composed of essential elements removed
from the soil, although small amounts of some essential elements can be extracted from the atmosphere (i.e.
sulfur (S) and chlorine (Cl)). Figure 1.The sunlight powered synthesis process of a tree leads to other organisms consuming tree materials
in some form, whether herbivores, parasites, scavengers, or symbionts. All organisms deriving life energy
from this process generate waste, shed parts, and die. Synthesized materials outside living membranes
decompose into simpler components, finally releasing all essential elements to the environment. These
essential elements are usually reprocessed by other local organisms, chemically held on the site, or eroded /
leached away from the site.Tree Recipe
Although only 1% of tree life materials are derived from essential elements taken from a soil, failure
to secure all essential items lead to primary deficiencies, secondary symptoms, compounding problems, and
metabolic dysfunction. The recipe for building a healthy and structurally sound tree depends upon precise
concentrations of essential elements. Table 1 provides the relative proportion of essential elements in trees.
To much or too little of any essential element can lead to minor health issues at least, or catastrophic failure
and death at most.
(th)
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For SpaceNut re this topic .... The active membership of the forum does not include anyone trained in biology (or anything related) (to the best of my knowledge)
It would be helpful to the intellectual life of the group to recruit one or more persons with a background in the fields that relate to the growth of trees, plants in general, and animal life including humans.
(th)
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A botanist covers all plants while an arborist covers the shrubs and trees....
Each have specialists
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An observation by RobertDyck at post #161 of the topic cited below stayed with me. It was a caution that trees need wind to stress them.
http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 45#p178745
SearchTerm:trees need wind
Searchterm:wind needed by trees to develop strength
Failures of Biosphere II
(th)
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Well trees need a large area to grow within so these are no underground and since there is a canopy some exhaust gas blasts from co2 and other it the chamber can act as wind even if only in pulses.
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For SpaceNut re #9 ....
The idea of using exhaust from machinery to provide air movement for trees is interesting.
Another idea that occurred to me is mechanical simulation of wind, to exercise the electric bonds that hold the cells of trees together.
The observation of Louis that trees are observed to grow in atria of large buildings is also interesting. I assume Louis has not tried hanging from a branch of such a tree recently. The warning from RobertDyck is to expect the limb to fall off.
This topic is about trees on Mars, so it seems reasonable (to me at least) to consider general observations about trees that are found on Earth.
For one, the strength of a tree is related to the genetic code for each type. The advice to exercise a tree during its life seems reasonable to me, but to be surprised if a branch falls off seems ** unreasonable ** if the cell level structure of the tree is weak to begin with.
I also observe that the strength of a limb decreases with age. The Japanese Cherry in the back yard at this location has need of occasional pruning as individual branches lose strength. The occasional winds and vigorous rain here will often break the weak bonds that remain, causing dead branches to fall towards the ground. On the other hand, a pear tree elsewhere on the property, planted at the same time, seems to maintain "muscle tone" quite well, with only rare attention required.
Edit#1: Here is a YouTube video showing a tree shaking harvester .... something like that could visit trees in a Mars "forest" to insure they develop resilience so the limbs don't fall off when residents climb them or swing from them, or attach hammocks to them.
It is even possible they might be useful for harvesting!
(th)
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The tree could also be provided a source of water that contains some very diluted waste with in it as rain from the top of the dome system that would be a means to make use of a system to filter the water back into use by natural methods.
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SpaceNut: In a closed greenhouse, you can use drip irrigation for trees. Supply grey water from sewage processing. Drip irrigation will supply that water directly to the ground around the tree. No need for "rain". Humidity that transpires into the air will be filtered through the tree. If you ensure irrigation water doesn't evaporate, then humidity could be condensed as pure potable water. Containing irrigation water can be done a few ways: bury the drip irrigation system, cover the ground with plastic, or cover the ground with hydroponic growing medium: expanded clay pellets, perlite, vermiculite.
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For RobertDyck re #12
Thanks for picking up on the suggestion of distributing waste water through the air as particles that humans could breath. Your suggestion of dripping the moisture directly into the soil insures that little if any of the potentially harmful (to humans) particles suspended in the water will float in the atmosphere.
Of course, if personnel are always wearing EVA equipment, then the only risk is contamination of the exterior of the suit with waste material, but even that could be avoided using your suggestion.
(th)
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There will be many Biomes to be had on mars as is on earth and that we will want to create on mars more than trees within. Its just one such example of how different each will be.
As there will be out comes of product that will be desired from each.
What Biome's are needed on Mars of which there is at least 7 maybe more
The green grass of Mars is one where we can enjoy the smell of cut grass and feel it between the toes....
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Yes good point about cut grass and feeling it on bare feet. This is the sort of pleasurable sensory experience that needs to be part of living on Mars.
Biomes are not applicable to Mars habs which will not be closed systems. They will be open, allowing for venting of gases and vapours and intake of atmosphere/materials.
There will be many Biomes to be had on mars as is on earth and that we will want to create on mars more than trees within. Its just one such example of how different each will be.
As there will be out comes of product that will be desired from each.What Biome's are needed on Mars of which there is at least 7 maybe more
The green grass of Mars is one where we can enjoy the smell of cut grass and feel it between the toes....
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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The habitat for man is a biome for humans...
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Designers Imagine Bamboo Colony on Mars
https://www.archdaily.com/924023/design … ny-on-mars
Life on Mars: creating a Martian food system
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article … od-system/
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